Prosecutors want death penalty for Thomas Mosley

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for 21-year-old Thomas Mosley, who is accused of killing his 2-year-old son Taylen and his mother after celebrating his birthday in late March.

According to a court filing, prosecutors say they have enough evidence to support their case that the crime was “particularly heinous, cruel or gruesome.”

Taylen was first reported missing after his mother, 20-year-old Pashun Jeffery, was found dead at her home with over 100 stab wounds.

A day later, Taylen’s body was found in the mouth of an alligator on Lake Maggiore. Investigators determined that Mosley brought Taylen to the lake and either dumped or laid him in the water.

The St. Petersburg Police Department later confirmed that the toddler had died of drowning.

Police said Thomas murdered both Jeffery and her son before traveling to his mother’s home with wounds to his arms and hands. Authorities said his wounds were “consistent with injuries sustained from slipping during a knife attack.”

He was charged with first-degree murder for the deaths of both victims.