DECATUR, Ga. — Still proclaiming his innocence, the former sheriff of DeKalb County was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his successor.
Sidney Dorsey, who was convicted last month of ordering the murder of Derwin Brown, also received a 23-year prison term for corruption at Thursday's sentencing. Under state guidelines, Dorsey must serve at least 18 years before he would be eligible for parole.
DeKalb County prosecutor J. Tom Morgan said he would be shocked if Dorsey's sentence is ever shortened.
"What a life sentence means for this defendant, we hope, is that the only way he leaves prison is in a pine box," he said.
Dorsey, 63, was convicted in the death of Brown, who was shot and killed Dec. 15, 2000, three days before he was to take office after beating Dorsey in a bitter runoff election. Dorsey also was found guilty on 11 of 14 charges of corruption in the sheriff's department.
At his sentencing hearing, Dorsey maintained his innocence.
"I know you're going to sentence me severely, but I do not have the blood of Derwin Brown on my hands," Dorsey told Judge Cynthia Becker. "I'm going to be in prison on the outside, but I'll be free on the inside because I do not have the blood of the sheriff-elect on my hands."
He insisted:
"I was not a party to the murder of Derwin Brown. I did not orchestrate it, I did not plan it, I did not play a role in the diabolical and horrible murder of the sheriff-elect. However, here I am."
Prosecutor John Petrey asked Dorsey whether he regretted any corruption or theft that occurred while he was sheriff.
"I have never considered anything I did as theft," Dorsey replied.
Five members of Brown's family testified prior to sentencing. His widow, Phyllis Brown, told Dorsey she did not want him put to death. "I want you to have a picture of Derwin every time you close your eyes. Because that's what I have."
His mother, Burvena Brown, sat in her wheelchair and told Dorsey, "There is a hole where my heart used to be."
Prosecutors charged that Dorsey recruited men to kill Brown, 46, so he could retake the sheriff's post in a special election. As rumors swirled of his involvement in Brown's slaying, Dorsey decided not to run.
The murder case was based chiefly on the testimony of two men, Patrick Cuffy and Paul Skyers, who said they helped carry out the slaying. Both men struck immunity deals with prosecutors.
Two other men, Melvin Walker and David Ramsey, were acquitted of murder charges in a separate trial.
The corruption counts alleged that Dorsey accepted bribes, demanded sex from a female bonding agent, and ordered deputies to work for his private security company and run family errands.
Dorsey will serve his sentence in a prison in the Atlanta area, but the exact location was not disclosed.