An Alabama man convicted of murdering five people in 2016 dropped his appeal to give justice to the victim’s families.
Eight years ago Derrick Dearman, 36, murdered five people with an ax and a gun, convicted in 2016 and sent to Alabama Death Row in 2018. During an interview Dearman stated that he recently sent out nine letters to inform Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Attorney General Steve Marshall, as well as the judges and others that he wants to drop his appeal and be executed.
“I am guilty, plain and simple,” Dearman said in a phone interview with AL.com.
Dearman was abusive to his ex-girlfriend, Laneta Lester, and the day before the murders her brother Joseph picked her up and brought her to his house in Citronelle. Dearman then showed up to the house several times but was not let inside until the next morning when he went back, picked up an ax from the yard, broke in and attacked the family.
The five victims were Joseph Turner, 26; Robert Brown, 26; Chelsea Reed, 22, who was pregnant with her first child; Justin Reed, 23; and Shannon Randall Turner, 35. Turner and Randall also had a three month old son who was in the bed with them when they were attacked, the baby and Dearman’s girlfriend remained unharmed.
“And it was like someone else had the steering wheel. It was like being at the movie theater or watching a movie and you want to turn your head or close your eyes because you didn’t want to see that part or that scene because it was that scary or horrible and not being able to. It’s like something else had the wheel Dearman said.
After the attacks, Dearman forced Lester and the child into a car and drove to Mississippi, where he then turned himself in to the Leaksville Police once he realized what he’d done.
Dearman has a history of drug abuse and mental health issues, and he states that on top of other factors, if he was sober it would have never happened.
“Whether I was in my right mind or not, innocent lives were lost and the crime was committed,” Dearman said.
Robert Brown’s father has since forgiven Dearman
“I can’t bring my son back,” Robert F. .Brown said in September 2016. “I forgive this guy because he don’t know no better. I feel for his family,” Brown said.
After firing his lawyers from the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in early April, Dearman stressed that he had no issues with them, but only agreed to their representation for his family's sake.
After pleading guilty and receiving the death penalty, his lawyers from EJI filed a separate appeal from the direct appeal of his convictions and sentence, claiming he was mentally ill at the time and had ineffective assistance of counsel.
“But in my heart, that [death penalty] is the right thing and the only punishment… I know that me being executed, it’s not going to fix things for the victims’ family. It’s not going to bring their loved ones back. It’s the only thing that I could ever do or give to show that... I don’t want to use the words I’m sorry… It’s the only way for not only them, but my family and anybody else witnessing that, that this person is truly remorseful and regrets actions, crimes he’s committed.”
Dearman believes he should be executed, but he is hoping to get another year or so before the date is set, stating he doesn’t want it to seem that he’s trying to “commit suicide leagally”. He also told reporters that a lot of men on death row are innocent, and he doesn’t support the death penalty or executions.
“Am I doing this because I can’t live with myself? No,” Dearman said. “I made this decision for different reasons. One of those reasons is so that all parties involved, not just the victims and their families but my family as well, can kind of get some closure and begin healing and moving forward.”
The Alabama Attorney General’s Office has not yet filed a request to the Alabama Supreme Court for Dearman’s execution date.
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