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Florida

Florida prosecutors seek death penalty for mom and boyfriend in alleged abuse, murder of 3-year-old boy

Child suffered broken rib, broken tooth, esophagus damage and stab wounds to head, autopsy found

By Stephen Sorace Fox News
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State prosecutors in Florida are seeking the death penalty against a mother and her boyfriend who are accused of brutally abusing her 3-year-old son for weeks before the child was found dead in June.

Erica Dotson, 27, and Joshua Manns, 25, were indicted on July 28 for first-degree felony murder in the death of 3-year-old Jameson Nance. Prosecutors have described the murder as "especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel," FOX35 Orlando reported.

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Jameson died after he "suffered through and experienced significant pain and abuse" in the three weeks before he died, authorities have said. 

Jameson Nance had suffered from multiple injuries from alleged child abuse before he died, authorities said.

Jameson Nance had suffered from multiple injuries from alleged child abuse before he died, authorities said. (West Melbourne Police Department)

He was found dead on June 11 after Manns left a note for Dotson saying that he had a seizure while bathing Jameson and later woke up to find the child unresponsive, the station reported. However, a medical examiner determined that Jameson did not drown as no water was found in his lungs. 

Police said that the autopsy found the child had a broken rib, a broken tooth, esophagus damage and at least seven stab wounds to his head, with three wounds showing signs of healing, WKMG-TV reported.

Erica Dotson, 27, and Joshua Manns, 25, were indicted on July 28 for first-degree felony murder in the death of 3-year-old Jameson Nance.

Erica Dotson, 27, and Joshua Manns, 25, were indicted on July 28 for first-degree felony murder in the death of 3-year-old Jameson Nance. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. (Brevard County Jail / West Melbourne Police Department)

Investigators believe Jameson was a victim of ongoing child abuse after learning of two instances in which the child suffered a broken leg, local media reported. Dotson had said that he broke his leg in 2019 while running, and again in March when he stepped off a curb.

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Authorities have said that investigators believe Dotson knew about her son’s injuries from the alleged abuse and did nothing to stop it. Dotson was arrested on July 13.

Manns had fled when he discovered the child unresponsive. He was named a person of interest arrested weeks later on June 28 in Tifton, Ga., where he was hiding with relatives.

Dotson and Manns also face charges of aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child, and child abuse.