The Brief
A Brevard County mother is on trial for allegedly murdering her 3-year-old son in 2021.
Jameson Nance died from weeks of ongoing abuse, according to West Melbourne police.
The mother claims she wasn't the one abusing her son. It was her boyfriend, and she didn't know.
VIERA, Fla. - A Brevard County mother went on trial this week, facing the possibility of the death penalty if convicted of killing her 3-year-old son, who police say endured weeks of abuse before he died in 2021.
Who is Dotson and what charges does she face?
What we know
Erica Dotson is Jameson Nance’s mother, who’s now accused of murdering her own son when he died in 2021. She was a Certified Nursing Assistant at Health First at the time of her son’s death and was also attending community college. She was dating Joshua Manns, who’s also facing his own murder charge for his part in the alleged murder of the toddler.
Dotson is facing first-degree felony murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, aggravated child abuse and felony child abuse charges for her son’s death. The state plans to seek the death penalty if she’s convicted.
The backstory
West Melbourne Police were initially called to an apartment complex off U.S. 192 for an alleged drowning call. Only Erica was at the apartment the night they responded. She was working earlier in the day at Holmes Regional before coming home and finding Jameson. She was seen on camera saying Jameson was already dead when she got home and was told by her boyfriend he had drowned.
When investigators found the child, he was covered in bruises on his face and chest.
Police started looking into her as a suspect when stories about the child's injuries didn’t add up. The medical examiner ultimately ruled his death as "battered child syndrome" and that the toddler was abused for weeks before his body gave out.
Opening statements
What Happened?
On Day 1 of the Dotson trial, a 15-person jury heard opening statements from the state and Dotson’s defense. Investigators who first responded to the apartment also testified, as well as one of Jameson’s pediatricians.
Jameson’s father spoke in court about how he couldn’t see his son after they split up because Dotson and her boyfriend wouldn’t allow him. The victim’s father also spoke about how difficult it’s been since he lost his son and how it led him to substance abuse, which he’s been able to overcome through rehab.
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The jury was dismissed at around 3 p.m. with more witnesses expected to testify on Thursday.
The state attorney argues Dotson abused her young son for weeks before he ultimately died. They say text messages and photos found on her phone detail the abuse with her boyfriend. They also claim she invented stories and told her 3-year-old what to say to make sure the abuse was never discovered by other people. The state claims she took her son out of daycare and purposely hid him from the public in the weeks leading up to his death.
The defense argues Dotson was a busy-working mom and student who believed stories the boyfriend told her about injuries Jameson had. Her attorneys say the boyfriend was home with Jameson more than she was. Her defense says she wasn’t the one abusing her son and would take him to the doctor for routine check-ups and would tell people the stories her boyfriend told her about how Jameson got hurt.
How long will the trial last?
What's next
The trial is expected to last around a month. If a jury comes back with a guilty charge, the jury would have to hear even more testimony and arguments to decide whether they will impose the death penalty.
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The Source
FOX 35 Reporter Esther Bower attended the trial at the Viera courthouse on Aug. 27, 2025, and also reviewed court documents, initial information released by law enforcement and other FOX 35 reporting from 2021, when the child died.
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