Memphis resident Joshua Dotson, 25, has been sentenced to serve a century-plus in prison for the 2020 double murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Jamesha Covson, 19, and her unborn child. As reported by WREG, Dotson received two consecutive 51-year sentences, one for each of the lives he took.
During his trial, Dotson stunned legal observers by admitting to being responsible for three additional murders between 2019 and 2020. Describing himself as a “serial killer," he went so far as to compare himself to the fictional character from the “Halloween” series, Michael Myers—a revelation that came startlingly on the day before Halloween. This detail was shared by Action News 5 in their covering of the sentencing.
Following the violent act that ended in Covson’s death, Dotson posted a memorial on social media with the caption “Fly high." However, in court, Dotson’s tone shifted. He disparaged Covson by labeling her a "sex worker," and claimed that she was aware of his previous murderous acts, which he cited as his motive for the killing. This alternate perspective was noted by The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.
Dotson’s defense sought concurrent sentencing, which would have allowed him to serve both 51-year terms simultaneously, possibly reducing the total time spent in prison. Yet, Judge Carlyn Addison confirmed consecutive sentencing, delivering a statement indicative of the case's heinousness: "This is one of the saddest situations I’ve seen in my career," Judge Addison said to Dotson. “You will never show remorse for the loss you’ve caused. The jury got it right," as WREG reported.
