Man Murders Girlfriend and Unborn Child, Calls Himself “Michael Myers’ Serial Killer | Joshua Dotson

Jamesha Covson and her unborn child were killed in a Memphis shooting

On the morning of June 12, 2020, Memphis Police received a 911 call about a shooting at 1200 Quinn Avenue in South Memphis, Tennessee. When police arrived, they found 19 year old Jamesha Covson suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Her injuries were severe and she was rushed to the hospital but it was too late. Her and her five to six month old unborn child were pronounced dead. Welcome Lambs. Welcome to love and Heartbreak, to Homicide, your midweek mini edition. Hi, my name is Kai and I will be your host. If you’re new here, take a seat, take a listen all the way to the end and if you like how I retell these cases then please subscribe so you don’t miss another case. For my return in LaMs, thank you so much for your continued support. I’m very happy that you joined me each, each day and in each case, if you didn’t know, uh, you can also subscribe to the patreon for free patreon.com loveandmurder where you get benefits of just being a free lam supporter or if you wanted to be a sponsor of Love and Murder, help me to continue supporting these victims and retell their cases. Then you can choose whichever tier you like corresponding with the amount of bonus episodes you would like and bonuses and you can be a sponsor of love and murder.

Joshua Dotson murdered Jamesha and their unborn child in June of 2020

Patreon.com loveandmurder now that we got the housekeeping out of the way and let’s get back into this case of the self proclaimed Michael Myers serial killer. So after they found this woman and she was rushed to the hospital and died with her unborn child, investigators were able to quickly identify 25 year old Joshua Dotson, who was Jamesha’s ex boyfriend, as the suspect. Witnesses reported seeing him outside the home shooting through a closed door before fleeing the scene. Just two hours after that, Joshua logged into his Facebook and posted a fake memorial message writing quote, fly high. Police said this fake memorial was basically an attempt to cover his tracks, but it wasn’t working. Now the reason for the murder, a Facebook post. Jamesha had recently posted something online that made Joshua angry and this started an argument. They were also arguing about her pregnancy. The argument escalated after Jamesha reached out to her friends for help during a phone call which just it was basically a desperate phone call. She begged her friends and family to pick her up. But despite her friends telling her to leave, she went back to the apartment. And while she was on the phone with her friends, the phone line went silent when Joshua entered the room. Then when Jamesha tried to leave the room. That’s when Joshua fired multiple shots through a closed door, killing her and their unborn child. Police issued a warrant for Joshua’s arrest. And after six days on the run, he was caught in Nashville. This was just one day after his addition to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list. What police didn’t know at the time was was that Jamesha wasn’t Joshua’s first victim. This was just one killing in a string of murders Joshua had committed over the course of eight months. While investigating Jamesha’s murder, detectives unlocked a disturbing pattern. Joshua’s name was linked to four other homicides dating all the way back to 2019. On November 17, 2019, 18 year old Devion Parker was found shot to death in a parking lot at the South Memphis Market. On May 24, 2020, Renita Bennett and Reginald Anderson were gunned down near Memphis Park. And then this murder on June 12, 2020, where he murdered Jamesha and their unborn child. Witnesses placed Joshua near each crime scene, and ballistic reports linked the shootings. So it was undeniable that it was Joshua. Investigators later discovered that Jamesha’s murder wasn’t just about a Facebook post. Joshua believed that Jamesha knew about his previous murders, so he executed her to keep her quiet. During his August 2024 trial, Joshua ignored his attorney’s advice and testified on his own defense. Never a good idea, but you know, you think you smarter, so go ahead. He admitted to five murders in total and even referenced to himself as a, quote, serial killer. In open court, this is what he said verbatim, quote, I’m a serial killer. I’m Michael Myers. His behavior in court demonstrated an apparent desire to basically get like a notorious Persona. Also because not only did he say he’s a serial killer, not only did he liken himself to Michael Myers, but then all through the court hearing, he would refer to himself as, quote, the Halloween killer. And, um, sir, that’s not how it works. You don’t make a name for your own self. That’s just not how it works. But I guess he wanted to go down in infamy, like Jeffrey Dahmer or whatever. So I don’t know, but basically nobody knows about you, sir, so. And I’m only retelling this case for the victims, not for you, you idiot. He also blamed his victims, including Jamesha, calling her throughout the court hearing a, uh, quote, sex work, saying this was his justification of killing her. When prosecutors then point blank asked him why he killed her, he said, quote, she knew too much. He admitted that Jamesha’s murder was premeditating, saying he killed her because she, quote, snitched about his previous crimes. Well, you know, the best way to not have a snitcher about what you did before is don’t do anything. That is literally the best way that, you know, there won’t be anybody to snitch on what you did, because there’s nothing to snitch on. At one point, Joshua even threatened a witness in open court. Prosecutors said his behavior displayed no remorse and further proved his sadistic mindset. I mean, if he’s, you know, not. He’s not even trying in court, like, he doesn’t care. He’s putting on a show. He’s running up there talking about, I’m, um, Michael Myers talking about, yeah, he killed her talk. You know, he doesn’t care. So, no, it shows no remorse. The prosecution presented a mountain of evidence, including witness testimonies linking him to multiple crime scenes, social media posts showing his attempt to manipulate public perception, and forensic evidence tying him to the murders. The jury deliberated for only 45 minutes before returning a, uh, guilty verdict for the murders of Jamesha and her unborn child. Judge Carolyn Addison, who presided over the case, was disgusted by Joshua’s behavior, telling him, quote, he is a serial killer. He’s Michael Myers. Remember? That’s what he told me. Not only did Mr. Dotson not show any remorse, but during the trial, I caught him asleep several times. He was getting his rest while we were getting justice. With five murders on his record, prosecutors pushed for the maximum possible sentence. Now, Joshua’s criminal history didn’t actually start with murder. Court records show that he had been in and out of the system since he was 14 years old, committing violent crimes throughout his teenage years. And then I guess he just started escalating. Even while awaiting trial, he was causing problems in jail. So it’s like some people just don’t learn. I don’t know what happened in his past to make him like this. And sometimes some people didn’t have anything happen in their past. They’re just like this. But, you know, I wonder, which one is it? Is he just like this? Or something happened in his past to make him really angry, and he’s taken out his anger on the world. But y’all should see his picture. He has, like, face tattoos all over his face. And that’s, like, part of the benefits you get of being a sponsor of love and murder. Even if you start off at the $3 a month tier, you get videos of the court hearing you get pictures of each person that’s in the case. You get court documents, if there are any. You get to see pictures of the crime scene or pictures of the evidence, everything like that. If it’s included in the case, if I’m able to find it, you get all of these things as a bonus of being a supporter of love and murder. And those benefits start only at the $3 a month tier. Patreon.com loveandmurder so Judge Addison agreed with going with the maximum possible sentence because basically, as you can see, he’s escalating. And I don’t think if he was let out, he would stop. Judge Addison sentenced Joshua to two life sentences, which is 102 years in total for Jamesha and her unborn child, and also with three counts of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. This is why he got the 102 year total sentence. Then on February 14, 2025, Judge Addison sentenced, uh, Joshua to an additional 159 years in prison for the murders of Divyan, Renita and Reginald. This was on top of his existing 102 year sentence, and that ended up bringing his total sentence to 261 years, basically one of the longest sentences in Tennessee history. During sentencing, Judge Addison told him, quote, you will never show remorse for the loss you’ve brought. Not only did you kill, you enjoyed it. She also addressed his jail behavior, revealing that he assaulted staff, wielded shanks, and engaged in, quote, sexually inexcusable behavior while in custody. Quote, In 20 years of practice, I have never seen anything this thorough detailing the criminal, sadistic ways you have exhibited not only in jail, but towards staff with shanks and ice picks and sexually inexcusable behaviors, assaultive behaviors, constant. Now, my thing is, he’s not changing. He’s not changing outside of prison. If you let him out, he’s gonna escalate. He’s not changing inside of prison.

