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VIERA, Fla. – A West Melbourne man will spend the next six decades in prison for the 2021 child-abuse death of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son, after prosecutors and the boy’s father agreed to a plea deal that spared him a first-degree murder trial and a possible death sentence.

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Joshua Manns, 30, was sentenced Monday to 60 years for second-degree murder in the death of Jameson Nance, a Brevard County toddler who investigators say was beaten and abused over a period of months before he died.

The agreement, negotiated with the State Attorney’s Office for the 18th Judicial Circuit, took a capital trial off the table for Manns. Assistant State Attorney Samantha Barrett said the resolution spared the boy’s father the pain of a trial and the years of appeals and post-conviction hearings that can prolong a surviving family’s suffering.

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During the June 22 sentencing hearing in Viera, prosecutors played a silent slideshow of photographs showing the boy’s father, James Nance, with his son. Nance wept as the images moved across the screen.

Mother’s trial set for July

The boy’s mother, Erica Dotson, 32, also faces charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and child neglect resulting in great bodily harm. Her trial is scheduled to begin July 20.

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“The sentence is one step in the long journey for justice for Jameson Nance, but this pursuit is not over,” Barrett said. “The State Attorney’s Office looks forward to the day when Erica Dotson is held accountable for her role in her son’s death.”

James Nance joined Barrett, State Attorney William Scheiner and prosecutor Christine Babb in speaking with reporters outside the courthouse after the hearing. Asked about the day, Nance offered a blunt summary: “One down, one to go.”

Months of abuse, a false story

Investigators determined that Manns and Dotson beat and abused Jameson over a span of months, inflicting injuries that included a broken rib, brain swelling and stab wounds. An autopsy concluded the boy died from severe, ongoing physical abuse, contradicting Manns’ claim to police that the child had drowned accidentally in a bathtub.

Neither adult acted to protect the boy, prosecutors said. Among the evidence in the case were text messages recovered from Dotson’s cellphone that, according to the State Attorney’s Office, showed the pair fabricated cover stories, downplayed the child’s critical injuries and chose to protect themselves rather than seek medical help.

This is a developing story. The Space Coast Rocket will continue to follow Erica Dotson’s case as it heads to trial.