Sammantha Allen was born on June 14, 1988. 

On July 12, 2011, police arrived at Ame Deal's home after receiving a call. They found her dead in a small plastic footlocker that was located in a hot garage. Ame had suffocated inside the trunk, which was filled with her own urine and sweat. Her family had claimed that she was playing hide-and-seek and accidentally locked herself in the trunk the night before. However, police suspected foul play when they noticed her dirty condition and bruises on her left leg.

After questioning, Sammantha Allen and her husband John confessed to locking Ame in the trunk as punishment for taking a popsicle without permission. They stated that before they placed her in the trunk, they had made her exercise in the extreme heat for more than an hour. The trunk was locked with a padlock from the backyard fence, and Ame was forced to squeeze into it despite it being too small for her.

Sammantha Allen and John Allen were arrested for their roles in Ame's death on July 27, 2011. Along with them, other family members, including Ame's grandmother and aunt, were also arrested for child abuse and kidnapping due to their previous actions that similarly involved locking Ame in the trunk.

On August 10, 2011, all the individuals involved were formally indicted. John and Sammantha were charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit child abuse, while the other family members faced multiple counts of child abuse. Prosecutors indicated that they would seek the death penalty for Sammantha and John Allen.

In subsequent legal proceedings, Sammantha Allen was sentenced to death by lethal injection on August 7, 2017, for first-degree murder. She also received a lengthy prison sentence for child abuse and conspiracy. John Allen was also sentenced to death a few months later. The other family members received various sentences for their involvement in the abuse and neglect of Ame Deal.