An Arizona couple, Richard Baptiste and Anicia Woods, allegedly tortured their 10-year-old daughter to death with a vicious series of exercises. They are accused of forcing her to exercise as a punishing method, and they are facing murder and child abuse charges.
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According to court documents obtained by Law & Crime, Baptiste and Woods took an unresponsive 10-year-old Rebekah to a local medical center in Holbrook, Arizona, on July 27. Baptiste is Rebekah’s biological father, while Woods is her stepmother.
Given the “extent of her condition,” Rebekah was then taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. On July 30, tragically, Rebekah succumbed to her injuries, believed to have been caused by “non-accidental trauma,” according to doctors.
While talking with authorities, both parents allegedly admitted to using exercise as punishment. Routinely, Baptiste and Woods would submit their three children, including Rebekah, to extensive exercise drills, spanking, and belt hits, the documents alleged.
Due to the alleged abuse Rebekah was suffering, she attempted to escape from her parents’ clutches. At one point, as per the documents, the 10-year-old even jumped off a second-story window from her Phoenix apartment. Reportedly, she wanted another adult to take her in.
“She was running away from us, that’s what she said,” Baptiste allegedly told police. “She just said that she was gonna run to the well because she would at least be able to get water and maybe find somebody there.”
Tragically, this was only one of the many alleged child abuse incidents Rebekah and her siblings suffered.
Alleged Child Abuse Instances
A fatality summary report issued by the Arizona Department of Child Safety (ADCS) detailed numerous incidents involving the children. Among them, Baptiste and Woods are accused of abusing and neglecting their children. However, most allegations were deemed unsubstantiated at the time, the ADCS reported.
The court documents detailed how the three children appeared in school with “marks, scratches, or bruises” from November 2023 to May 2025. They allegedly said their parents were disciplining them with “laps and planks,” and that they were not being fed.
However, the children, in an effort to protect their parents, often changed their stories, the documents alleged.
According to 12 News, Richard Baptiste and Anicia Woods were charged with first-degree murder and child abuse. They will appear in court on September 4 to discuss a motion for joinder. Authorities are seeking to consolidate their cases so that they can face trial together.