What started as a domestic dispute on Jacksonville’s Westside has ended with a life sentence for the man who killed a 2-year-old boy in his mother’s arms.
A’hmari Robinson was shot during a March confrontation at a Westside apartment complex and later died at a hospital, a killing that triggered a citywide manhunt and months of grief for family and neighbors.
Steven Dodson Jr., 21, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. A judge on Thursday sentenced him to life in Florida state prison without the possibility of parole, State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced, as reported by News4JAX. The station also reports the case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney LaTesha Campbell.
The shooting
On March 22, 2026, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers were called to the Valencia Way Apartments after reports of a shooting during a domestic dispute. Investigators say A’hmari was in his mother’s arms when he was hit by gunfire and later died at a hospital.
An unredacted police report reviewed by Action News Jax identified Dodson as the shooter and indicated the child’s stepfather was involved in the dispute.
Manhunt and arrest
Authorities say Dodson bolted from the complex after the shooting, kicking off an urgent search that stretched into the next night. The manhunt ended when U.S. Marshals and a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office SWAT team arrested him in the Grand Park neighborhood.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed the arrest in a release, and News4JAX reported that witnesses and surveillance footage helped investigators track Dodson down.
Prosecution and past record
Court records and prior coverage show Dodson had run-ins with the law in recent years, including arrests and a short prison term, according to the Florida Times-Union. That reporting also identifies the Valencia Way complex and lays out the sequence of police alerts and filings that followed the March shooting.
Court steps and schedule
Dodson initially pleaded not guilty at an April hearing where Judge Jonathan Sacks set pretrial dates and ordered him to have no contact with victims and witnesses, Action News Jax reported. Prosecutors later pursued the indictment that preceded this week’s guilty plea and life sentence.
Family and community response
In the weeks after A’hmari’s death, neighbors and relatives held vigils and the family launched an online fundraiser to help cover expenses, according to local reporting. Community groups and residents said they were rallying around the child’s mother and siblings as the criminal case moved through court, coverage by the Florida Times-Union notes.
