Murder of Patrick Dennehy

Patrick James Dennehy (January 28, 1982 – June 12, 2003) was born in Santa Clara, California. He transferred to Baylor University from the University of New Mexico (UNM) following his sophomore season in 2001–2002. In the summer of 2003, after redshirting the 2002–2003 season, Dennehy was preparing to play for Baylor Bears men's basketball team in the upcoming 2003–2004 season.{{cite web|title=Patrick Dennehy Profile|url=http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/dennehy_patrick00.html|website=Baylor University|year=2003|accessdate=June 26, 2012}}

Carlton Dotson, a junior power forward on the team who was a friend of Dennehy's, attended North Dorchester High School in Hurlock, Maryland{{cite press release|title=Men's Basketball Inks Six More Players |url=http://www.ubathletics.buffalo.edu/mensbasketball/news/mbb05-17-2000-signees.shtml|publisher=University at Buffalo|date=May 17, 2000}} and Paris Junior College{{cite web|last=Murphy|first=Jarrett|title=Baylor Suspect Hints Self Defense|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/baylor-suspect-hints-self-defense/|publisher=CBS News|access-date=January 14, 2011|date=July 31, 2003}} before transferring to Baylor in the summer of 2002, where he played one season.{{cite web|title=Carlton Dotson|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/11248|publisher=ESPN|access-date=May 16, 2010}}

In the summer of 2003, reports surfaced that Dennehy and Dotson were concerned about their safety. The pair had purchased two pistols and a rifle and practiced firing them at a farm north of Waco. Dennehy's friend, Daniel Okopnyi, said he spoke on the phone with Dennehy on June 14, and Dennehy said that he was worried about threats made to Dotson by two teammates. Dennehy also indicated that he and Dotson would be at a party the following day, at which neither appeared.{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=125006&page=1 |title=Friend: Missing Player Mentioned Threats |date=July 2, 2013 |publisher=ABC News |accessdate=April 5, 2017}}

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, and Dennehy's roommate, Chris Turk, returned from an out-of-town trip to find that Dennehy's dogs had not been fed in days. The last time that Dennehy had been seen was June 12.{{cite web |url=http://static.espn.go.com/ncb/news/2003/0721/1583886.html |title=Key dates in Dennehy disappearance |website=ESPN.com |date=August 8, 2003 |accessdate=April 6, 2017}} On June 19, the Brabazons filed a report with the Waco Police Department that Dennehy was missing. On June 25, Dennehy's Chevrolet Tahoe was found in the parking lot of a shopping mall in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with its license plates removed, allegedly by Dotson.

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 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 Dennehy's murder and taken into custody in Maryland. The search for Dennehy continued until July 25, when a badly decomposed body was found in a gravel pit near Waco and was taken to Dallas for an autopsy. While Dotson said he felt compelled to speak with the FBI,{{cite news|last=Aydelotte|first=Rod|title=Dotson sentenced to 35 years in Dennehy murder case|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2005-06-15-dotson-sentence_x.htm|accessdate=June 26, 2012|newspaper=USA Today|date=June 15, 2005}} it is unknown whether his report led police to Dennehy's body. The following day, medical examiners identified the body as Dennehy's.

On July 30, his death was ruled a homicide after a preliminary autopsy report showed that Dennehy died of gunshot wounds to the head. Upon discovery of Dennehy's remains, the head and body were discovered in separate locations. Whereas sensationalized news reports indicated Dennehy was decapitated, investigators believe this occurrence is most likely the result of scavenging desert animals.{{cite news|last=Wiley|first=Ralph|title=Two Dreams Die in Waco|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=1588378&type=page2Story|access-date=June 26, 2012|website=ESPN.com|date=August 5, 2003}} On August 7, a memorial service was held for Dennehy in San Jose, California.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10107557/dennehy_memorial_service/ |title=Dennehy memorial focuses on life, not death |first=Don |last=Seeholzer |agency=NYT |url-access=limited |newspaper=Santa Cruz Sentinel |via=newspapers.com |date=August 8, 2003 |accessdate=April 7, 2017}}

The story was subsequently made into a Showtime documentary called Disgraced.{{cite web |title=Disgraced |url=https://www.sho.com/titles/3445716/disgraced |website=Showtime |access-date=17 March 2021}}

Subsequent to his August 2003 indictment,{{cite news |title=Dotson indicted in slaying of former Baylor teammmate Patrick Dennehy |url=https://billingsgazette.com/sports/dotson-indicted-in-slaying-of-former-baylor-teammmate-patrick-dennehy/article_aadd99d9-373d-57c3-a1a5-1847bdb8ef37.htm |access-date=17 March 2021 |work=The Billings Gazette |date=26 August 2003 |language=en}} 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 psychosis, but that he could regain competency to stand trial in the future. Among other issues, Dotson believed people were trying to kill him because he was Jesus.{{cite news|agency=AP|title=Dennehy was murdered in 2003|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=2080091|access-date=June 26, 2012|website=ESPN.com|date=2005-06-09}} It is believed that his ex-wife also noticed he was hearing voices. 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 Patrick Dennehy. In December 2005, Dotson wrote a letter seeking permission to appeal his case; in January 2006, a judge ruled that Dotson had forfeited his right to appeal when he pleaded guilty.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=2288199 |title=Judge denies Dotson's murder conviction appeal |agency=AP |date=January 11, 2006 |website=ESPN.com}}

On June 15, 2005, Dotson was sentenced to 35 years in prison. He was denied parole in December 2020, December 2021, February 2022, and February 2023. On March 25, 2024, Dotson was approved for parole "with completion of a program prior to release."{{cite web | url=https://inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/reviewDetail.action?sid=07203972&tdcj=01304895&fullName=DOTSON%2CCARLTON+ERIC+JR | title=Parole Review Information |website=Texas Department of Criminal Justice Inmate Search |accessdate=April 11, 2024}}

The day Dennehy's body was identified, Baylor University president Robert B. Sloan made a speech to the public where he described the discovery as having the community's "worst fears being realized" and that it was a heart-wrenching loss. He along with many other representatives from Baylor attended Dennehy's funeral. Baylor University also held a campus-wide memorial for Dennehy on August 28, 2003, in the Paul W. Powell Chapel.{{Cite web|url=http://digitalcollections.baylor.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/lariat/id/72519/rec/2|title=The Baylor Lariat (Waco, Texas), Vol. 103, No. 1, Monday, August 25, 2003 :: The Baylor Lariat|website=digitalcollections.baylor.edu|access-date=2018-11-28}} There was a charity event held by Bill Cosby on September 4, 2003, at the Floyd Casey Stadium where he mentioned Dennehy when discussing people that had been lost throughout the year.{{Cite web|url=http://digitalcollections.baylor.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/lariat/id/73025/rec/4|title=The Baylor Lariat (Waco, Texas), Vol. 103, No. 5, Friday, September 5, 2003 :: The Baylor Lariat|website=digitalcollections.baylor.edu|access-date=2018-11-28}}

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Category:2003 in Texas

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