Custodial dad, step charged with 2nd-degree murder; allegedly beat 4-year-old daughter to death with a 'piece of lumber' (Jacksonville, Florida)

As often happens in articles concerning killer dads with custody, we get lots of assurances from relatives in denial or people who barely knew the father as to how "nice" or "loving" he was.

It's all bull crap. "Nice" and "loving" people don't beat a preschooler to death over several months. 

We've posted on this case before, but STILL the Florida media refuses to ask how this father got child custody and who gave it to him. They have obviously learned nothing from the recent murder of Phoebe Jonchuck, another Florida girl who was killed by her custodial father when he threw her off a bridge. Once again, no one in authority will be identified--much less held responsible--for granting this father custody.

Dad is identified as JOHN ROSS NORFLEET.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/police-parents-beat-4yearold-with-piece-of-lumber/31070446

Police: Parents beat 4-year-old with 'piece of lumber'
Father teaches math at Andrew Jackson High School

Author: Heather Leigh, Mobile journalist

Published On: Feb 03 2015 01:56:39 PM EST Updated On: Feb 03 2015 07:08:57 PM EST

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The parents charged with the murder of a 4-year-old beat the girl to death on Friday using a 1-by-2 piece of lumber, and the abuse of the child had gone on for months, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

John Ross Norfleet, 31, and Shavonn Norfleet, 33, were booked into jail Saturday afternoon, charged with aggravated child abuse and aggravated battery on a child using a deadly weapon.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said that once the medical examiner's report showed the child, named Jada, died of multiple blunt-force traumas, the charges were upgraded to second-degree murder.

At a news conference Tuesday, police said Jada's father and stepmother hit her with the board as a form of discipline.

"I'm not trying to minimize it by saying discipline. They beat the child," JSO Assistant Chief Chris Butler said.

Police said that when paramedics responded to a medical call at the Fountains at Deerwood apartment complex on Southside Boulevard late Friday night, they recognized possible signs of abuse on the 4-year-old and called police.

Jada was taken to Wolfson Children's Hospital, where she died.

What Jada did leading up to the beating that killed her is still under investigation, JSO said.

Butler said investigators are constantly faced with tough situations and never know what to expect when they get out to a scene.

"These homicide teams, they go out there day in and day out. Especially when it deals with children, it's very horrific and horrible,” Butler said. "But it's a matter of being a professional and moving through the leads in the case and following up and bringing closure to other family and getting the other children in the family some assistance."

Shavonn Norfleet's father, Daren Rupert, lives in Michigan and said in his heart he believes there must be some sort of misunderstanding because he said Shavonn is a very loving person. But he said if she did wrong by Jada, then she needs to face the consequences.

"It's hard to process right now. It's something that no one would ever imagine. Never would've thought anything of this nature," Rupert said. "Shavonn was a very loving child, especially with kids, all her nieces and nephews, they love her."

Rupert said his daughter, who lived in Michigan a few years ago, and John Norfleet kept in touch online before tying the knot.

"They met through a mutual friend. She went to Jacksonville and called me and told me she was about to marry John," Rupert said. "I know nothing about him other than he's a school teacher."

Rupert said the two have a child together, Summer, the youngest of the three. The two older children were John Norfleet's from a previous marriage. Rupert said he never met Jada but said no matter what, no child deserves to be beaten to death.

"If what JSO is saying happened, we are very disappointed," Rupert said. "Very sad. We're sad that a 4-year-old is no longer here, period. But for her to have participated in something like that makes it even worse."

Rupert said he hopes to get the full story from his daughter soon, and he wants the other two children to end up with family members and not in the care of the state organization.

Father a high school math teacher

For the past two years John Norfleet has taught math at Andrew Jackson High School.

The school's website includes a biography of Norfleet, which mentions his wife, Shavonn, and three daughters.

“The district’s process regarding employees who have been arrested and charged with a crime -- particularly an alleged crime where staff have direct contact with students -- is to remove them from the work environment pending the completion of an internal investigation," the district said in a statement. "The individual would be assigned to other duties outside the school and away from all student contact.”

Duval County school officials released his personnel file. He was hired from Detroit, where he taught math for four years. Norfleet's first teacher evaluation in the county rated him effective, enabling him to get a pay raise.

One woman who was listed as a reference on Norfleet's resume called him one of the nicest men she'd ever met.

Department of Children and Families officials told News4Jax that they had no prior involvement with the Norfleets.

“The (couple's) two surviving children are in protective custody," DCF spokesman John Harrell said. "They've been through a very tough ordeal. They've lost their sister. What we need to do is help them in any way we can, counseling, therapy, any services we can provide to help these children."

Harrell added that DCF will fully investigate the case, as it does with all deaths of children. He also asked anyone who suspects a child is being abused or neglected to call the DCF's abuse hotline at 800-96-ABUSE or 800-962-2873.

Both John Norfleet and Shavonn Norfleet are due back in court Feb. 23.

