Page 7 - Derwin Brown News Today

Unrelated to the murder and thats when he wants to come talk to us. >> j. tom morgan went in the back room. cuffy went into the back room. cuffys attorney went into the back room. and the hearing was delayed. and several hours later, cuffy flipped. >> prosecutors agreed not to charge cuffy and another former deputy sheriff, paul skyers, in return for their testimony against dorsey and two others. >> mr. dorsey, did you have anything to do with this? >> the day after cuffy flipped, former sheriff...

Former dekalb county sheriff, sidney dorsey, was now in jail for the rest of his life. convicted of ordering four deputy sheriffs to assassinate derwin brown, the man who defeated him in the 2000 election for sheriff. prosecutors were able to prove dorsey ran a sheriffs office and a jail rife with corruption. including sexual misconduct, bribery and ordering employees and inmates to do work for him outside the sheriffs office. >> i did what i was told to do. >> not long after dorseys incarcerati...

>> that murder and the subsequent trials took a tremendous toll on her. >> remember, two of the gunmen, melvin walker and david ramsey, were acquitted in the state trial. >> i think the acquittal was very, very difficult for her. >> and the other two were granted immunity in return for testifying against the others. so all four gunmen were walking the streets. >> also, the fact that he was murdered right there on her front doorstep while she was, you know, three feet on the other side, i think t...

For their activities that evening. >> two grand juries were impanelled. one who investigated the charges of corruption in the former sheriffs office. the other, the murder of derwin brown. >> i cant speak to whats going on in the prosecutors head or primarily what his motives are. my statement to you is that i am not guilty of any form of corruption and i had absolutely nothing to do with the murder of derwin brown. >> nine months after browns death, the case was at a standstill. >> the investig...

Convict the others. >> the indictment charged melvin walker and david ramsey with murder. walker for shooting brown and ramsey, who also worked at ex-sheriff dorseys private security firm, for being the armed lookout ready to kill anyone who intervened. >> walker was the triggerman. and skyers got rid of the gun. and cuffy drove the getaway car. >> cuffys plea changed everything. >> i will accept your plea of guilty as to counts 12, 13 and 14. >> the trial in the state murder case against ramsey...

Crouched down either between the two cars or crouched down between the first car and the door. >> so she said, i got to go. and -- so she went out. and i came out behind her. and as soon as we stepped out the door, derwin was laying right there to the left of the door. >> i knelt down to derwin and i told him, just hold on. you know, just hold on. and that was when i really recognized that he was bleeding from both sides of his mouth and his eyes were open. and that inner part of me knew he was ...

It all on patrick cuffy. >> no evidence that sidney dorseys involved and then telling a murderer, we know youre involved, but youll walk out of here if you say the name sidney dorsey. >> the only person who had the motive to kill derwin brown is none other than sidney dorsey, himself. >> and through it all sat phyllis brown, the final witness. >> im sorry. i looked to my left on the ground, and derwin was lying there. >> then j. tom morgan asked her one final question. >> did you ever hear from ...

Then came the case for murder. one of dorseys friends testified dorsey told him that derwin brown would never assume the office of sheriff. >> he made the statement, words to the effect that derwin brown would never assume the office of sheriff, that there would be a special election. first there would be an interim sheriff appointed. there would be a special election. he would enter the race and he would win. >> co-conspirator paul skyers described the murder weapon which he said was dismantled...

Himself, made, he could be walking the streets right now. >> it is widely believed that had dorsey decided to be tried in dekalb, he may have easily been acquitted, like walker and ramsey. >> dorsey was still a popular, well-known figure in dekalb county. and i think a dekalb county jury would have been very skeptical of the evidence against him. >> im going to be in prison on the outside, but ill be free on the inside. >> before his sentencing, dorsey steadfastly maintained his innocence. >> i ...

Mystified. >> do you have any idea who did this? >> no. >> any suspects in your mind? >> no. ♪ >> more than 4,000 people attended derwin browns funeral. browns wife and five children watched as hundreds of officers passed by the flag-draped coffin. michael brown is the son who saw his father in the driveway the moment before he died. >> because i know hes watching and i know he can hear me. and i love you, dad. >> do you swear or affirm -- >> on january 1st, 2001, thomas brown, no relation to ...