State seeks death penalty for Florida man accused of killing girlfriend's 3-year-old child

Prosecutors seek death penalty in murder of 3-year-old Florida girl

Prosecutors have filed two notices seeking the death penalty against Jeroen Coombs, a 32-year-old man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter, according to court records.

MARION COUNTY, Fla. - The state is seeking the death penalty for the Marion County man who is accused of killing his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter.

Jeroen Jarrel Coombs, 32, was arrested Feb. 19 after he admitted to beating Paisley Brown while he was looking after her and four other children.

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Coombs was indicted last month on several charges, including first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and child abuse.

On Monday, an additional charge of sexual battery of a child under the age of 12 was filed against Coombs.

"The state is seeking the death penalty for the first-degree murder and capital sexual battery charges," the State Attorney's Office of the Fifth Judicial Circuit said in a news release.

An indictment said the sexual battery happened between Oct. 1, 2025 and Feb. 19, 2026. The name of the sexual battery victim is redacted in the indictment.

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The backstory:

Marion County deputies responded to a home on Northeast 44th Avenue in Citra on Feb. 19 and found a child, later identified as Paisley, unresponsive.

She was transported to a hospital where she died from her injuries, according to the Sheriff's Office.

During the investigation, Coombs told deputies he bound the girl's hands with a robe tie and her legs with tape. He also admitted to hitting her multiple times, according to investigators.

Paisley had bruising on her chest and private areas along with ligature marks on her wrists and ankles, investigators said.

Investigators said Coombs was watching other children, ages 1 to 9, while Paisley's mother Jennifer Kendrick was running errands.

The other children reported that Coombs had physically abused them too, according to investigators.

Kendrick, who initially denied knowledge of the abuse, later admitted that she knew Coombs had hurt Paisley, according to investigators. She has been charged with child neglect.