Dad accused of killing 4-year-old daughter awarded full custody three years ago (Jacksonville, Florida)

Thank you for starting to look into this case, CBS. But why are all the documents redacted? Is it for political reasons, so DCF doesn't look even worse than it already does, with the recent murder of Phoebe Jonchuck by her custodial father?

Dad is identified as JOHN NORFLEET.

http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/news/local/father-accused-killing-4-year-old-awarded-full-cus/nj4y5/

Posted: 7:25 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015

Father accused of killing 4-year-old awarded full custody of child 3 years ago

By Lorena Inclán

New court documents shed more light into the life of a little girl who ended up dead, police say, at the hands of her father and stepmother.

Action News has scoured through several pages of documents involving the custody of 4-year-old Jada Norfleet and her older sister. Norfleet, 31, is now facing murder and aggravated child abuse charges, accused of killing his daughter Jada, 4.

There's about 60 pages worth of information on child support and the divorce between John Norfleet, and his ex-wife and biological mother of two of his daughters. The court awarded Norfleet full custody of the girls three years ago.

He later met Shavonn Norfleet. They married and had another child. The family of five lived in an apartment home in the Southside, where police say Jada was beaten to death with a piece of lumber and died Jan. 30.

In 2012, John Norfleet filed a dissolution of marriage with dependent children form against his previous wife in Monroe County. A year later, a motion over child support payments was filed.

The documents are heavily redacted, leaving out things like why the couple split.

But on one page John Norfleet wrote, "Wife does not wish to salvage marriage" as part of the reason.

The Florida Department of Children and Families is now investigating Jada’s death. Meanwhile, her siblings are in protective custody.

We know one of John Norfleet's relatives lives in Jacksonville. We've tried going to her home to speak with her several times without any luck.

Custodial dad convicted of 1st-degree murder in beating death of 4-year-old daughter (Jacksonville, Florida)

We have an axiom here at Dastardly Dads that goes something like this: If the media ever manages to report the circumstances behind a custody case, the details will be "forgotten" by the time it goes to trial.

What this article fails to mention is that dad JOHN ROSS NORFLEET was awarded full custody three years before he killed his daughter, and was allowed to do a moveway from the state of Michigan, effectively cutting the mother out of her daughter's life.

But don't hold your breath waiting for the judge and assorted court lackies to be held responsible.

See previous posts here. Also see the Killer Dads and Custody List for Florida.

http://www.wesh.com/news/florida-father-convicted-in-beating-death-of-daughter/38317100

Florida father convicted in beating death of daughter

Published 8:55 AM EST Mar 03, 2016

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —A Jacksonville jury needed just 20 minutes to convict a former high school teacher in the death of his 4-year-old daughter.

The verdict handed down Wednesday means 32-year-old John Ross Norfleet will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for the January 2015 death of Jada Norfleet.

Prosecutors say Norfleet and the girl's step-mother, 34-year-old Shavonn Chanyell Norfleet, disciplined the child by hitting her with a piece of lumber.

John Norfleet was convicted on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a small child and aggravated child abuse.

The Florida Times-Union reports Shayvonn Norfleet is scheduled for trial Thursday on the same charges.

Norfleet lost his teaching job after his arrest.

Custodial dad, step appear in court for beating death of 4-year-old daughter (Duval County, Florida)

We've reported on custodial dad JOHN NORFLEET before. The mother lives out of state.

http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/news/local/former-teacher-wife-appear-court-death-daughter/nkNTs/

Updated: 10:57 a.m. Wednesday, March 4, 2015 | Posted: 7:56 a.m. Wednesday, March 4, 2015 Former teacher, wife appeared in court for death of daughter

John and Shavonn Norfleet face charges in the death of a 4-year-old girl.
Father accused of killing 4-year-old awarded full custody of child 3 years ago
Police say 4-year-old girl was abused months before death
Students talk about teacher accused of murdering 4-year-old
Family of local couple arrested for murder and child abuse, says it's a mistake

DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. — The parents of a slain 4-year-old girl say they are not responsible for her death.

Jada Norfleet was the daughter of a former teacher at Andrew Jackson High School.

Police say her dad and stepmom beat her repeatedly with a plank of wood until she went into cardiac arrest.

Shavonn Norfleet, 33, was the first to face Judge Russell early Wednesday morning.

Shackled by her hands and feet, she stood still as her attorney entered a plea of not guilty.

She’s accused of beating her stepdaughter 4-year-old Jada Norfleet with a piece of lumber until she went into cardiac arrest and died.

Police say the abuse went on for months at the family’s apartment home in the Southside.

She’s been formally charged with second-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse.

Her husband and Jada’s biological father, John Norfleet, 31, is facing the same charges.

He was a math teacher at Andrew Jackson High School, a popular teacher, according to students.

Norfleet, standing next to his public defender, also was shackled by his hands and feet.

He too pleaded not guilty.

