State prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a Marion County man who is accused of killing his girlfriend’s 3-year-old toddler after interviews with the other children in his care revealed a history of violent physical abuse, including punching, stomping, and the use of handcuffs.
On Wednesday, two Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty filings were made in the case of Jeroen Jarrel Coombs, on counts of aggravated child abuse and first degree murder.
Coombs, who is accused of beating Paisley Brown to death, was indicted on several additional charges in late March, including three additional counts of aggravated child abuse, cruelty toward a child without bodily harm, and sexual battery upon a child under the age of 12.
Coombs, 32, has pled not guilty to the charges. Brown’s mother, 26-year-old Jennifer Farrah Kendrick, was arrested in March on two counts of felony child neglect.
The investigation into Brown’s death began on February 19, when Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home in the 16500 block of NE 44th Avenue and found the toddler unresponsive. Although medics rushed her to a local hospital, Brown ultimately succumbed to her injuries.
Records show that Coombs notified Kendrick that Paisley was unresponsive at 10:58 a.m., yet emergency services were not called until approximately 40 minutes later. During an initial interrogation, Coombs reportedly confessed to using a robe tie to bind Paisley’s hands and painter’s tape to secure her legs to prevent her from reaching into her diaper.
In the days following the arrest, two separate arrest affidavits were filed by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office that provide details on the extent of the abuse suffered by the children.
During an interview with the children at the Kimberly’s Center for Children Protection in Ocala, two child victims provided extensive statements regarding their abuse at the hands of Coombs.
The first victim stated that Coombs and Kendrick told Brown’s siblings that the girl had “demons inside of her.” When the child was asked what had happened to Brown, he explained that Coombs had punched her so hard in the stomach that she hit the wall. The victim also said that he was regularly punched in the stomach and kicked in his back by Coombs.
The second victim said that he was handcuffed when Kendrick returned home on the day that Brown was killed. When asked by the interviewer to elaborate, the second victim explained that Coombs would keep him in handcuffs at all times. The only times Coombs would remove the handcuffs was when the child was allowed to eat. The child added that he and his siblings were only served breakfast and dinner.
The second victim, who is the oldest child, said he would get the worst punishments depending on the severity of the offense, ranging from standing in a corner to getting punched in the stomach or chest. The victim said that on more than one occasion, Coombs left bruises on his chest or stomach from punches.
The victim went on to also detail how Coombs “stomped” on the children. During the interview, the victim demonstrated the motion by standing up and raising his arms out, as though to brace himself against something while stomping. The victim explained that Coombs would hold onto a wall and stomp on him “violently with his foot.”
During their interviews, the children frequently used the word “pop” and “popped” to refer to Coombs striking them.
Kendrick initially claimed to be unaware of any abuse, but later admitted to detectives that she knew Coombs had previously bound and abused Paisley and failed to intervene.
Text messages between Kendrick and Coombs show that the mother was aware of the physical punishment towards her children and that she brought it up on several occasions.
“Babe, I know you raising the kids [with] me. But I need the ‘popping [with] shoe calm down some because I can’t have the bruises on em if Dcf pop up,” reads part of a text sent by Kendrick on January 6 at 10:52 p.m.
In another text sent by Kendrick to Coombs the following day, the mother claims her son’s “who ear” was bruised up and that she couldn’t “let Dcf” see his condition.
“I’ve dealt [with] Dcf before I’ve lost my kids before because of my baby daddy I know how they are” reads part of the text.
Coombs and Kendrick are both currently being held at the Marion County Jail without bond.