Morgan Leppert was a fifteen year old girl in Florida who would murder an elderly man during a robbery
According to court documents Morgan Leppert was dating a much older man and her parents obviously did not approve of the relationship. Morgan and her boyfriend decided the best thing to do would be to run away together
Morgan and her boyfriend decided to steal a vehicle from an elderly man, James Thomas Stewart. However soon after entering his home the robbery would go bad and the robbery would turn into a homicide. James Thomas Stewart was beaten, stabbed and suffocated which caused him to lose his life
Morgan and her boyfriend would flee however they would soon be under arrest
The boyfriend who was facing the death penalty quickly turned against Morgan in order to get a lesser prison sentence
Morgan Leppert would be convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole
Morgan would go up for a resentencing years later however her crimes were so brutal the Judge refused to give her a reduction
Where Is Morgan Leppert Today
Morgan Leppert is currently incarcerated at Lowell Correctional Institution
Morgan Leppert Current Information
| DC Number: | V33819 |
|---|---|
| Name: | LEPPERT, MORGAN A |
| Race: | WHITE |
| Sex: | FEMALE |
| Birth Date: | 01/12/1993 |
| Initial Receipt Date: | 10/01/2009 |
| Current Facility: | LOWELL C.I. |
| Current Custody: | CLOSE |
| Current Release Date: | SENTENCED TO LIFE |
Morgan Leppert Case
A tearful apology and years of good behavior behind bars weren’t enough to change a life sentence for Morgan Amanda Leppert Wednesday in Putnam County.
In a new sentencing, Circuit Judge Patti Christensen still gave the 23-year-old a life term for killing a 66-year-old Melrose man when she was 15.
“I regret every one of those choices we made that night,” Morgan Leppert said, also referring to her then-boyfriend Toby Lee Lowry.
“I hope that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me,” she said, reading from a lined sheet of notebook paper, her hands sometimes trembling.
The letter was intended in part for the family of James Thomas Stewart, the victim who was beaten, stabbed and suffocated in 2008 so Leppert and her 22-year-old boyfriend could steal his truck and leave Florida. None of Stewart’s family attended the hearing.
Christensen said she had no choice under the law but to give the life sentence in the case because Leppert intended to kill Stewart.
Lowry, 30, also previously agreed to a life sentence in order to avoid the death penalty.
Morgan Leppert’s case was eligible for review after a Florida Supreme Court decision last year that juveniles involved in a killing cannot be sentenced to life without being given special consideration. She was sentenced to life in 2009.
“I feel constrained that I have to do this,” Christensen said Wednesday.
Stewart, who was born without hands, had been dead for days when his body was found. During the attack at his home, Stewart was having difficulty breathing, Christensen said, recounting what Leppert told detectives at the time.
He asked Leppert and Lowry, “Why are y’all going to kill me?”
Christensen said that was convincing of Leppert’s involvement. Then Leppert was told to find a plastic bag to suffocate the former commercial fisherman.
“At that point there was only one reason to get that bag,” the judge said.
Members of Leppert’s family and other supporters were the only others in the courtroom. Leppert, in a blue prison uniform and shackles teared up and at one point buried her head in one hand after Christensen read the sentence.
Her supporters declined to comment after the hearing that took less than 30 minutes.
Morgan Leppert also was sentenced to 50 years each on convictions of other charges of burglary with battery and robbery with a deadly weapon.
Christensen said Leppert’s sentence on the murder charge will be up for review in 25 years.
She noted that Leppert had earned her high school equivalency and a cosmetology certificate while in prison and urged her to continue good behavior to help with that review.
“Be a good citizen in prison,” the judge said.
Leppert and Lowry were caught in Texas about a week after killing Stewart when she was recognized from a nationwide Amber Alert.
In earlier hearings to determine what the sentence will be, Leppert’s attorney argued that the teen was under the influence of her 22-year-old boyfriend and that she was immature and highly submissive. She had no prior criminal history.
“I wish I never ran away with him.” Leppert said in her letter.
She also was pregnant when she went to prison but believed she miscarried, her attorney, Valarie Linnen, said.
Prosecutor Chris France argued in the previous hearings that Leppert was the one in charge, based on observations of a homeless hitchhiker she and Lowry picked up after the murder and who was with them for days. Robert Bruckner said Leppert hit Lowry during arguments and that Lowry was docile around her.
When Morgan Leppert arrived at Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala, she became Florida’s youngest female prison inmate.
Linnen said she will file an appeal.
Morgan Leppert Video
Watch Morgan Leppert Video – Teens Who Kill – Real Cases of Teen Violence
Watch – Morgan Leppert Video – Teens Who Kill – Real Cases of Teen Violence
Morgan Leppert – Full Case Breakdown & 2026 Update
Morgan Amanda Leppert was just 15 years old when she became Florida’s youngest female prison inmate. In 2008, the Melrose teenager and her 22-year-old boyfriend Toby Lee Lowry beat, stabbed, and suffocated 66-year-old disabled fisherman James Thomas Stewart in his own home — all to steal his truck so they could run away together.
Sentenced to life in 2009, then re-sentenced to life again in 2016 after a Florida Supreme Court juvenile review, Leppert remains incarcerated at Lowell Correctional Institution in 2026.
Who Is Morgan Leppert?
