Sidney Dorsey, the former DeKalb County sheriff whose jealousy and rage led him to orchestrate the murder of his successor, died in prison Tuesday. He was 86 years old.
Dorsey’s name became synonymous with one of the most shocking political crimes in Georgia history when he ordered the assassination of Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown in December 2000.
The murder happened just weeks before Brown was set to take office.
Brown had defeated Dorsey in the election, running on a platform of cleaning up corruption in the sheriff’s office. He never got the chance.
On December 15, 2000, Brown pulled into the driveway of his home on Brannen Road in DeKalb County. As he stepped out of his vehicle, gunmen opened fire. Brown was shot 11 times in front of his home while his wife and children were inside.
The brazen killing sent shockwaves through DeKalb County and launched one of the most intensive investigations in the county’s history.
For months, investigators worked to unravel the conspiracy. The case broke open when one of the shooters began cooperating with authorities.
The trail led directly back to Dorsey.
Prosecutors presented evidence that Dorsey had hired two men to carry out the hit. He paid them to eliminate the man who had beaten him at the ballot box and threatened to expose corruption in his department.
In 2002, a jury convicted Dorsey of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.
The case revealed a dark underbelly of corruption in the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and made DeKalb County synonymous with corruption for years. Brown had campaigned on promises to investigate financial irregularities and clean house. Those promises cost him his life.
The murder and subsequent trial exposed systemic problems in county government and law enforcement.
The case remains one of the most notorious crimes in DeKalb County history.
