Fayetteville mom charged with abuse in infant's death is now accused of killing baby's dad

A Fayetteville woman is charged with killing the father of her deceased infant early Tuesday — nine months after she allegedly tried to prevent the man from cooperating in an abuse case into their baby's death.

Kadejah Dockery, 28, is charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Joseph Woods, 40, according to the Fayetteville Police Department.

Police said officers were called to Dockery's apartment on Tiffany Court about 5 a.m. Tuesday for a report of an unconscious man. Inside, they found Woods suffering from a stab wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

In December, Dockery was charged with felony witness intimidation for allegedly threatening to file false charges against Woods who was cooperating with authorities investigating the March 2022 death of the couple's 4-month-old son, Joeshine.

The charging document states Woods was a prosecution witness against Dockery who was charged in October 2023 with felony child abuse causing substantial bodily injury. Her arrest came after an autopsy found that the 14-pound infant had cocaine in his system when he died.

The baby's cause of death was "undetermined," the autopsy said.

"While the cocaine exposure could explain the death, other possibilities include airway obstruction (such as from blankets or bedding) or overlying while sleeping in an adult bed," the autopsy states. "Despite these possibilities, no evidence favors any particular cause."

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An affidavit in the child abuse case states that Woods told authorities he believed Dockery had killed their son. He said that before the child's death, she had been complaining the baby looked like him. Woods also reportedly provided police with a text message, allegedly from Dockery, in which she sent a picture of the baby and stated, "here's your last pic, (expletive)"

The affidavit states the medical examiner determined that the baby, identified by his initials JW in the records, would have ingested the cocaine 1-2 hours before death.

"JW was not mobile and was fed by a bottle ... by Dockery," the record states.

Furthermore, the affidavit notes, Woods told police Dockery was known to use cocaine.

According to the Police Department, Dockery is being held in the Cumberland County jail without bail.

Joseph Pierre contributed to this report. F.T. Norton can be reached at fnorton@fayobserver.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville mom charged with abuse in infant's death is now accused of killing baby's dad