Johnston County man texted he ‘whooped’ boy who then had seizure, warrant says
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lance Pearce was charged with murder after 2-year-old Jensen Jackson died.
- Search warrants cite texts and admissions where Pearce described abuse of Jensen.
- Jensen was diagnosed with brain injuries; Pearce remains jailed without bail.
A Johnston County man accused of killing a 2-year-old boy last month texted the boy’s mother that he “whooped his [expletive]” and called to tell her the boy had a seizure, recently released search warrants state.
Lance Nolan Pearce, 30, was charged by the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office on July 7 with the first-degree murder of Jensen Jackson after the boy died July 6. He is being held at the Johnston County Jail without bail.
Pearce was initially arrested July 4 and charged with child abuse for shaking Jensen and “causing a brain bleed, swelling of the brain and bruising,” according to an arrest warrant.
Snapchat messages, texts, and a FaceTime call
Jensen’s mother, Kayla Blue, left Pearce to care for the three children when she left for work at 3:30 p.m. on July 3. Pearce allegedly told police that he shook, hit and threw Jensen because he wouldn’t stop crying, according to search warrants.
The warrants state Pearce texted Blue at 4:56 p.m. on July 3, “yea try and tell my anger that. I whooped his [expletive] and put him back in bed I can’t today I’m hurting again because of him and only him. Been fine all day long now back in pain. [Expletive] him completely.”
Pearce called Blue via FaceTime to show that Jensen was unresponsive after having a seizure, according to search warrants. Blue told investigators Jensen had passed out before from seizures, so “she did not think it was that serious at first,” according to search warrants. Still, she left work and headed home.
On the way, Pearce told Blue that Jensen’s breathing had become worse, so Blue called 911. Johnston County EMS received a call at 6:02 p.m., according to a Sheriff’s Office press release.
At 6:09 p.m., Pearce messaged a woman via Snapchat, search warrants allege. “Ahh maybe they were babied too much got away with everything,” the woman wrote.
“Yep exactly I whooped one earlier and he had a seizure and never woke up,” Pearce wrote, according to search warrants.
Shortly after, Pearce messaged the woman on Snapchat with a picture of the ambulance in Blue’s front yard, search warrants allege. “Well I’ll probably be going to prison now,” he wrote as the caption.
Paramedics arrived at the hospital with Jensen after 6:30 p.m., according to warrants. He was diagnosed with brain swelling, a brain bleed and bruising all over his body.
Jensen was pronounced dead on the morning of July 6.
Tribute from the mother
Blue posted on Facebook on July 7 that “Jensen was such a pure, innocent soul that deserved so much more time on this earth.”
“He loved his brothers and loved spending time cuddled up with me on the couch,” Blue wrote. “His favorite things were his ABCs and numbers. Anytime that [TV] played any kind of numbers, he would be fixed on it. He loved knowing how things worked and would be more fascinated by the screws and how stuff was put together rather than the actual toy.”
A GoFundMe was created to “cover funeral expenses, time away from work, counseling, and other unexpected costs” for Blue’s family.
Blue told a Johnston County detective that she met Pearce on the Facebook dating app, according to search warrants. The two had been dating for five months.
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