Sikeston man sentenced to 25 years in prison for infant murder

ST. LOUIS -- A Sikeston, Mo., man was sentenced to 25 years in prison Monday for the death of an infant in his care.

Kevin Dixon, 20, was sentenced to 25 years for second-degree murder and 25 years for child abuse with the sentences to run concurrently. Dixon, who was charged in the March 24, 2009, death of 8-month-old Jamieon Quanterius Jatwaun Mosby in Sikeston, was sentenced by St. Louis County Judge Colleen Dolan, who heard the case on a change of venue from Scott County.

With his plea, Dixon admitted to abusing the child by striking his head against a wall because the child was crying while in Dixon's care, according to a news release issued by Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Boyd. The child had multiple fractures to the skull with the biggest being 4 inches in length, Boyd said.

As a result of the fractures, the infant began fading in and out of consciousness, vomiting and then going into cardiac arrest. Initially Jamieon was taken by ambulance to Missouri Delta Medical Center but because of his condition was transferred to St. Louis Children's Hospital. On April 1, 2009, the infant was taken off life support and died shortly afterward in the arms of his mother, Sophia Mosby, Boyd said.

Mosby was present Monday for the sentencing, Boyd said.

According to the prosecutor, both sentences require Dixon to serve 85 percent of the sentence before being eligible for parole.

"Therefore, Mr. Dixon may be able to return to society after he reaches his 40th birthday," Boyd said. "Nothing we can do in a murder case brings back the victim. However, Mr. Dixon will serve more time in prison than he has been alive for his crime. With his plea, the family can close the chapter and begin living for the victim's three surviving siblings."

At the time of the murder, Mosby was pregnant with the Dixon's child. "Despite what he did to her youngest child, Ms. Mosby decided to love and raise the child. Since March 24, 2009, Ms. Mosby had no contact with the Mr. Dixon," Boyd said.

Boyd praised the investigation by the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, in particular the efforts of Andy Caton and Jon Broom. He noted Dixon confessed to throwing the child against the wall one time on March 30, 2009, just before the child's death. Medical evidence supported that the injuries to the child's head were from two or more strikes against a blunt object.

However, the case was delayed when the St. Louis County trial court ordered the main part of Dixon's confession to be suppressed because it believed a promise was made to Dixon, making the confession involuntary. Boyd appealed the ruling and the Eastern District Court of Appeals reversed the trial court and Dixon's confession was ruled admissible at his trial.

Pertinent address:

Sikeston, MO