Man pleads no contest in death of 3-year-old Jameson Nance
Joshua Manns’s no-contest plea spared him a death sentence in Jameson Nance’s killing, with a 60-year term now expected instead of a capital trial.
Despite the brutality of 3-year-old Jameson Nance’s death, Joshua Manns will not face a death sentence. Manns, 30, pleaded no contest to first-degree felony murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, aggravated child abuse and felony child abuse in a deal that replaced a capital murder trial with a guaranteed prison term.
The plea came June 17, 2026, as jury selection was underway in Manns’ first-degree murder trial in Viera. Under the agreement, he is expected to serve 60 years in prison, and the deal also includes concurrent sentences tied to the other counts. Prosecutors avoided the risk of a jury trial on death penalty recommendations and secured convictions on multiple serious child-abuse and homicide charges.
Jameson died June 11, 2021, after Erica Dotson called 911 and told police Manns had said something was wrong with her son. When Dotson got home, Manns was gone and Jameson was lying on the bathroom floor with his arm stuck in an upward position. Officers quickly determined the child was dead. A handwritten note found at the scene allegedly said Manns had suffered a seizure and woke to find the boy floating in the bathtub.
The medical evidence painted a far different picture. The Brevard County Medical Examiner’s Office found Jameson had been the victim of battered child syndrome over a two- to three-week period, while earlier reporting said prosecutors believed the abuse stretched on for months. Investigators said the child suffered a broken rib, brain swelling, stab wounds, a right rib fracture, a lacerated jaw and a broken tooth. Police later concluded the death was caused by abuse, not drowning as first claimed.
The case has also widened beyond Manns. Dotson remains separately charged, her earlier trial ended in a mistrial, and her retrial is scheduled for July 20. Court and police records also described disturbing texts between Dotson and Manns about Jameson, and three former daycare workers were later charged with failing to report suspected abuse. Manns’ plea closes off the death penalty path, but the courtroom fallout from Jameson Nance’s killing is still not finished.
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