JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Witnesses testifying in the trial for a Jacksonville man accused of abusing and murdering a five-year-old girl in 2018 had to pause during their testimony Tuesday, overcome by emotion while describing the girl's injuries.
Jonte Dominique Harris, 31, faces first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse in the death of Zykerria Robinson in 2018. Zykerria's mother, Michelle Cannimore, pleaded guilty in 2019 to aggravated manslaughter of the child. Prosecutors say the state will recommend she go to prison for 25 years.
Cannimore was the last witness to testify Tuesday, her voice cracking throughout. At one point Cannimore broke down crying on the stand and the court took a recess. A Jacksonville Sheriff's officer who responded to the 911 call and a doctor who treated Zykerria both had to pause after becoming emotional during their testimonies as well.
Several members of the jury, which is made up of mostly women with only one man, dabbed at their eyes throughout the day. Harris appeared solemn in the courtroom.
In 2018, medical examiners found adult bite marks on Zykerria’s body along with other injuries including black eyes and bruising. They say they were signifiers of long-term abuse. They showed the jury photos of the injuries to the child's body.
Jacksonville Sheriff's officers found Zykerria unresponsive in Cannimore and Harris' home at Oak Tree Apartments 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 Zykerria unresponsive on the couch for seven hours. Police say neither Harris nor Cannimore called 911 until the next day.
Medical examiners say Zykerria died from head trauma. She was taken off life support on Oct. 19, 2018, according to a report from the Department of Children and Families and testimony from her doctor.
The prosecution claims Cannimore was afraid of Harris. They claim Cannimore wanted Harris to step into a stepfather role but instead, they say Harris' idea of discipline was torture. When asked by the prosecutor, Cannimore said she takes responsibility, in part, for the death of her daughter.
"What kind of threats did he make before?" Prosecutor Lauren Anderson asked Cannimore about Harris.
"Jonte said he was gonna kill my daughter," Cannimore responded.
Kathy Swafford believes this. She’s a child advocate and executive director of Save Haven of Northeast Florida and says she’s still close with Zykerria’s paternal grandparents. Swafford says they do not want to relive what happened by attending the trial.
“This was a young, innocent child that was violently killed," Swafford said. "It wasn't just that he murdered her, he violently murdered her.”
The defense claims Cannimore is the person who killed Zykerria. Defense attorneys say 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.
Harris’ mother and younger sister attending the trial believe Harris is innocent.
"He never got in trouble," said Charmaine Harris, Harris' sister. "Never did stuff that's like this ever. I feel like the world is really painting a bad picture of my brother because he's an 'A' honor roll student.”
Testimony is set to continue on Tuesday morning. Attorneys tell First Coast News they plan to do closing arguments and receive a verdict Thursday.
This is a developing story.