Gloria Williams imprisoned of kidnapping Kamiyah Mobley in 1998 from a hospital and raising her as her own daughter. Kamiyah, who was abducted as a new-born is asking a judge to show humanity to the woman who stole and raised her. Kamiyah wrote in support of a motion ‘I need my mother home’.
Gloria Williams was send to prison for 18 years in June 2018 for abducting Kamiyah that gripped national captions. Gloria now seeks to have that sentence cut in half.
Gloria wrote in her motion that she has a new perception on life as a result of her experiences while imprisoned. She further wrote that Rehabilitation within the Department of Corrections comes only to those who honestly wish to strive for self-betterment and transformation.
Gloria stole Mobley from University Medical Center (nowadays UF Health Jacksonville) in July 1998 while pretending as a nurse. She helped Kamiyah’s mother, Shanara Mobley, who was 15 years old at the time and then stole her baby eight hours after she was born.
The abduction sparked a month long hunt for the child and her kidnapper. Police arrested Gloria at her home in Walterboro, S.C. in January 2017. Kamiyah was living with the name Alexis Manigo and she was 18 at the time.
Gloria pleaded guilty to abduction and intrusion with child custody and was sentenced to 18 years in jail. As part of her plea deal, she is striped from earning from her crime while in jail.
Gloria earlier told the court that she was not in her right state of mind when she took the new-born. She said that when she committed the crime, she had just grieved a shattering miscarriage and was exhibiting signs conducive to post-delivery depression as well as experiencing life-threatening mental and emotional trouble.
Gloria quoted community service and faith and character classes that she has taken while imprisoned. She also told the judge that she is following her master’s degree and has been a model prisoner.
She told the judge that Kamiyah is still a part of her life and asked the court for her punishment to be reduced to nine years followed by nine years’ probation.
The filing included a handwritten note from Kamiyah which said in part, “I am writing this letter in support of my mother, Gloria Williams. I would like to make it very clear that she is my mother. She raised me and not only provided for my needs, but she loved me unconditionally.” She added that she was the person she is “an independent, college-educated and deeply spiritual person because of all my mom gave me.” In the last sentence of the letter, Kamiyah asked for the court’s grace and mercy stating she needs her mother home.
On the other hand, Kamiyah’s biological father, Craig Aiken said that he is not glad to learn about Gloria’s motion to have her sentence reduced. Craig said that there is no such thing as a good kidnapper and he asked the court for an 18-year prison sentence because that is how long his daughter was gone. Craig still wants Williams to serve her full sentence.
As of now, there has been no conclusion made on the discount of Gloria’s punishment and no future court dates have been planned.
