A Palm Bay woman who fled the state after police say her boyfriend attacked and fatally beat his 12-year-old son was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison.
Samarial Dubose, 32, was charged with aggravated manslaughter and failure to report what police described as the October 2021 “torture” death of Noah Godleski. She appeared before Brevard Circuit Judge Charlie Crawford for a sentencing hearing Thursday.
Her boyfriend, Jason Daniel Godleski, is charged with aggravated manslaughter, child neglect with great bodily harm, and aggravated child abuse by willful torture. Godleski, whose attorneys had argued that he was not competent to understand the mounting legalities against him, will have a plea hearing in August.
Noah Godleski died Oct. 17, 2021. Earlier in the day, Dubose — who had three children with Godleski apart from Noah — said the boy had been misbehaving and was put into the laundry room as punishment, court records show. Police say Jason Godleski walked into the laundry room, yelling at the boy, then struck the child repeatedly.
Dubose, who homeschooled Noah, told detectives that she then heard Godleski yell at the child again, followed by a loud bang. Afterward, she said, she heard Noah crying and moaning.
“Godleski made the statement that the victim was hit too hard in the face and the back of the head … Godleski lastly said that the victim was alive for days but, dead when they left,” said Detective Matthew Boggess of the Palm Bay Police Department.
Dubose never returned to the laundry room but told investigators she believed the boy had been badly injured in the fight. Several days later, Godleski told Dubose he was taking her to Connecticut, without further checking on the condition of the boy, court records show.
Nearly a week later, Godleski walked into the Palm Bay Police Department to report the homicide, telling detectives that the boy was alive when the two left and that the death was unintended, court records show. Officers searched the home and found the boy’s body still inside the laundry room, records show.
Godleski and Dubose were arrested and jailed. The fate of the couple’s other children and their custody arrangements were not immediately known.