Man Indicted in Deaths of Girlfriend and Unborn Child

Oct. 14, 2020 – A 21-year-old man was indicted Tuesday in the South Memphis shooting deaths this summer of his girlfriend and her unborn child, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

A grand jury indicted defendant Joshua Dotson on two counts of first-degree murder in the case.

The shooting occurred on June 12, 2020, at the victim’s residence in the 1200 block of Quinn Avenue near Bellevue Boulevard and South Parkway East. Investigators said Dotson became angry with his girlfriend, Jamesha Covson, 19, fired a gunshot through her closed door, and then forced his way in and continued the argument.

Dotson then left the scene, but police were called to the residence a few hours later. According to witnesses, Dotson had returned and shot Covson in the house; police found her with several gunshot wounds. She was taken to a hospital where she and her unborn child were pronounced dead.

Witnesses identified Dotson as the person responsible. He was arrested six days later.

The case is being handled by Asst. Dist. Atty. Marianne Bell of the District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Unit which handles cases of homicide and domestic assault committed by intimate partners. The DVU prosecutes cases in General Sessions Division 10 and in Criminal Court Division 5.