Sidney Dorsey

Sidney Dorsey
Born	(1940-02-23) February 23, 1940 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Law enforcement official, first African-American sheriff of DeKalb County, Georgia, 1996-2000
Spouse	Sherry Dorsey ​ (m. 1954⁠–⁠2006)​
Conviction(s)	July 10, 2002
Criminal charge	Conspiracy to commit murder of Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown, a DeKalb County police officer and Dorsey's electoral challenger in 2000 Racketeering and violation of oath of office of elected official Theft by taking of oath of office of elected official
Penalty	Life without parole for conspiracy to commit murder 23 years added for racketeering and violation of oath of office Concurrent 10-15 year sentences for theft by taking of oath of office
Details
Victims	Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown
Country	United States
State(s)	Georgia

Sidney Dorsey (born February 23, 1940) is an American former law enforcement officer who served as sheriff of DeKalb County, Georgia from 1996 to 2000. Dorsey was the first African American to serve as sheriff of DeKalb County. When Dorsey lost a 2000 runoff election to challenger Derwin Brown, he arranged Brown's murder.

Atlanta Child Murders Task Force

Prior to 1996, Dorsey served on the task force that looked into reopening the case of convicted murderer Wayne Williams. Dorsey appeared as one of many who voiced public doubt of Williams's guilt, including some of the victims' relatives. Dorsey is quoted as stating: "Most people who are aware of the child murders believe as I do that Wayne Williams did not commit these crimes." Williams was identified as the key suspect in the Atlanta Child Murders that occurred between 1979 and 1981. In January 1982, Williams was found guilty of the murder of two adult men. Dorsey, as a homicide detective in Atlanta, supervised the first search of Williams's home in 1981.

Derwin Brown murder case

On the evening of December 15, 2000, police captain Derwin Brown, who defeated Dorsey that November in the election for county sheriff, was murdered at his home in Decatur, Georgia. On July 10, 2002, Dorsey was convicted of ordering Brown's assassination in order to obstruct Brown's expected probe into corruption occurring in the DeKalb County sheriff's office during Dorsey's term.

Superior Court Judge Cynthia Becker sentenced Dorsey to life in prison for the murder conviction, an additional 23 years on racketeering and violation of oath of office convictions, and concurrent sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years for several convictions of theft by taking of the oath of office of an elected official. Dorsey is currently being held at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison.

In 2007, it was reported that Dorsey allegedly confessed to his part in ordering the hit on Brown out of bitterness for his defeat in the sheriff's election. He claimed he had attempted to abort the assassination plot before Brown's murder but was unsuccessful.