Former DeKalb Sheriff Sidney Dorsey, who had his rival killed, dies in prison

Former DeKalb County Sheriff Sidney Dorsey, convicted in the killing of his political rival, has died in prison, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Dorsey, 86, an inmate at Augusta State Medical Prison, died Monday of natural causes, the DOC confirmed. No additional details were released.

ExploreDeKalb’s sheriff had his political rival murdered

The murder was one of metro Atlanta’s most high-profile cases, making national headlines. When Dorsey lost his bid for reelection, he had the sheriff-elect killed.

On July 10, 2002, Dorsey was convicted of murder in the death of Derwin Brown. After winning the runoff election for sheriff in August 2000, Brown was shot to death Dec. 15, 2000, in his driveway near I-285 and Glenwood Road as he carried roses intended for his wife, according to investigators.

Brown, who was struck 12 times, was 46.

It took investigators nearly a year to make an arrest. Dorsey and his accomplices, Melvin Walker and David Ramsey, were all convicted and given life sentences.

Walker and Ramsey were convicted in federal court of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire in carrying out the assassination at the direction of Dorsey, trial testimony revealed. Dorsey had promised the two men jobs and promotions for killing Brown.

Credit: AJC

Credit: AJC

ExploreGeorgia sheriff murdered his political rival 18 years ago, here’s why

“I know you are going to sentence me severely,” Dorsey said during his sentencing, looking up at the judge and raising an open palm for emphasis. “But I do not have the blood of Derwin Brown on my hands.”

Brown’s widow, Phyllis Brown, suffered a stroke in 2003 and never fully recovered, the family said. She died Dec. 24, 2006.

On Jan. 14, 2004, Dorsey began serving his sentence. In July 2005, the state Supreme Court upheld his conviction.

In 2007, the DeKalb district attorney’s office released a recording of a confession Dorsey gave in July of that year at the Georgia State Prison in Reidsville.

Dorsey wasn’t the only member of his family to serve time. His son, Sidney Dorsey Jr., had a lengthy criminal history, including two prison stints for weapons and drug convictions, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

Dorsey Jr. was found shot to death in January 2018 in Clayton County, police previously said. No arrests were announced in the case. He was 51.

— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.

About the Author

2 Missouri sheriff's deputies fatally shot, 2 others wounded, authorities say

A man with a long criminal history fatally shot one Missouri sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop and then killed a second deputy in a gunbattle hours later as the Army vete

Parole board can decide execution despite member’s recusal, judge says

A Georgia inmate's clemency petition can still be decided by a partial State Board of Pardons and Paroles, an Atlanta judge said when ordering a board member to recuse.