Morgan Leppert was a fifteen year old girl in Florida who would murder an elderly man during a robbery. Born January 12, 1993, she grew up in Putnam County. According to court documents Morgan Leppert was dating a much older man and her parents obviously did not approve of the relationship. Morgan and her boyfriend decided the best thing to do would be to run away together.
She had no prior criminal history and was described by defense attorneys as immature and highly submissive — a claim prosecutors would later fiercely dispute.
The Victim: James Thomas Stewart
James Thomas Stewart, 66, was a former commercial fisherman living in Melrose, Florida. He was born without hands, a disability that made him vulnerable, and lived alone. Stewart was well-known locally and posed no threat to anyone.
Stewart had been dead for days when his body was found. During the attack at his home, Stewart was having difficulty breathing. He asked Leppert and Lowry, “Why are y’all going to kill me?”
The Crime: August 2008
Morgan and her boyfriend decided to steal a vehicle from an elderly man, James Thomas Stewart. However soon after entering his home the robbery would go bad and the robbery would turn into a homicide. James Thomas Stewart was beaten, stabbed and suffocated which caused him to lose his life.
The plan was simple: steal Stewart’s truck and leave Florida. The reality was brutal. Court testimony revealed Leppert was told to find a plastic bag to suffocate the former fisherman. The judge later said, “At that point there was only one reason to get that bag.”
Morgan and her boyfriend would flee however they would soon be under arrest.
Amber Alert and Capture in Texas
Leppert and Lowry were caught in Texas about a week after killing Stewart when she was recognized from a nationwide Amber Alert. The teens had picked up a homeless hitchhiker, Robert Bruckner, who later became a key witness.
Bruckner told investigators Leppert hit Lowry during arguments and that Lowry was docile around her — directly contradicting the defense claim that she was controlled by her older boyfriend.
Trial and First Life Sentence (2009)
Morgan Leppert was convicted of premeditated first-degree murder in the 2008 slaying of James Stewart. She and her boyfriend were charged with fatally beating, stabbing, and suffocating the older man.
The boyfriend who was facing the death penalty quickly turned against Morgan in order to get a lesser prison sentence. Lowry, 30, also previously agreed to a life sentence in order to avoid the death penalty.
Morgan Leppert would be convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. When Morgan Leppert arrived at Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala, she became Florida’s youngest female prison inmate. Initial receipt date: October 1, 2009. DC Number: V33819.
Resentencing: The 2016 Hearing
Morgan would go up for a resentencing years later however her crimes were so brutal the Judge refused to give her a reduction. Her case was eligible for review after a Florida Supreme Court decision that juveniles involved in a killing cannot be sentenced to life without being given special consideration.
A tearful apology and years of good behavior behind bars weren’t enough to change a life sentence for Morgan Amanda Leppert Wednesday in Putnam County. In a new sentencing, Circuit Judge Patti Christensen still gave the 23-year-old a life term for killing a 66-year-old Melrose man when she was 15.
“I regret every one of those choices we made that night,” Morgan Leppert said, also referring to her then-boyfriend Toby Lee Lowry. “I hope that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me,” she said, reading from a lined sheet of notebook paper, her hands sometimes trembling. The letter was intended in part for the family of James Thomas Stewart, the victim who was beaten, stabbed and suffocated in 2008 so Leppert and her 22-year-old boyfriend could steal his truck and leave Florida. None of Stewart’s family attended the hearing.
Christensen said she had no choice under the law but to give the life sentence in the case because Leppert intended to kill Stewart. “I feel constrained that I have to do this,” Christensen said.
Morgan Leppert also was sentenced to 50 years each on convictions of other charges of burglary with battery and robbery with a deadly weapon.
Where Is Morgan Leppert Now? 2026 Update
Morgan Leppert is currently incarcerated at Lowell Correctional Institution. Current custody: CLOSE. Current release date: SENTENCED TO LIFE.
Christensen said Leppert’s sentence on the murder charge will be up for review in 25 years. She noted that Leppert had earned her high school equivalency and a cosmetology certificate while in prison and urged her to continue good behavior to help with that review. “Be a good citizen in prison,” the judge said.
That 25-year review means Leppert will first be eligible for a sentence review around 2034, when she will be 41 years old. Her attorney, Valarie Linnen, said she will file an appeal.
In earlier hearings, Leppert’s attorney argued that the teen was under the influence of her 22-year-old boyfriend and that she was immature and highly submissive. She had no prior criminal history. She also was pregnant when she went to prison but believed she miscarried.
The “Blue-Eyed Devil” Narrative
The case gained national attention through podcasts like Sword and Scale Episode 310 and Court TV’s “Accomplice to Murder: Blue-Eyed Devil.” Toby Lowry claims his 15-year-old girlfriend Morgan Leppert manipulated him into murdering an elderly disabled man to escape together, raising questions about her role in the crime.
Prosecutor Chris France argued in the previous hearings that Leppert was the one in charge, based on observations of the homeless hitchhiker she and Lowry picked up after the murder and who was with them for days.
How old was Morgan Leppert when she killed James Stewart?
15 years old. She was born January 12, 1993, and the murder occurred in August 2008.
Where is Morgan Leppert now?
Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala, Florida, serving life with a 25-year review.
Did Toby Lowry get the death penalty?
No. He accepted a life sentence to avoid the death penalty.
Will Morgan Leppert ever get out?
Her sentence will be reviewed in 25 years from the 2016 resentencing (around 2041), but she remains sentenced to life.
