Relatives say Joanna Shoulder loved unicorns and dreamed of space as her father faces charges in her death.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Before her name appeared in a capital murder affidavit, Joanna Shoulder was a 9-year-old who talked about becoming an astronaut, imagined a future in medicine and delighted relatives with her interest in unicorns.
Her family is trying to keep those memories at the center of the public account of her life after police charged her father, 35-year-old Marquise Anderson, with capital murder. Anderson is accused of inflicting fatal injuries while disciplining Joanna after she wet the bed at a Fort Worth home in February. He has not been convicted, and the allegations against him remain subject to testing in court.
Joanna’s maternal uncle, Brandon Shoulder, described his niece as kind, curious and eager to learn. He told WFAA that she wanted to become an astronaut and that her imagination extended to several possible careers. He said teachers loved her and that relatives knew her as a child who did not have the behavioral problems suggested by the circumstances described in the arrest paperwork.
One detail in the affidavit has been especially painful for the family. Anderson allegedly told investigators that he escalated from spanking Joanna with his hand to striking her with a belt after believing that she smirked at him. Shoulder said part of Joanna’s face had been paralyzed since birth and that an expression interpreted as disrespect may instead have reflected the way her face naturally moved.
That distinction has become central to how relatives understand the allegations. Police records describe an adult’s interpretation of the child’s expression as one reason the punishment intensified. Her uncle’s account suggests Joanna may have been unable to control the appearance that Anderson allegedly viewed as defiant. Investigators have not said that the facial condition caused the assault, and a motive would ultimately have to be established through admissible evidence.
The events that led to Joanna’s death began during a weekend visit with her father, according to accounts of the arrest affidavit. Officers were called at about 3:15 a.m. Feb. 8 to a house in the 1900 block of Daniel Street. Emergency workers found Joanna on the floor while a woman at the home was trying to revive her. The child was transported to Cook Children’s Medical Center in cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead.
Hospital staff immediately noticed extensive bruising and notified police. Detectives learned that Joanna had been physically disciplined the previous evening, according to the affidavit. Anderson initially described striking her with his hand. He later acknowledged using a belt after deciding that the earlier punishment had not been sufficient, police said. He allegedly estimated that he struck her with the belt several times across her back and legs.
Anderson told investigators that Joanna had wet the bed twice and was placed in a bathtub to clean herself, according to the records. He said she stayed there for hours after the punishment and eventually appeared sleepy, thirsty and unusually hot. Her speech became slurred, he reportedly said, and she later vomited and lost consciousness. He told police she may have struck her head during a fall in the bathroom. A woman in the house told police that Anderson woke her during the night and said Joanna had become sick in the bath. The woman said she began CPR and continued until paramedics arrived. The publicly available reports do not identify her as Joanna’s mother, and authorities have not accused her of delivering the injuries that caused the child’s death.
For months, no one was charged. Homicide detectives sought an autopsy and compared the medical findings with the explanations given at the scene and during later interviews. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office completed the final report in June, ruling that Joanna died from multiple blunt-force injuries and that her death was a homicide. Anderson was arrested June 23.
The medical findings described injuries extending well beyond a single point of impact. Records cited by local news outlets say Joanna had numerous bruises on her torso, back, thighs, lower legs and sides. The autopsy also documented injuries to her head and neck, bleeding beneath her scalp and bleeding around portions of her spinal canal. WFAA reported that medical staff counted about 30 injuries across her torso and lower body.
Police said those findings contradicted Anderson’s description of a bathroom fall. Fort Worth police spokesperson Buddy Calzada said detectives found discrepancies between the injuries and the account they had been given. The autopsy allowed investigators to conclude that the child’s death was caused by blunt-force trauma rather than an ordinary accident in the tub.
Joanna’s mother told investigators that her daughter was healthy and able to bathe without assistance, according to reports based on the affidavit. That information also challenged the suggestion that an unexplained medical condition caused the collapse. The available documents do not establish whether Joanna had any other health history beyond the facial paralysis described by her uncle. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services confirmed that it had previous involvement with Joanna’s family but did not make the records public. The agency did not say what prompted its earlier contact, which adults were involved or whether any allegations had been substantiated. That lack of detail has left open questions about what state officials knew before Joanna’s death.
Her relatives have faced scrutiny as the case has drawn public attention. Brandon Shoulder said Joanna’s mother had been blamed and harassed online by people who did not know the family’s circumstances. Public records reviewed for this story do not establish that Joanna’s mother caused her injuries or was present during the alleged assault. The investigation described by police focuses on Anderson’s actions. The capital murder charge applies because Joanna was younger than 10. Texas law permits severe punishment following a conviction for capital murder, but prosecutors had not publicly announced whether they would seek a death sentence. The charging decision does not decide the case, and Anderson retains the presumption of innocence throughout the proceedings.
Relatives say the legal process is necessary but cannot fully represent what was lost. Their memories describe a third-grade child who dreamed broadly, cared about others and had a future that extended far beyond the final hours documented in an affidavit. By speaking publicly, they have tried to prevent the details of the alleged violence from becoming the only facts associated with Joanna’s name.
Anderson remained listed in Tarrant County custody when checked for this report. No publicly announced trial date was found, and the available reports did not identify an attorney authorized to speak for him. The next stages are expected to involve formal court proceedings, review of the medical evidence and challenges to the allegations before any determination of guilt.
Author note: Last updated July 23, 2026.