Leon David Dorsey IV (November 17, 1975 – August 12, 2008),[1] also known as Pistol Pete, was an American serial killer who shot and killed two Blockbuster store employees and a Korean store clerk in Texas over several months in 1994.[2] He confessed and was later given a death sentence. He was executed at the Huntsville Unit on August 12, 2008.[2]
Leon Dorsey | |
|---|---|
 Inmate ID photo | |
| Born | Leon David Dorsey IV November 17, 1975 |
| Died | August 12, 2008 (aged 32) |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Other names | "Pistol Pete" "The Blockbuster Killer" |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder Murder |
| Criminal penalty | 60 years (Chon murder) Death (Lindsey and Armstrong murders) |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3 |
Span of crimes | April 4 – September 11, 1994 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Texas |
Date apprehended | September 14, 1994 |
Murders
editOn the night of April 4, 1994, Dorsey entered a Blockbuster store in Dallas, where 20-year-old Brad Lindsey and 26-year-old James Armstrong were working. Dorsey forced the two into the back room, where he forced them to open the safe.[3] When Armstrong tried to flee, Dorsey shot him, and then shot Lindsey, presumably to prevent a possible eyewitness. He then took over $400 from the register, leaving Armstrong and Lindsey to die. The perpetrator was caught on a surveillance camera entering the store, but police would not know who the killer was until much later.
While Dorsey was questioned by police in the weeks after, he maintained his innocence and police saw no reason to arrest him. Police later found out that Dorsey owned a 9 millimeter pistol, which was the same weapon used in the murders, but by that time they had already come to the conclusion that he was not involved.[2]
On September 11, 1994, 51-year-old Hyon Suk Chon, a Korean convenience store worker working in Ellis county, was approached by Dorsey. He pulled out his gun and forced her into the back room, where instead of forcing her to open a safe, he shot her once in the back of the head, killing her.
This time, however, police tested his gun and the gun used to kill Suk Chon, and they were a match. Dorsey was arrested and confessed to the murder of Suk Chon, but maintained his innocence in the murders of Armstrong and Lindsey. In 1995, he pleaded guilty to the murder of Suk Chon, and was sentenced to 60 years in prison.[4]
Exposure
editIn 1998, investigators reopened the case of the murders of Armstrong and Lindsey. They again questioned Dorsey at the prison, but he again said he had nothing to do with it. This time, however, investigators properly examined the footage that captured the killer entering and leaving the store. The footage was sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to see if they could conclude any new evidence that was previously overlooked. They estimated the killer's height was approximately the same as Dorsey's height. This time when the FBI went to talk to him, Dorsey finally confessed to the murders of Armstrong and Lindsey.[citation needed]
Before his capital murder trial, Dorsey gave an interview with The Dallas Morning News, in which he said "I've done cut folks; I've done stabbed folks; I've killed folks," he said, "but it don't bother me." Regarding the murders, he said "They're dead. That's over and done with. Why are you going to sit there and worry yourself about that? Move on. I could have came in here and been, 'Oh, I'm sorry, I'm so bad.' But I don't feel like that. That's not being honest with myself." The prosecution used the interview in their arguments for why Dorsey should be sentenced to death.[5]
Dorsey stood trial in April 2000, 6 years after killing Armstrong and Lindsey. During the trial, the mother of Armstrong made a statement to Dorsey; "Our son was a gentle man, you were not. I believe you're an evil, vile creature. You didn't kill for survival, you killed for pleasure." In June 2000, Dorsey was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death.[2]
Execution
editWhile awaiting execution, Dorsey was considered by officials as a Level-Three inmate, meaning he was always causing trouble and havoc. Considering the crimes he committed, fellow inmates called him “Pistol Pete”.[4]
On August 12, 2008, Dorsey was led out of his cell to the death chamber, where he was strapped to the gurney and the officials readied the lethal injection. The parents of Armstrong and Lindsey were present in the spectator room. Before death, Dorsey turned his head to the spectator room and said; "I love all y'all. I forgive all y'all. See y'all when you get there."[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Leon David Dorsey IV". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Remembering Leon Dorsey on his execution day". Dallas News. 2008-08-12. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
- ^ "Texas executes 'Pistol Pete' for double slaying". NBC News. August 13, 2008. Archived from the original on September 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "Twice-Convicted Killer Executed in Texas for Double Slaying". Associated Press. 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
- ^ "Execution Report: Leon Dorsey - Page 1". txexecutions.org. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
- ^ "death penalty news—-TEXAS – TCADP". tcadp.org. Retrieved 2021-09-13.