But before leaving the courtroom, you could see officers taking a sample of his DNA.

The case now moves to pre-trial where a series of hearings will need to take place before the actual trial begins.

The next time the couple will be in court is late March.

Custodial dad, step, get life in prison for beating death of 4-year-old daughter (Jacksonville, Florida)

The custodial dad is identified as JOHN ROSS NORFLEET. We've posted on this case before.

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/31673952/dad-stepmom-get-lengthy-prison-sentences-in-childs-death

Dad, stepmom get lengthy prison sentences in child's death

Posted: Apr 08, 2016 4:58 AM EDT Updated: Apr 08, 2016 4:58 AM EDT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A Jacksonville father and stepmother have received lengthy prison sentences in the beating death of his 4-year-old daughter.

Media outlets report a judge sentenced 32-year-old John Ross Norfleet on Thursday to life in prison plus 30 years for the January 2015 death of Jada Norfleet.

The girl's stepmother, 34-year-old Shavonn Chanyell Norfleet, received 60 years in prison. Neither will be eligible for parole.

Prosecutors say John and Shavonn Norfleet disciplined the child by hitting her with a piece of lumber.

John Norfleet, who was a former high school teacher, was convicted last month on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a small child and aggravated child abuse.

Shavonn Norfleet was convicted of aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse.

Custodial dad, step arrested in death of 4-year-old daughter (Jacksonville, Florida)

Yet another Florida custodial father arrested in the violent death of a child. Dad is identified as JOHN ROSS NORFLEET.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/crime/2015/02/02/report-child-abuse/22740233/

Father, stepmom arrested in 4-year-old's death

Father, stepmom face charges after 4-year-old's death.
Jessica Clark reports. First Coast News,  7:20 p.m. EST February 2, 2015

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A father and stepmom face felony charges after their 4-year-old child died of injuries authorities say are connected to child abuse.

John Ross Norfleet, 31, and Shavonn Chanyell Nortfleet, 33, each face two counts of aggravated child abuse after their child was pronounced dead at Wolfson Children's Hospital Friday night, according to arrest reports.

Firefighters and paramedics called police to the couple's home about 8:50 p.m. that night, saying they were taking the child to the hospital with injuries "possibly caused by child abuse," their reports said.

Family members tell First Coast News the 4-year-old's name was Jada. A string of videos on YouTube posted by her father show a happy little girl, dancing, climbing into bed, living in a clean, neat home, and nurtured by a doting father.

The case is a shock to many. A long-time family friend of Shavonn Norfleet in Michigan said there is no way she could hurt a child. He said she has worked with children at church and loved kids.

John Norfleet is a math teacher at Andrew Jackson High School, according to the Duval Public School System. Family members say Jada was his daughter from a former marriage.

The Department of Children and Families is investigating. John Harrell with DCF said, "Regarding if there was any past history, there was not. We had not been notified, the Department of Children and Families, regarding concerns about this particular child. In about 70 percent of all child abuse death cases, DCF was never contacted."

Jada's mother, Cheryl Norfleet, lives in Michigan and relatives say she is struggling with the news. An online records search shows that in 2011, she was convicted of child abuse and served two years in prison. The incident happened in 2009, which appears to be before Jada was born.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Children and Families are investigating the 4-year-old's death. John Norfleet is being held in Duval County Jail on $700,000 bond. His wife, meanwhile, is being held on $500,000 bond. Both are due in court Feb. 23, jail records show.

Editor's Note: First Coast News does not typically reveal the identities of abuse victims, in order to protect them and their futures. Sadly, in this case, the child has died and the videos underscore the severity of the case.

Dad charged with hitting, violently shaking 9-month-old son; baby has life-threatening injuries (St. Paul, Minnesota)

Dad is identified as WARREN WHEELER.

http://www.startribune.com/local/east/223974991.html

St. Paul baby faces life-altering injuries after father allegedly shook him

Article by: NICOLE NORFLEET, Star Tribune
Updated: September 16, 2013 - 9:36 PM

A 9-month-old baby suffered potentially fatal and life-altering injuries after his St. Paul father shook and hit him, according to criminal charges.

Warren Wheeler, 31, was charged Friday in Ramsey County District Court for malicious punishment of a child after his son was hospitalized for seizures.

According to the complaint, emergency personnel received a call Thursday from the infant’s mother who asked for an ambulance to be sent to her home on St. Clair Avenue near S. Dunlap Street because her baby was having a seizure. During the call, the line was disconnected, and when dispatch called back, Wheeler answered the phone. Wheeler said the baby was biting down on his tongue and had been wheezing and breathing funny the night before.

A little before 1 p.m., the baby was admitted to Children’s Hospital where he was found to have brain swelling and blood outside the brain. The infant also was found to have two lacerations to his liver. The physician indicated that the boy’s injuries were life-threatening and permanently life-altering, charges said. It was determined that trauma was the cause of the boy’s injuries.