VERO BEACH – A 26-year-old man convicted in May of killing a 2-year-old girl in his care nearly five years ago will spend the rest of his life in prison, a judge ordered July 18.
Deshawn Clark, of the 6900 block of 30th Square in Vero Beach, faced a mandatory life prison term after a jury in May convicted him of first-degree felony murder and aggravated child abuse in connection to the death of Akeelah Dixon on Aug. 24, 2020.
Clark also was ordered to serve 30 years in prison for the child abuse conviction.
A medical examiner ruled the girl’s death was a homicide caused by asphyxiation and multiple injuries to her torso and abdomen, according to an Indian River County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit and trial testimony.
Deshawn Marlo Clark
Law enforcement and emergency personnel first went to a residence shared by Clark and the girl’s mother in the Vero Green Apartment Community off 26th Street west of 66th Avenue around 8:15 a.m. Aug. 24, 2020 after Clark called 911. He said the girl drowned in the bathtub while he was outside smoking, court records show.
Jurors seated in his May trial were told on the day of the child’s murder, Clark stated that he’d stepped out for a minute and when he returned, he found her face down in the bathtub. But when emergency responders quickly arrived to the home, the child was dry, according to Assistant State Attorney Brian Workman, who prosecuted the case.
Authorities immediately suspected the child had not drowned, and an autopsy later confirmed that she had been beaten and strangled, court records show.
A medical examiner found the child’s body was covered with bruises and she suffered multiple blunt force injuries, including a lacerated liver. The extent of internal bleeding further proved the girl’s death was a homicide and pointed to Clark as her killer, Workman told jurors in May.
Clark was arrested two days later on Aug. 26, 2020, records show.
A vigil for 2-year-old Akeelah Dixon who sheriff’s officials say was beaten and choked to death Aug. 24 was held at Jaycee Beach Park Aug. 29 organized by her grandmother Latricia Dixon, 47, and father Akeem Dixon, 20, of Gifford.
Bathtub incident
At the time of Clark’s arrest, Indian River County Sheriff’s Lt. Thomas Raulen said Clark was living with the child’s mother, and a report showed that Clark’s 11-month-old child also was living at the apartment.
At Clark’s trial, the girl’s mother testified that her daughter and the 11-month old were left in his care as she left for work earlier that morning.
Detectives who interviewed Clark reported that he changed his account of events surrounding the child’s death during two days of questioning.
A vigil for two-year-old Akeelah Dixon who officials say was beaten and choked to death Aug. 24 was held at Jaycee Beach Park Aug. 29 organized by her grandmother Latricia Dixon, 47, and father Akeem Dixon, 20, of Gifford.
At first, Clark told investigators he was awakened by a knock on his door by a roommate who was leaving for work that morning. He said he placed the girl in the bath for roughly 5 minutes and left to smoke a cigar with a neighbor.
He later said he was smoking by himself, an affidavit stated.
In a follow-up interview, he said he found the girl floating face-down in the water.
Detectives reported there was roughly 2 to 3 inches of water in the bathtub when they searched the apartment. There also was a 1-hour time frame that was unaccounted for in Clark’s account.
He told deputies he took the girl out of the tub and tried to resuscitate her with CPR for an hour before calling 911. Emergency personnel told detectives she was “cool to the touch and dry” when they found her on the floor in a bedroom.
Clark said he’d been there alone with his child and the girl at the time.
He repeatedly said he was unaware of any injuries when asked by detectives about bruises on the child and other signs of trauma.
This story will be updated.
Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers and is writer and co-host of “Uncertain Terms,” a true-crime podcast. Reach her at melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Vero Beach man to serve life in prison for 2020 murder of a child