Tyrone Covington, a 45-year-old U.S. Army veteran, received a 30-year prison sentence for manslaughter in the death of his girlfriend's 8-year-old son, Josiyah Robinson. The incident occurred in October 2020 during a family move when the boy accidentally locked keys in a car. Covington beat the child over 100 times with a belt, leading to his death from blunt force trauma.
On October 22, 2020, in Hillsborough County, Florida, the family was relocating to a new home and transporting possessions in multiple carloads. In the late evening, the mother's keys became locked inside her vehicle. She attributed the mishap to her son Josiyah Robinson and requested that Tyrone Covington, her partner, administer discipline.
After a locksmith unlocked the car, Covington, a U.S. Army veteran with service in Iraq and Afghanistan, used a belt to strike the 8-year-old boy more than 100 times. He also compelled the child to perform military-style exercises, including pushups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks. Josiyah soon struggled to breathe and lost consciousness. His mother dialed 911, and paramedics transported him to a local hospital before airlifting him to a children's facility, where he succumbed the following day. An autopsy confirmed the cause as blunt force trauma.
Covington faced an initial charge of first-degree murder but was convicted in January of manslaughter and aggravated child abuse. At sentencing on Monday, Circuit Judge Lyann Goudie imposed 30 years in prison. The judge addressed Covington's attempt to blame the boy's 14-year-old brother, stating, "He didn't commit that crime. It was you."
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister described the event: "This was not merely a form of punishment. The excessive beating this child endured ultimately led to his death."
Josiyah's brother, now 19, shared his remorse during the hearing: "I see it over and over, my brother being beaten, while I sit against that wall. I ask myself constantly, if only I had done something, if only I'd stopped Tyrone, would my brother still be here?"
Judge Goudie remarked before sentencing: "When I stop, Mr. Covington, and think about how Josiyah spent the last hour of his life feeling fear, it makes me sick."
