In a mass murder so gruesome it garnered international attention and caused police to consider gang conflict, a child witness led investigators to a family member who confessed to the brutal killings.
Photo by Mike Maple
Jessie Dotson, 33, was charged Saturday with six counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons said he would announce in the coming days whether his office will seek the death penalty.
During an argument with his brother at 722 Lester, Jessie Dotson pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and shot Cecil Dewayne Dotson, police allege. He then slaughtered the others in the house, including children, in an attempt to cover up the shooting.
Cecil Dotson, 30; Marissa Rene Williams, 27; Hollis Seals, 33; and Shindri Roberson, 22, were shot and killed.
Jessie Dotson also stabbed and killed two of his nephews, Cemario Dotson, 4, and Cecil Dotson II, 2, both sons of Cecil, police say.
"It is our belief that when Jessie left the home, he believed everyone in the home was dead," Police Director Larry Godwin said during a Saturday press conference. "But as we all know, by the grace of God, three children survived."
Cecil Dotson Jr., about 9; Cedric Dotson, about 6; and Ceniyah Dotson, about 2 months old, survived being attacked with a knife and are in treatment under protective custody at Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center.
One of the surviving children told police Jessie Dotson was responsible for the killings, according to an affidavit filed Saturday. Dotson then confessed to the mass murder.
For Dotson, the gruesome killings on Lester Street made for an end to what was at times a hostile relationship with his family, arrest records show. His teenage home at 600 S. Lauderdale was a volatile place, where he regularly fought with neighbors and siblings.
In 1990, at age 15, Dotson was charged with disorderly conduct for making threats against his mother as she tried to discipline him. A month later, he was charged with assault after a 13-year-old told his parents Dotson punched him in the face and threatened to "put him in the hospital" if the teen didn't bring him $25 the next day.
One year later, in fall 1991, police arrested Dotson for disorderly conduct after his mother told police he came home and wanted to fight his brother. "After placing her son in bedroom, locking the door, (Dotson) broke door open and punched several large holes in wall," the arrest report stated. "(Dotson) then placed his finger in mother's face, telling her he was going to kill her. When officers arrived, (Dotson) was loud and angry, refusing to calm down and still wanting to fight brother."
Police charged Dotson again in 1992 with disorderly conduct following an incident in which Dotson cussed at a neighbor during an argument and then threw two beer bottles into her apartment.
On Dec. 13, 1991, six days before his 17th birthday, police pulled over a car Dotson was riding in, arrest records show. On the floorboards, an officer saw a .20-gauge sawed-off shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol.
A little more than two years later and one year into adulthood, the 19-year-old Dotson was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in an apparent drug deal gone bad.
On Jan. 8, 1994, after purchasing drugs from Dotson, Halle Cox discovered he had in fact bought shavings of soap. The two men argued, and during the conflict, Dotson killed the man.
Four months later, on May 5, 1994, police arrested Dotson for the murder. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, second-degree murder, and spent nearly 14 years in state prison.
He was released Jan. 26 and rekindled his relationship with brother Cecil, who worked as a maintenance man at an apartment building and rented the Lester Street house just north of Summer Avenue in Binghamton.
But as in his youth, Jessie's relationship with his brother came with conflict.
On Jan. 29, three days after the man's release from state prison, Jessie, Cecil and several other men were playing cards at Cecil's home. After the card game, Jessie stood up, put on Cecil's leather jacket and began to walk out of the house. As Cecil tried to stop him, Jessie drew a semi-automatic pistol and challenged his brother to take the coat back from him, Cecil would later tell police.
Cecil then followed his brother in his car to the Goodwill Village Apartments in North Memphis but eventually lost him. Although Cecil reported to police that his brother robbed and threatened him, Jessie was not charged with a crime.
Whether the stolen jacket remained an issue between Cecil and Jessie is unknown. But last Sunday, Jessie returned to Cecil's home at 722 Lester, police say.
An argument followed.
It ended in a bloodbath.
Although Jessie is now in police custody, the investigation continues and the victims' family members remain in protective custody, said Godwin.
When asked if he was certain that Dotson acted alone in the killings, the police director offered an ambiguous answer.
"We are very confident in where we are, but again, we will continue the investigation," he said.
Erica Smith, the mother of one of Cecil's children, said Dotson's arrest for the mass murder hasn't brought her relief.
"I'll never be relieved," she said. "I've never got my son no more."
Cheryl Green, the sister of victim Shindri Roberson, said she was surprised to learn Dotson confessed the killings.
"It's just a shock someone could do that to their own flesh and blood," she said. "The little babies."
- Trevor Aaronson: 529-2864
- Kristina Goetz: 529-2380
En el día de hoy, ha sido arrestado Jessie Dotson, como sospechoso del sextuple asesinato ocurrido en Memphis, Tennessee, hace pocos días.

La policía cree que los homicidos ocurrieron en la mañana del domingo; e identificó a las victimas adultas como Cecil Dewayne Dotson, de 30 años; Marissa Rene Williams, de 27 años; Hollis Seals, de 33 años; y Shindri Roberson, de 22 años. Asimismo los niños asesinados fueron identificados como Cemario Dotson, de 4 años, y Cecil Dotson, de 2 años, ambos hijos de Cecil Dotson.



Jessie Dotson fue identificado por uno de los menores sobrevivientes del hecho; minutos después confesó su autoria en el mismo. Jessie Dotson había sido hallado culpable de homicidio en segundo grado en 1994 y paso 14 años en prisión. Fue liberado en enero.

El motivo del crimen fue aparentemente, una larga discusión sostenida entre el asesino y su hermana Cecil Dotson, una de las victimas.