Opinion ID: 2157140
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: State v. Keith Dickerson

Text: Twenty-year-old Keith Dickerson spent an evening free-basing cocaine. As he returned home, he walked to his neighbor's home and entered through an unlocked front door. He entered her bedroom as she was partially undressed, preparing for bed. She yelled and cursed at him. He punched her in the face and beat her unconscious, then he had vaginal intercourse with her. Afterward, he repeatedly stabbed her in the stomach, slit her throat, and strangled her with clothing. After he killed her, Dickerson stole thirty dollars from her wallet. He ultimately confessed. Dickerson had prior convictions for aggravated assault and weapons possession, as well as a prior parole violation. He also had a long history of drug abuse and was often high on crack cocaine in the six months preceding the murder. Expert testimony verified that Dickerson had underlying violent impulses, and that his behavior changed markedly when he began abusing cocaine, including bouts of paranoia and hallucinations that exacerbated his underlying violent impulses. A jury convicted him of capital murder, felony murder, aggravated sexual assault, robbery, and burglary. The jury found the c(4)(g) (contemporaneous felony) aggravating factor, but rejected the c(4)(f) (escape detection) factor. The jury found the c(5)(a) (extreme emotional disturbance), c(5)(c)(age), c(5)(d) (diminished capacity), and c(5)(h) (catch-all) mitigating factors. The jury determined that the mitigating factors outweighed the aggravating factors. The court imposed a life sentence with a thirty-year parole disqualifier on the capital murder charge. Dickerson's aggregate sentence was life imprisonment plus forty-five years, and a term of fifty-two-and-one-half years of parole ineligibility.