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Lester Street Massacre
The Lester Street Massacre was a mass murder which took place on March 2, 2008, in the Binghampton neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee. Six people, four adults and two children, were killed, while three others, all children, were injured. The perpetrator, 33-year-old Jessie Dotson, who was related to some of the victims, was arrested a few days later.
Dotson was convicted of all six murders and sentenced to death for each, receiving a total of six death sentences, currently the most among inmates on Tennessee's death row. He remains on death row and is imprisoned at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee. He continues to maintain his innocence.
The case was featured on the A&E true-crime program The First 48, which included portions of Dotson's taped confession, in which he admitted responsibility for the murders. The massacre has been described as the worst mass murder in Memphis history.
Jessie Lee Dotson Jr. was born on December 19, 1974. He was described as having a troubled upbringing and reportedly grew up in a home marked by chaos and abuse. He also had a reportedly "hostile" relationship with his family. Dotson's mother would frequently leave the home and her children, once going on a church trip to North Carolina and returning with a boyfriend. Dotson was bullied as a child because of his clothing and had to repeat the fourth grade due to chronic absenteeism. He and his siblings lacked proper clothes and were mocked at school as a result. He often missed school for this reason. Dotson's father regularly beat his mother, prompting her to take the children and leave him. The children never learned where their father went. One day, Dotson's father returned home to find his children gone and had no idea where they were. It was not until four or five months later that Dotson's mother finally contacted him. At one point, Dotson's grandmother threw him out of her house after he stole money to buy food.
In 1990, Dotson was charged with disorderly conduct for making threats against his mother. He was also charged with assault after a 13-year-old reported that Dotson punched him in the face and threatened to hospitalize him if he did not bring him money the next day. In 1991, police arrested Dotson for disorderly conduct after his mother reported that he came home wanting to fight his brother. He broke down a door and punched several large holes in the walls. He then pointed his finger in his mother's face and told her he was going to kill her. Officers arrived and had to calm him down. By eighth grade, at age 16, Dotson dropped out of school entirely and entered the juvenile court system. On December 13, 1991, six days before his 17th birthday, police pulled over a car in which Dotson was a passenger. He was found in possession of a .20-gauge sawed-off shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol and was subsequently arrested. In 1992, Dotson was again charged with disorderly conduct after an incident in which he cursed at a neighbor during an argument and threw two beer bottles at her apartment.
On January 8, 1994, 19-year-old Jessie Dotson shot and killed 43-year-old Halle Ralph Cox in front of 596 S. Lauderdale in Memphis, Tennessee. The murder was one of nine committed in Memphis during the first nine days of 1994. Residents of the Foote Homes public housing development heard gunshots around 11:00 p.m. and went to investigate. They found the body of Cox, who was dressed in painter's clothes. He had been shot once in the head. The murder remained unsolved for months, prompting police to offer a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
On May 5, 1994, police arrested Jessie Dotson in connection with the case. Five days later, Memphis homicide detectives charged him with Cox's murder. The reason Dotson killed Cox was because of a dispute over a drug deal. Cox had purchased what he thought was crack from Dotson but later discovered it was soap shavings. An enraged Cox got into a dispute with Dotson, which resulted in Dotson shooting and killing Cox.
Dotson was charged with first-degree murder. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and as part of a plea deal, agreed to 18 years in prison. He was first eligible for parole after nearly five and a half years. However, Dotson did not receive parole for 13 years. As part of his parole conditions, he was required to serve the remainder of his prison sentence if he was ever caught with a weapon or drugs, or if he was involved in any other criminal activity. He was also required to check in with his parole officer on a regular basis. Ultimately, Dotson served 14 years in prison for second-degree murder and was released just months before the Lester Street Massacre.
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Lester Street Massacre
The Lester Street Massacre was a mass murder which took place on March 2, 2008, in the Binghampton neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee. Six people, four adults and two children, were killed, while three others, all children, were injured. The perpetrator, 33-year-old Jessie Dotson, who was related to some of the victims, was arrested a few days later.
Dotson was convicted of all six murders and sentenced to death for each, receiving a total of six death sentences, currently the most among inmates on Tennessee's death row. He remains on death row and is imprisoned at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee. He continues to maintain his innocence.
The case was featured on the A&E true-crime program The First 48, which included portions of Dotson's taped confession, in which he admitted responsibility for the murders. The massacre has been described as the worst mass murder in Memphis history.
Jessie Lee Dotson Jr. was born on December 19, 1974. He was described as having a troubled upbringing and reportedly grew up in a home marked by chaos and abuse. He also had a reportedly "hostile" relationship with his family. Dotson's mother would frequently leave the home and her children, once going on a church trip to North Carolina and returning with a boyfriend. Dotson was bullied as a child because of his clothing and had to repeat the fourth grade due to chronic absenteeism. He and his siblings lacked proper clothes and were mocked at school as a result. He often missed school for this reason. Dotson's father regularly beat his mother, prompting her to take the children and leave him. The children never learned where their father went. One day, Dotson's father returned home to find his children gone and had no idea where they were. It was not until four or five months later that Dotson's mother finally contacted him. At one point, Dotson's grandmother threw him out of her house after he stole money to buy food.
In 1990, Dotson was charged with disorderly conduct for making threats against his mother. He was also charged with assault after a 13-year-old reported that Dotson punched him in the face and threatened to hospitalize him if he did not bring him money the next day. In 1991, police arrested Dotson for disorderly conduct after his mother reported that he came home wanting to fight his brother. He broke down a door and punched several large holes in the walls. He then pointed his finger in his mother's face and told her he was going to kill her. Officers arrived and had to calm him down. By eighth grade, at age 16, Dotson dropped out of school entirely and entered the juvenile court system. On December 13, 1991, six days before his 17th birthday, police pulled over a car in which Dotson was a passenger. He was found in possession of a .20-gauge sawed-off shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol and was subsequently arrested. In 1992, Dotson was again charged with disorderly conduct after an incident in which he cursed at a neighbor during an argument and threw two beer bottles at her apartment.
On January 8, 1994, 19-year-old Jessie Dotson shot and killed 43-year-old Halle Ralph Cox in front of 596 S. Lauderdale in Memphis, Tennessee. The murder was one of nine committed in Memphis during the first nine days of 1994. Residents of the Foote Homes public housing development heard gunshots around 11:00 p.m. and went to investigate. They found the body of Cox, who was dressed in painter's clothes. He had been shot once in the head. The murder remained unsolved for months, prompting police to offer a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
On May 5, 1994, police arrested Jessie Dotson in connection with the case. Five days later, Memphis homicide detectives charged him with Cox's murder. The reason Dotson killed Cox was because of a dispute over a drug deal. Cox had purchased what he thought was crack from Dotson but later discovered it was soap shavings. An enraged Cox got into a dispute with Dotson, which resulted in Dotson shooting and killing Cox.
Dotson was charged with first-degree murder. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and as part of a plea deal, agreed to 18 years in prison. He was first eligible for parole after nearly five and a half years. However, Dotson did not receive parole for 13 years. As part of his parole conditions, he was required to serve the remainder of his prison sentence if he was ever caught with a weapon or drugs, or if he was involved in any other criminal activity. He was also required to check in with his parole officer on a regular basis. Ultimately, Dotson served 14 years in prison for second-degree murder and was released just months before the Lester Street Massacre.