The boyfriend of a woman charged in the 2021 death of a West Melbourne 3-year-old boy entered a plea agreement Wednesday, June 17, as jury selection was underway in his death penalty trial.
Joshua Manns was facing trial for first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and child neglect in the June 11, 2021, death of Jameson Nance at a West Melbourne apartment complex. The plea comes less than a year after a judge declared a mistrial in case involving the child’s mother, Erica Dotson.
Manns’ plea effectively avoids trial and a recommendation on the death penalty from jurors. Instead, Manns could face up to 60 years in state prison because of the plea. Manns, who with the child’s mother told police that the boy drowned in a bathtub, is scheduled for a sentencing hearing before Brevard Circuit Court Judge Steve Henderson at 9 a.m. Monday, June 22.
Jameson’s death occurred at a Lago Circle apartment in West Melbourne on June 11, 2021. The medical examiner determined that the child had been subjected to three weeks of intense abuse leading up to his death.
Autopsy findings show that Jameison had numerous previous injuries. Including a right rib fracture, a stab wound to the scalp, a lacerated jaw and a broken tooth. He also had a history of injuries that included broken legs, with claims from Dotson that he tripped and fell off a curb, records show.
Erica Dotson faces trial for a second time after a mistrial in 2025. The charges include first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse in connection with the boy’s death and will also include a penalty phase with a recommendation from jurors for either life or death upon a conviction.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Or X, formerly known as Twitter: @JDGallop
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Boyfriend of child’s mother enters plea in death of West Melbourne boy, 3
Reporting by J.D. Gallop, Florida Today / Florida Today
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By J.D. Gallop, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
