Additional information has emerged about a young girl who took her own life, allegedly under the direction of a palliative care doctor.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Stephen Leedy, 59, a Tampa Bay palliative care physician, has been charged with three counts of producing child sexual abuse material and two counts of coercing or enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity, according to the Department of Justice.
He’s facing accusations of coaching at least one of his victims to her death. The victim, identified as a 13-year-old, was found “hanging from the shower head with a dog leash around her neck,” according to Department of Justice prosecutors.
A spokesperson for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office told the Tampa Bay Times that the 13-year-old girl’s death was ruled an accident.
According to autopsy records obtained by the Times, Leedy communicated with the girl through Discord, a messaging and video chat app. He used an anonymous username to conceal his identity and never appeared on camera, prosecutors said.
According to the indictment and court filings, Leedy, a palliative care physician in the Tampa Bay area, used the username ‘maximumuncle#9112’ to sexually exploit and target approximately ten minors online,” DOJ officials stated in a press release.
Stephen Romine, a defense attorney in Pinellas, told the Times that the accidental nature of the victim’s death could complicate the prosecution’s ability to charge Leedy with murder.
“If they determined, ‘Well, she did hang herself, but she didn’t intend to hang herself,’ I would not expect him to be charged with a murder,” he said.
Leedy, according Romine, likely won’t be charged under Florida’s “assisting self-murder” law, a manslaughter provision that happens when someone has urged another person to commit suicide.
Prosecutors stated that Leedy instructed the girl to self-mutilate from a distance, complicating any potential charges of child abuse or other violent crimes, according to Romine. Experts in sexual victimization said that predators who operate exclusively online can more easily conceal their activities. Anonymity is easily achieved on platforms like Discord.
Meanwhile, he could face life in prison if convicted in the charges against him. He is currently held in federal custody in Atlanta.
Check back for updates.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Feature Photo: Dr. Stephen Leedy/ Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association]