Prosecutors fought for consecutive sentencing, ensuring Joshua will never be eligible for parole

So now he’s, uh, hurting staff, hurting other prisoners. I mean, and then you gave him basically life. How many life sentences in prison, which is not going to help anything. It’s actually going to make him worse, and it’s actually going to hurt people who are just trying to do their job in there is going to hurt other prisoners. Are you going to keep him in, um, solitary confinement? Like, what are you going to do with him? Prosecutors fought for consecutive sentencing, ensuring Joshua will never be eligible for parole. But again, now you have Joshua stuck in prison, hurting everybody who lives there and works there. Like, you know what I’m saying? Assistant District Attorney Regina Lucretiano. I think I said her name right. Who also handled the case, said, quote, after five years, we are pleased to finally have justice for Dotson’s multiple victims. His sentences amount to 261 years in prison. While no amount of time in prison will bring the victims back to their loved ones, we are content that he will never be a threat to our community again. Mean, technically, he’s still a threat to the community because the people who work there, he’s hurting them. So he’s still a threat. He’s just not a threat to the people outside of prison, but he’s still a threat. Judge Addison also ordered immediate transfer to the Tennessee Department of Corrections, where Joshua will serve his time under maximum security. Again, I still don’t agree with that sentence. I still. Because you’re still putting people in harm’s way. This dude does not care. He’s just rampaging through everybody, anywhere. Uh, I still don’t agree with it. Even if he was eligible for parole, Joshua would have had to serve over 200 years before he could apply. And given his history of violence both inside and outside of prison, no judge will ever let him out. But I still think they need to reevaluate how they have him inside. Like, if he won’t stop and he keeps putting people’s life in danger and he won’t listen, and he’s not trying to be rehabilitated, then you need to do something. There’s something that needs to be done. I don’t know what it is, but something needs to be done. Anyway, what did you think about that episode? Uh, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Do you think he’s just showboating in this horrible, horrible manner because he’s trying to give himself a name as a serial killer? He’s literally trying to give himself a name. He’s the one who called himself the Halloween Killer. Nobody put that moniker on him. Like, what do you think is going on with this dude? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. And that is all that I have for you for today’s episode. If you liked my retelling of this case, then please go ahead and leave me a five star review on whatever platform you’re on to help out the podcast. Don’t forget that you can also become a sponsor of Love and Murder, or you can sign up for free. If you’re not ready to become a sponsor of Love and Murder on the Patreon, you still get some benefits when you sign up for free Patreon. Dot com. Uh, Love and Murder. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. Thank you for hearing the retelling of this case. Thank you for being a lamb. I hope you do come back and visit my little lamb corner again, and I will see you in the next episode. Bye.