Carlton Dotson
Encyclopedia
Carlton Eric Dotson, Jr. (born June 1, 1982) is an American former college basketball
player who is currently serving a 35-year prison term for the murder of Patrick Dennehy
, one of his teammates.
and Paris Junior College
before transferring to Baylor in the summer of 2002, where he played one season as a forward.
They had purchased two pistols and a rifle and practiced firing them at a farm north of Waco. On June 14, Dennehy told friend Daniel Okopnyi that he was worried about threats made to Dotson by two fellow teammates. Dennehy also indicated that he and Dotson would be at a party the following day at which neither appeared.
Over the next few days, there were indications that something had gone wrong: Dennehy's mother and stepfather, Valorie and Brian Brabazon, were concerned that they had received no calls on Father's Day, Dennehy's roommate, Chris Turk, returned from an out-of-town trip to find that Dennehy's dogs had not been fed in days. On June 19, the Brabazons filed a report with the Waco Police Department that Dennehy was missing.
On June 25, Dennehy's Chevrolet Tahoe
SUV was found in the parking lot of a shopping mall in Virginia Beach, Virginia
, with its license plates removed.
An affidavit filed on June 23, which was unsealed on June 30, seeking a search warrant for Dennehy's computer says that an informant in Delaware
told police that Dotson, who by now was at home in Hurlock, Maryland
, told a cousin that he had shot and killed Dennehy during an argument while firing guns in the Waco area. On July 21, Dotson was charged with murdering Dennehy and taken into custody by Corporal Keith Benton and Sgt. Henry Hernandez of the Dorchester County, Maryland
, Sheriff's Office.
The search for Dennehy continued for several weeks until July 25, when a badly-decomposed body was found in a gravel pit near Waco and was taken to Dallas for an autopsy. The following day, medical examiners identified the body as being Patrick Dennehy. On July 30, his death was ruled a homicide after a preliminary autopsy report showed that Dennehy died of gunshot wounds to the head. Dennehy was buried in San Jose, California
, on August 7.
, but that should he regain competency in the future, he would be made to stand trial.
However, in February 2005, Dotson was returned to jail after psychologists deemed him competent to stand trial but that he must continue taking his anti-psychotic medication. The psychologist also said that Dotson's accounts of hallucinations and hearing voices were "suspect."
On June 8, 2005, five days before his trial for murder was to begin, Dotson unexpectedly pleaded guilty to killing Dennehy. On June 15, Dotson was sentenced to 35 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole in 2021, after serving roughly half his sentence.
In January 2006, Dotson attempted to appeal his conviction. However, his request for an appeal was denied on the grounds that he surrendered his right to appeal when he pleaded guilty.
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
player who is currently serving a 35-year prison term for the murder of Patrick Dennehy
Patrick Dennehy
Patrick James Dennehy was an American college basketball player. He was born in Santa Clara, California. He was fatally shot by a teammate in 2003....
, one of his teammates.
Basketball career
Dotson attended North Dorchester High School. He played at University at BuffaloUniversity at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo or UB, is a public research university and a "University Center" in the State University of New York system. The university was founded by Millard Fillmore in 1846. UB has multiple campuses...
and Paris Junior College
Paris Junior College
Paris Junior College, or PJC, was founded in 1924 as a campus of Paris Independent School District in the U.S. state of Texas and currently counts three campuses: Paris, Greenville, and Sulphur Springs with a total enrollment of 4,000 students...
before transferring to Baylor in the summer of 2002, where he played one season as a forward.
Dennehy's murder
In the summer of 2003, Dennehy and Dotson indicated that they were concerned about their safety.They had purchased two pistols and a rifle and practiced firing them at a farm north of Waco. On June 14, Dennehy told friend Daniel Okopnyi that he was worried about threats made to Dotson by two fellow teammates. Dennehy also indicated that he and Dotson would be at a party the following day at which neither appeared.
Over the next few days, there were indications that something had gone wrong: Dennehy's mother and stepfather, Valorie and Brian Brabazon, were concerned that they had received no calls on Father's Day, Dennehy's roommate, Chris Turk, returned from an out-of-town trip to find that Dennehy's dogs had not been fed in days. On June 19, the Brabazons filed a report with the Waco Police Department that Dennehy was missing.
On June 25, Dennehy's Chevrolet Tahoe
Chevrolet Tahoe
The Chevrolet Tahoe are full-size SUVs from General Motors. Chevrolet and GMC sold two different-sized SUVs under their Blazer/Jimmy model names through the early 1990s. This situation changed when GMC rebadged the full-size Jimmy as the Yukon in 1992...
SUV was found in the parking lot of a shopping mall in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
, with its license plates removed.
An affidavit filed on June 23, which was unsealed on June 30, seeking a search warrant for Dennehy's computer says that an informant in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
told police that Dotson, who by now was at home in Hurlock, Maryland
Hurlock, Maryland
Hurlock is a town in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,874 at the 2000 census. It is home to WAAI radio. Joyce Spratt is the current mayor, and the town has five council members—Michael E. Henry , Michael D. Nordstrom , Parker J. Durham , Charles T. Cephas and...
, told a cousin that he had shot and killed Dennehy during an argument while firing guns in the Waco area. On July 21, Dotson was charged with murdering Dennehy and taken into custody by Corporal Keith Benton and Sgt. Henry Hernandez of the Dorchester County, Maryland
Dorchester County, Maryland
Dorchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland on its Eastern Shore. It is bordered by the Choptank River to the north, Talbot County to the northwest, Caroline County to the northeast, Wicomico County to the southeast, Sussex County, Delaware, to the east, and the Chesapeake...
, Sheriff's Office.
The search for Dennehy continued for several weeks until July 25, when a badly-decomposed body was found in a gravel pit near Waco and was taken to Dallas for an autopsy. The following day, medical examiners identified the body as being Patrick Dennehy. On July 30, his death was ruled a homicide after a preliminary autopsy report showed that Dennehy died of gunshot wounds to the head. Dennehy was buried in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, on August 7.
Trial and appeals
On October 28, 2004, Dotson was declared incompetent to stand trial by District Judge George Allen and was sent to a state mental hospital to be reevaluated in four months' time. Three psychiatrists, including one appointed by the court, said that Dotson appeared to be suffering from hallucinations and psychosisPsychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
, but that should he regain competency in the future, he would be made to stand trial.
However, in February 2005, Dotson was returned to jail after psychologists deemed him competent to stand trial but that he must continue taking his anti-psychotic medication. The psychologist also said that Dotson's accounts of hallucinations and hearing voices were "suspect."
On June 8, 2005, five days before his trial for murder was to begin, Dotson unexpectedly pleaded guilty to killing Dennehy. On June 15, Dotson was sentenced to 35 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole in 2021, after serving roughly half his sentence.
In January 2006, Dotson attempted to appeal his conviction. However, his request for an appeal was denied on the grounds that he surrendered his right to appeal when he pleaded guilty.