A convicted ax murderer who killed five people will be executed by lethal injection in Alabama — the fifth prisoner to be put to death in the state this year, the governor announced on Tuesday.
Derrick Dearman, 35, was convicted in the savage slaying of five friends and family members of his then-girlfriend — including a pregnant woman and her unborn child — in a meth-fueled massacre in Citronelle, Alabama in 2016.
Dearman fired his attorneys earlier this year and ended all appeals of his conviction and death sentence.
“I’ve decided to drop my appeals and have my sentence carried out… I was fairly tried and convicted. I agreed with the court’s decision,” he told AL.com in a phone interview from death row this spring.
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Derrick Dearman will be put to death in October, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Monday. APDearman was convicted of murdering five people in 2016. AP
“Whether I was in my right mind or not, innocent lives were lost and the crime was committed,” he said.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced Dearman will be executed between 12 a.m. October 17 and 6 a.m. October 18.
He chose to die by lethal injection rather than nitrogen hypoxia — a controversial execution method that was introduced to Alabama just this year.
Derrick Dearman has ended all his appeals and has accepted his death sentence. AP
While Dearman had said earlier this year he wasn’t prepared to die any time soon, he penned a letter to the Alabama Attorney General’s Office last month, outraged that other death row inmates were jumping line ahead of him, according to AL.com.
“I have done everything that is required to drop my appeals and have my sentence carried out and I am compotent [sic] and of a sound mind…can you please respond to this letter to let me know what the hold up is??????” the convict wrote.
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“All this is hard on not only me but my family and the longer it takes the more me and my family have to go through,” Dearman added.
Dearman was abusive towards his girlfriend at the time, Laneta Lester, and the day before the killings, Lester’s brother picked her up and took her to safety at his home in a remote area of Mobile County near Citronelle, according to court documents.
Dearman killed five friends and family members of his girlfriend Laneta Lester. Facebook / Laneta Lester
Dearman showed up at the home multiple times that night, but no one there would allow him inside.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 20, 2016, Dearman picked up an ax from the yard, broke into the home and started hacking at the victims while they slept.
After attacking five victims with an ax and fatally shooting them, Dearman forced Lester, who was unharmed, and a 3-month-old child into a car and drove them to his father’s house in Mississippi.
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The victims were Lester’s brother Joseph Adam Turner, 26; Robert Lee Brown, 26; Chelsea Marie Reed, 22; Justin Kaleb Reed, 23; and Shannon Melissa Randall, 35.
Chelsea Reed was pregnant with her and Justin Reed’s first child.
The 3-month-old boy, who was in bed with them at the time, was the first son of Turner and Randall.
He turned himself in the next day and admitted to authorities that he was “strung out” on drugs during the killings.
“If I was sober, that would have never happened,” he told AL.com.
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Dearman was put on death row in 2018. He is scheduled to be the fifth person put to death in Alabama this year.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Alabama State Hornets meet in the first game of Saturday’s action at the Tuscaloosa Regional on Saturday.
The Cowboys (37-21) and the Hornets lost their first games of the tournament on Friday. The loser of this game will be eliminated. The winner of this game will advance to another elimination game on Sunday between the loser of the USC Upstate-Alabama game, which follows OSU-ASU
Oklahoma State fans can keep up with the game here, including lineups and inning by inning details on the game. Check out Oklahoma State On SI’s NCAA Tournament Central for everything related to the Tuscaloosa Regional.
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Game Details
Oklahoma State vs. Alabama State
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Oklahoma State pitcher Stormy Rhodes. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Time: 1 p.m. central
TV: ESPN+ (Derek Jones & Jared Mitchell on the call). NOTE: TV is subject to change without notice.
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network & The Varsity Network App/93.7 KSPI-FM or okla.state/GetVarsity (Rex Holt on the call)
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OSU Batting Order
The batting order for Saturday’s game will be posted here when it is released by the team.
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Tuscaloosa Regional
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Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala. Venue: Sewell-Thomas Stadium (5,867).
Friday’s Results
Game 1: USC Upstate 8, Oklahoma State 5
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Game 2: Alabama 21, Alabama State 3
Saturday’s Games
Game 3: Oklahoma State vs. Alabama State, TBA (elimination game)
Game 4: USC Upstate vs. Alabama, TBA (advances to Sunday’s final)
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Sunday’s Games
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 (elimination game)
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5
Monday’s Game
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Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – For those incarcerated in Alabama, there is a path to employment through the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles Re-Entry Program.
The Bureau looks at where someone may live after serving their sentence and starts connecting them with potential employers, while also conducting drug screenings to help ensure employers and communities are getting a safe employee.
“We make sure as they’re moving through our re-entry programs that they’re re-assessed for mental health stability for substance abuse challenges,” said Rebecca Bensema, Assistant Director of Re-entry and Rehabilitation.
Bensema said the agency sits down with inmates to gauge their interests and review their work history to help match them with opportunities.
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Bureau Director Cam Ward explained that there are areas where an individual would be unable to work because of their conviction.
“For example, if I committed check fraud, I’m not going to be able to get a job at the bank. Sex offense… you’re not going to be eligible to work anywhere near kids or sensitive facilities,” Ward said.
Ward said offering job possibilities to people leaving incarceration is key to reducing recidivism and repeat offenses.
“Give the employer all the information and if they want to hire somebody based on their criminal history, let the employer decide, don’t let the government be the one who dictates it,” he said.
The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles says it currently has positions open that people with a criminal background can apply for.
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Alabama football is hosting an impressive group of 2027 recruits throughout this weekend. This is the first of several weekends the Tide will host top recruits for official visits.
So, will Alabama add a commit this weekend? This is very much possible, and there are a few prospects Touchdown Alabama has our eyes on.
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
