In 2021, at just 3 years old, Jameson Nance tragically lost his life after being brutally beaten in Florida. Recently, a judge has declared a mistrial in the case involving one of the individuals accused of his murder.

Erica Beth Dotson, 31, faces charges of first-degree premeditated murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, aggravated child abuse, and significant bodily harm through child neglect, as stated in Brevard County Sheriff’s Office records.

Her trial began in late August. On Tuesday, those proceedings reached a premature – and likely far from final – conclusion.

The mistrial came as 18th Judicial Circuit Judge Steve Henderson administered a sharp upbraiding to prosecutors for discovery-related issues.

According to a report from Daytona Beach’s NBC affiliate WESH, the judge expressed frustration with the prosecution for allegedly withholding evidence from the defense, suggesting it was done intentionally.

“Discovery is clear,” the judge remarked. “Section B outlines prosecutor discovery obligations, while Section D mandates disclosure of any written or recorded statements, as well as the essence of any verbal statements made by a defendant. The directive couldn’t be clearer. The state must provide any statements from co-defendants, yet they have failed in this duty. Although the rationale for this failure is unclear, it is apparent. This constitutes a discovery violation, and the court will examine the factors involved. It will determine that this was a deliberate breach, as the defense was not provided with the recorded co-defendant’s proffer.”

On the incident day, law enforcement responded to a 911 alert of a “child not breathing” at a residence on Lago Circle in West Melbourne, situated about 70 miles southeast of Orlando.

Upon arriving, officers met Dotson on the stairs, clutching the lifeless body of young Jameson. The autopsy later revealed the child suffered “battered child syndrome,” enduring numerous injuries prior to his death. These included a broken tooth embedded in his gums, a jaw cut, a fractured rib and arm, a ruptured esophagus, and seven distinct stab wounds to the head, at various stages of healing, according to the arrest warrant affidavit accessed by Law&Crime.

A litany of grim allegations followed, with prosecutors specifically alleging that Dotson allowed her child to be abused by her then-boyfriend, Joshua Andrew Manns, 29. Or, at the very least, that the mother knew about the abuse but never did anything to put a stop to it.

The onetime couple had their trials separated by the court, based on a defense request, earlier this year, due to the narratives each co-defendant supplied about their respective culpability.

Now, the judge says prosecutors’ handling of the co-defendants during individualized pretrial discussions was not aboveboard.

“Court’s gonna find that it was a substantial violation and the court’s gonna find that the defense was prejudged by the state withholding the codefendant’s statements,” Henderson went on. “Primarily because the state used that proffer and those statements from Mr. Manns against the defendant in this case on cross-examination.”

On Monday, Dotson took the stand in her own defense – pleading ignorance about the cause of her son’s injuries but admitting she knew the boy was, at least in some way, having trouble living.

“I genuinely believed my son was just having accidents. I believed everything that Josh said,” Dotson testified. “I just didn’t see what was going on. I wasn’t home much.”

However, on cross-examination, the state referenced Manns’ allegations against Dotson – including claims the mother “would kick” and “hit” her son when angry – catching the defense off-guard.

“The specificity of those allegations gives us concern that there was a discovery violation,” defense attorney Sarah Moore told the court. “If those were allegations made by the co-defendant, they were not disclosed to us.”

Now, the prosecution will have to reconsider its strategy. The judge noted the severity of the discovery violation in relation to the severity of the charges the defendant faces.

“We’re not talking about a third-degree felony,” Judge Henderson said. “We’re talking about [a] death penalty case. The state should have turned this over. I’m gonna order the state to turn this over today and I will declare a mistrial.”

The case is now on hold until Oct. 29. During a calendar call on that date, the state will decide if and when to schedule Dotson’s retrial.