ORLANDO, Fla. — A judge Wednesday took up the case of an Orange County man charged in the death of a toddler last year.
- PREVIOUS STORIES:
Johnathan Pursglove, 26, is charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child in the death of 2-year-old Jayce Martin in July 2018.
Jayce's mom, 24-year-old Victoria Toth, already faces the same charges in the homicide. Pursglove and Toth were in a relationship, according to the Orlando Police Department.
Although Pursglove was not in court Wednesday, his attorney was, fielding questions from a judge.
“My question is why are you hiring someone from Pensacola and paying them to travel?" asked Judge Gail A. Adams, with the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.
According to Pursglove's court-appointed attorney Candace Hawthorne, the judge took issue with travel fees for a new forensic pathologist.
Hawthorne said that she'll now work out the cost with the expert while reviewing evidence and documents in the preliminary stages of the case.
The toddler died last July in the family’s Bethune Drive home after investigators said the child suffered blunt-force trauma and got an infection.
Pursglove’s attorney did not know when the man would be back in court next.
