Jonte Dominique Harris, 31, faces first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse in the death of Zykerria Robinson.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Day one of trial for a Jacksonville man accused of abusing and murdering a 5-year-old girl in 2018 is underway Tuesday.
Jonte Dominique Harris, 31, faces first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse in the death of Zykerria Robinson.
The prosecution describes Zykerria’s mother, Michelle Cannimore, as being afraid of Jonte Harris. They say Cannimore wanted Harris to step into a stepfather role but instead, say that Harris’s idea of discipline was torture.
Furthermore, prosecutors say Harris tortured her… and ultimately killed her.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office found Zykerria unresponsive in the Oak Tree Apartments’ home of Cannimore and Harris on Oct. 18, 2018. Cannimore initially told police that she found Zykerria face down in the tub, but later admitted the scenario was a lie, JSO said.
The homicide report details horrific conditions including Harris admitting he left the Zykerria unresponsive on the couch for seven hours. Police say neither Harris or Cannimore called 911 until the following day. Medical examiners say Zykerria died from head trauma. Medical examiners also found four adult human bite marks on her body and multiple injuries from long-term physical abuse including black eyes and bruising.
Zykerria died after being taken off life support on Oct. 19, 2018, according to a report from the Department of Children and Families.
The defense claims that Cannimore is the person who killed Zykerria. Cannimore pleaded guilty in 2019 to aggravated manslaughter and is set to be sentenced next week on Valentine’s Day.
The defense says Harris did not discipline Zykerria because she was not his biological daughter. They allege that Harris did Google searches about Zykerria’s injuries out of concern for her, and gave a false confession during a police interrogation to protect Cannimore.
The JSO officer who responded to the 911 call and the doctor who treated Zykerria, both became emotional during their testimonies in the courtroom. The two discussed the injuries they saw on Zykerria nearly six years ago.
The jury for the trial is made up of mostly women with only one man.
This is a developing story.
