BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Opening statements were presented Wednesday in the trial of a West Melbourne mother accused of murder in the death of her 3-year-old son.
West Melbourne police said Jameson Nance was beaten to death in 2021 by Josh Manns, Erica Dotson’s boyfriend. Police also said Dotson, a former Health First certified nursing assistant, called 911 and claimed her son drowned in a bathtub.
Prosecutors argue Dotson was aware of the abuse and didn’t stop it.
During the trial, the state is expected to present text messages between Dotson and Manns. West Melbourne police said Dotson called her son a jerk in an exchange of messages.
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“Like clean the whole house up because CPS (child protective services) will be there in the morning,” the messages read. “Spiral fractures are like that man, they’re super common for child abuse.”
According to an affidavit, Dotson had left her child in the care of Manns in June 2021 while she went to work. As she was leaving work, Manns called her to tell her not to drive and that Jameson had died.
Investigators said that at the time of that phone call, the boy had already been dead for several hours and that Manns had left the area. A medical examiner later determined that the boy had suffered abuse — including bruising, a broken rib and stab wounds to his scalp — for two to three weeks leading up to his death.
Records show Dotson claimed Jameson fell while running when his leg was broken in 2019 and then in March 2021, when he suffered another broken leg, she said he stepped off a curb. Police said workers at Jameson’s day care became suspicious of all the injuries.
The Department of Children and Families was contacted about Jameson’s injuries. He stopped attending the day care on June 2, 2021, and on that last day, he arrived with an injury to his face that Dotson claimed was from being attacked by a duck, according to authorities.
“By having not done anything to prevent this long-term abuse that was going on, she, in the eyes of the law, has become an accomplice to this,” retired prosecutor Gary Beatty told Brevard County Community Correspondent James Sparvero in 2021. “A mom who allows this to happen is just as bad as the person who did this — especially in this case, where there were repeated injuries. She was medically trained. She certainly should have known what was going on.”
In June, a judge decided Dotson and Manns would have separate trials.
“I don’t know how, if you tried them together, either one would have the true opportunity to point the finger at the other person, and it seems that that’s where we are,” Judge Charles Crawford said. “I believe it’s in everybody’s fundamental best interests to sever the cases.”
The state attorney’s office told Brevard County Community Correspondent James Sparvero that Manns will not testify against Dotson. From previous hearings, it’s clear that attorneys for both sides will attempt to blame the other for Nance’s death.
Wednesday, defense attorney Kenneth Hamburg told jurors that Dotson was a loving mother.
“She loved her son, Jameson,” Dotson’s attorney said during opening statements. “In fact, the day that he passed away, there’s a discussion in the text messages about how they saved money to go to Universal.”
Moments earlier, an attorney for the state said no one failed Jameson more than Dotson.
“Many people failed Jameson Nance, but no one failed him so profoundly as the one person whose job it was to keep him safe from harm - his own mother,” Samantha Barrett said.
Attorneys then showed body camera video to the court of a distraught Dotson as police responded to the apartments.
Jameson’s father, James Nance, hadn’t seen his son for several months because of an injunction.
He testified Wednesday about the custody battle he had with Dotson at the time their son died.
“Do you struggle with dealing with the death of your son,” Barrett asked.
“Absolutely,” Nance answered.
Dotson’s trial is expected to last four weeks.