June 22, 2020 | By Zachary Yearwood This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and a University of North Florida Journalism class. The student credited above wrote this story as a class project. Veronica Edwards witnessed her son Deunta take his first breath in the world. Twenty-five years later, she would watch – in agony – as he took his last. Deunta Blakemore was born on May 12, 1992, only 28 weeks into the pregnancy. Weighing less than two pounds at birth, doctors did not expect him to live longer than a few days. At the time, premature babies often did not live, and doctors told his mother that there were several obstacles he wouldn’t overcome. Deunta defied the short life expectancy. Doctors believed he would live his life unable to walk. Deunta beat those overwhelming odds. The baby born weighing one pound and eight ounces would grow to be a healthy man, standing six feet, five inches, and weighing 335 pounds. “He... Read More