TAMPA, Fla. — A jury ruled Nahshon Shannon, a man accused of beating and killing his 13-year-old daughter, Janessa Shannon, guilty of third-degree murder and aggravated child abuse on Wednesday.
Nahshon faces up to 20 years in prison. A judge will sentence him in November, but it is unknown the exact date of his sentencing.
“The victim in this case was a child whose life was only beginning. Our thoughts remain with the victim’s family and friends as they navigate through this tragedy. Our prosecutors were presented with a challenging circumstantial case, which they skillfully presented to jurors. We are thankful for the jury’s service and appreciate their time and dedication to this trial,” said State Attorney Suzy Lopez.
In July 2017, Janessa lived with her father in Riverview, visiting with her mother in Bradenton on the weekends.
Janessa's mother, Michelle Mosley, testified that she asked Nahshon to pick Janessa up early following a trip to the beach because Janessa had snuck out the night before to spend the night with a neighborhood boy. She never saw Janessa again.
On July 3, Nahshon reported his daughter missing.
Nine days later, Janessa's body was found at Triple Creek Nature Preserve, roughly a 13-minute drive from Nahshon's house.
A jury was selected less than two weeks ago in the case after Judge Sam Ward and attorneys spent the day questioning potential jurors.
"Only you know whether those things would prevent you from being fair and impartial and objective," Ward told the group.
In opening statements last Monday, prosecutors said Nahshon beat and killed his daughter and that he was angry over Janessa sneaking out at night.
"This is textbook marks of manual strangulation with a hand. You're also going to hear how [the medical examiner] observed marks on her arms. Ultimately, his ruling is this was a homicide due to blunt force trauma," said State Attorney Jessica O’Connor.
During the trial, prosecutors presented a few key pieces of evidence: soil samples they said linked Shannon to the grave site and a screw found there that was similar to two found on a shovel at his home.
"The puzzle pieces, once you put all of those pieces together, the evidence will be clear to you. The evidence will be clear to the point of which the state is confident you will find the defendant guilty," O'Connor added.
