BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Brevard County man who was set to go to trial over the death of his girlfriend’s son is scheduled to be sentenced Monday morning.
Joshua Manns, 30, could be sentenced to decades in prison for the death of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son, Jameson Nance, in West Melbourne.
Manns accepted a plea agreement, receiving a 60-year sentence for second-degree murder.
The sentencing follows Manns’ plea of no contest to charges including second-degree murder, child neglect with great bodily harm, child abuse and aggravated child abuse.
Nance died on June 11, 2021, after suffering extensive injuries.
Nance’s injuries, sustained prior to his death, included broken ribs, brain swelling and stab wounds.
Investigators determined the 3-year-old was abused for months leading up to his death.
Manns initially claimed that Jameson died from an accidental drowning. However, police later learned Jameson was beaten to death by Manns and, allegedly, by Jameson’s mother, Erica Dotson.
Seventeen days after Jameson’s death, investigators arrested Manns in Georgia. He had been charged with first-degree felony murder and aggravated child abuse.
As part of the agreement with the State Attorneys’ Office, Manns pleaded no contest to the reduced charges.
He was found guilty of second-degree murder, child neglect with great bodily harm, child abuse and aggravated child abuse.
Jameson’s mother, Dotson, is still facing charges in connection with her son’s death.
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