Weapons Firearms
Axe | Suspected perpetrator Derrick Dearman | |
Location Citronelle, Alabama, United States Date August 20, 2016 (2016-08-20)
4:10 p.m. (CT) Attack type Mass shooting, familicide Deaths 6 (including an unborn baby) | ||
On August 20, 2016, six people, including an unborn baby, were killed inside a home in Citronelle, Alabama. Two other people were kidnapped during the incident, but were both then released and one managed to alert authorities. The killings were described by investigators as the worst in Mobile County's history.
Contents
A suspect, identified as Derrick Dearman, who was the estranged boyfriend of the escaped hostage, later turned himself in at a Mississippi police station. He was charged with six counts of capital murder and two counts of abduction.
Killings
The killings began at 4:10 p.m. CT at a home in the 1700 block of Jim Platt Road. The assailant killed the victims using several different weapons, including a firearm, while they were all sleeping. One of the victims was five months pregnant when she was killed. A four-month-old baby and a woman named Laneta Lester survived the incident unharmed after being kidnapped. The bodies were found after both hostages were released in Mississippi. Lester fled to the Citronelle Police Department station and notified authorities of the crime scene. Initial reports said she escaped.
Investigators said that a 9-1-1 call had been made by residents at the home a few hours before the killings, in which they reported a trespasser. Officers responded to the house, but found no one and left. Investigators also believed an ax and then several firearms in the home were used, and that the attack was committed in the process of an attempted burglary or abduction. Two firearms and a "bladed weapon" were found at the house. The attack was described as the worst mass killing in the history of Mobile County.
Suspect
After the incident ended, a suspect, identified as 27-year-old Derrick Dearman, turned himself in at his hometown of Leakesville, Mississippi, located about 30 miles (48 km) to the west of Citronelle. He reportedly surrendered after his father convinced him to do so. Dearman was the boyfriend of Laneta Lester, but she fled due to an alleged abusive relationship. The home where the killings occurred belonged to one of the victims, who was Lester's brother, and was being shared by all of the victims. Lester was reportedly seeking shelter inside. Dearman's ex-wife described him as having "a temper, especially when he doesn't get his way".
Dearman had an extensive criminal record in Mississippi, which included charges of disorderly conduct, telephone harassment, resisting arrest, and burglary. At the time of the killings, he was wanted on a warrant stemming from the burglary charge, for which he had been released on a US$10,000 bond.
Victims
The deceased victims were named as:
Legal proceedings
On August 22, Dearman was extradited to Mobile, Alabama, to face trial. While being escorted to an administrative building, he reportedly said "Don't do drugs", apologized, and said he turned himself in after realizing what he had done. He later apologized to Lester by name and described the victims as friends. The following day, he said he was on methamphetamine at the time of the killings, blaming the drug's influence on the crime.
On August 31, Dearman was charged with six counts of capital murder (one concerning Chelsea Reed's unborn baby, under Alabama's fetal homicide law) and two counts of abduction. He pleaded not guilty to all of the counts.