A Jackson County judge on Monday ensured a woman accused of a brutal 2023 murder will remain behind bars, denying bond for Tapanga Steadman during a hearing in Alabama. Steadman is the second person charged in the death of 25-year-old Jamari Moore, whose body was discovered wrapped in plastic and weighted with concrete at a local boat launch nearly three years ago.
The hearing on April 28, 2026, shed new light on the forensic trail that led investigators to Tapanga Steadman.
An investigator testified that Moore was last seen alive in a photo he sent his mother, showing him eating dinner with Tapanga inside their apartment.
When Moore’s body was pulled from Sauty Creek in August 2023, he was still wearing the same pajama pants seen in that final photo. Creel further noted that an autopsy confirmed the contents of Moore’s stomach matched the meal he was eating in the picture.
READ: “Souped-Up” Murder: Texas Woman Allegedly Mowed Down Boyfriend With High-Speed Golf Cart
While Tapanga originally told police she had left her home after an argument to stay at a hotel with her mother, investigators say surveillance footage told a different story.
Cameras allegedly captured Tapanga and Johneil Steadman—who are married but estranged—together near the creek. Authorities also uncovered text messages between the two women discussing DNA evidence, the disposal of Moore’s body, and the coordination of an alibi.
The judge’s decision to deny bond falls under Aniah’s Law, a statute that allows Alabama judges to hold defendants without bail for certain violent crimes.
The defense had argued for Tapanga’s release so she could reside with her grandmother, but the prosecution pointed to the nature of the crime—a fatal blow to the head with a blunt object—and her subsequent move to Oklahoma before her arrest.
READ: Zip-Tied Iguanas: Bizarre Florida Traffic Stop Ends With Georgia Man In Polk County Jail
Johneil Steadman, who was arrested in December 2025, also remains in custody without bond on charges of murder and abuse of a corpse.
A third woman, Mildred Thompson, faces charges of rendering criminal assistance for allegedly helping the suspects secure a hotel room and providing false information to police. Thompson is currently out on bond.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
