Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Marion County Man Accused of Killing 3-Year-Old

The filing signals prosecutors plan to pursue capital punishment under Florida law.

Overview

  • The State Attorney's Office filed notices Wednesday morning seeking the death penalty for first-degree murder and capital sexual battery charges against Jeroen Coombs.
  • The move follows Monday's new count of sexual battery of a child under 12 added to earlier charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and child abuse.
  • The sexual battery notice hides the victim's name and lists an offense period through February 19, the day 3-year-old Paisley Brown died and Coombs was arrested.
  • Coombs remains in jail without bond and has pleaded not guilty, and deputies say he admitted to tying the child's wrists with a rope and taping her legs.
  • Arrest records list Coombs as the primary caretaker watching five children at the Citra home, and the child's mother also faces charges in the case.