Jason D. Godleski has been sentenced to 38 years in state prison for the abuse and neglect that led to the death of his 12-year-old son, Noah, in their Palm Bay home in October 2021. Samarial Dubose, 35, was previously sentenced in 2023 to 30 years in state prison after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter of a child, aggravated child abuse, and child neglect causing great bodily harm for her role in Noah’s death.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — Jason D. Godleski has been sentenced to 38 years in state prison for the abuse and neglect that led to the death of his 12-year-old son, Noah, in their Palm Bay home in October 2021.
Godleski, 38, entered a no-contest plea on July 8 as part of an agreement with the State Attorney’s Office. He pleaded to charges including second-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and child neglect causing great bodily harm.
Prosecutors Julia Lynch and Samantha Barrett had been prepared to take the case to trial on first-degree murder and related child abuse charges beginning Aug. 31.
According to Palm Bay Police investigators, Godleski brutally beat Noah with a baseball bat as punishment for misbehaving before forcing him into a laundry room, where the child was left locked inside.
Jason D. Godleski has been sentenced to 38 years in state prison for the abuse and neglect that led to the death of his 12-year-old son, Noah, in their Palm Bay home in October 2021.
Rather than seeking medical treatment, investigators said Godleski and his live-in girlfriend, Samarial R. Dubose, packed up their three other children and traveled to Connecticut, leaving Noah alone in the home.
Several days later, Godleski returned to Florida and walked into the Palm Bay Police Department to report that his son had “passed away in his sleep.”
When officers responded to the residence, they discovered Noah’s body still inside the laundry room. Investigators found the child had suffered severe upper-body trauma, and the Brevard County Medical Examiner determined he had been dead for several days before authorities were notified.
Prosecutors also alleged that Noah had been starved prior to the fatal beating.
At the time of his death, the 12-year-old weighed just 62 pounds, placing him in the bottom fifth percentile for boys his age.
Investigators noted that photographs taken inside the home showed the family’s refrigerator stocked with food.
Dubose, 35, was previously sentenced in 2023 to 30 years in state prison after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter of a child, aggravated child abuse, and child neglect causing great bodily harm for her role in Noah’s death.
“He was a targeted child in the household,” prosecutor Julia Lynch said following Wednesday’s sentencing hearing in Viera. “With today’s sentencing, both caregivers have been held accountable.”
In addition to the 38-year prison sentence, Circuit Judge Steve Henderson ordered Godleski to serve 15 years of supervised probation following his release from prison.
Godleski received credit for approximately three years already served in the Brevard County Jail while awaiting trial. Because Florida does not have parole, he is expected to remain incarcerated until his early 70s before becoming eligible for release under the terms of his sentence.
