Man Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Girlfriend’s Death
Last week in a North Carolina courtroom, a man named John “Jay” Curtis Tolson faced the final day of his trial. He was seen smiling as he pleaded guilty to a voluntary manslaughter charge related to his girlfriend’s death in 2020, according to local reports.
The Dare County, North Carolina judge sentenced Tolson, aged 32, to serve four years and eight months to six years and eight months in prison for the voluntary manslaughter conviction, as reported by The Virginia Pilot.
Tolson had been charged in October 2020 in connection with the July 2020 death of his girlfriend, Amanda “LeeAnn” Fletcher Hartleben. Hartleben, a 38-year-old mother of two, was discovered unconscious in a bathtub in a Kitty Hawk, North Carolina cottage at the time.
Hartleben’s cousin, Trisha Cahoon, shared her thoughts in a statement on Facebook, expressing relief that the trial had concluded. She said, “It’s over. Healing can now start if there is such a thing. [LeeAnn] is with us in our hearts and Jay Tolson is going to prison. … I really feel we put someone away that will think every day what he took from all of us. Hopefully, one day he can admit to us all what actually happened that day, but I don’t foresee that happening.”
Family Criticizes Handling of the Case
Trisha Cahoon, in a video posted on Facebook, criticized North Carolina 1st Prosecutorial District Attorney Jeffrey Cruden and the Kitty Hawk Police Department for their handling of her cousin’s case. She believed that Hartleben’s death would not have been thoroughly investigated if her family had not turned to social media to raise awareness about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the 38-year-old mother’s death.
Cahoon stated that her family had demanded that the Kitty Hawk Police Department investigate the crime scene while Hartleben was still in the hospital. Investigators discovered blood on her bed inside the Kitty Hawk cottage where she and Tolson had been staying.
Accepting the Plea Deal
Cahoon also mentioned that the family received a call the night before Tolson’s plea, urging them to “accept” the outcome. Despite their outrage, they ultimately accepted the plea deal. Cahoon explained, “The family is upset. They’re outraged. But did we accept that plea? Absolutely, we accepted that plea, because we got screwed.”
Kitty Hawk police could not be reached for immediate comment.
Tragic Autopsy Report
Amanda “LeeAnn” Fletcher Hartleben died on July 25, 2020, due to “complications of blunt force trauma to the head,” according to her autopsy report. Dr. Nicole Masian, an assistant medical examiner with the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, testified that Hartleben also had a brain bleed and bruising on her body, indicating she was involved in a physical struggle at the time of her death.
Seeking Justice
Hartleben’s family established a YouTube page called “JusticeForLeeAnn,” which includes a recording of a 911 call from the incident and photo evidence collected by a private investigator.
Initially, Tolson told authorities that Hartleben had fallen in the bathtub in the Kitty Hawk cottage they were sharing. One of Tolson’s public defenders, Christan Routten, explained that Tolson chose to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter because he understood the evidence against him, the potential consequences, and the risks of going to trial.
Please note that Audrey Conklin contributed to this article.