JURY FINDS COBB GUILTY IN SENSELESS MURDER OF 1-YEAR-OLD BOY

Evansville, IN – Prosecutor Diana Moers announces that on February 13, 2025, Tavion Donte Cobb was found guilty by a jury of Murder, a Felony; and two counts of Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death, both Level 1 Felonies. The Honorable Judge Robert J. Pigman of the Vanderburgh County Superior Court presided.

On September 27, 2022, the victim’s mother allowed Tavion Cobb to watch her son. The child had been fussy and refusing to sleep. Later in the morning, Cobb told the child’s mother that her son was sick and would not be going to daycare. When Cobb arrived at the mother’s home, he brought her son inside shirtless. The mother noticed her son was cold to the touch, had blue lips and a blue tongue, and was not breathing. Upon arrival at the hospital, the child was still not breathing, had no pulse, and was unresponsive. The child’s temperature was recorded at 71 degrees.

At the trial, medical professionals testified the low temperature meant the child had been deceased for several hours. The child also had second-degree burns covering the left side of his face and second-degree burns located on his legs. In addition, the child’s arms and legs were both covered in bruises. At the hospital, Cobb told the boy’s mother he’d probably go to jail after police interviewed him. Cause of death was later determined to be a blunt force injury to the abdomen, which caused internal bleeding and anoxic encephalopathy (lack of oxygen to the brain). Cobb gave multiple, inconsistent accounts of what happened to the young boy, but never provided any information to account for all of the child’s injuries.

An abundance of evidence was presented to the jury during the 3-day trial, including testimony from law enforcement, medical professionals, and witnesses including the child’s mother. Photographs were also presented to the jury showing that the child had no visible injuries shortly before he was left with Cobb.

Prosecutor Moers thanks her Deputy Ian Blair for ably representing the State of Indiana in a case where it was clear that Cobb killed the 1-year-old boy but there was no obvious motivation behind the murder. She thanks all law enforcement partners who assisted in the response and investigation of this case including Officer J. Helm, Officer D. Vonderscher, Officer J. McCrarey, and Officer N. Henderson. Finally, she thanks her staff including High Tech Crime Unit Investigator Jon Carter who testified at the trial, and investigations staff Tony Carden, Jessica Pollock, Morgan Richardville, Jen Savage, and John McQuay for helping prepare a thorough case for trial.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Lin commented: “This case is especially tragic because a young, innocent boy lost his life through senseless violence. While the guilty verdict cannot make his mother or his family whole, we hope it brings some measure of comfort to know that the man who stole their child away from them will be held accountable through a very long prison sentence. A man who brutally harms such a young child, no matter the reason, should not remain free, and justice has been accomplished by removing him from our community.”

Sentencing is scheduled for March 13, 2025, in front of the Honorable Judge Robert J. Pigman of the Vanderburgh County Superior Court.

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