SARASOTA CO., Fla (WWSB) - The Englewood man accused of sitting on his son until he died as punishment pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter.
Jame Dearman, 31, pleaded guilty on Thursday in the death of his son Jimmy, 6, on Christmas Eve. As part of the plea, he agreed to testify against his wife.
Investigators said while Dearman and his girlfriend were playing video games in the living room, Dearman made his son and 7-year-old sibling stand with their faces to the wall. When his son turned to look at the television, Dearman got angry and brought the child to the couch where he forced him to lie on his side and face the rear cushions.
Dearman then used his body weight to pin his son down while he and his girlfriend continued to play video games. His son screamed that he couldn't breathe and begged to use the bathroom eventually urinating on the couch and becoming unconscious.
Dearman and his girlfriend left the child on the couch, went to the garage to smoke a cigarette and later called 911.
Dearman's history includes an arrest in 2008 for Desertion from the Navy.
The 7-year-old sibling was uninjured and remains in the protective custody of the Department of Children and Family Services.
