Execution scheduled for man found guilty in Citronelle ax murder that killed 6

CITRONELLE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — A 30-hour execution time period has been set for a man found guilty of murdering six people with an ax in a Citronelle home in 2016, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Derrick Dearman Sentencing

35-year-old Derrick Ryan Dearman of Leaksville was found guilty on 12 counts of capital murder and was sentenced to death. Dearman has been held on death row at Holman Prison in Atmore since 2018.

Gov. Kay Ivey set the execution time frame from midnight on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, to 6 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.

Before the Murders

Dearman began dating Laneta Lester in January 2016, according to their relationship status on Facebook . It is said that during the few months the two were together, Dearman was abusive toward Lester.

Due to the violence, Lester had decided to move out of the home they lived in together and move in with her brother for the time being.

On Aug. 19, 2016, seven people were staying at Lester’s brother’s home when Dearman showed up several times.

The last time Dearman showed up at the home, around 3 a.m. on Aug. 20, he found an ax in a tree.

Former Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich said in an interview with podcasters, “[Dearman] decided ‘if I can’t have Laneta, they can’t have her either.'”

The Victims

Dearman entered the home and shot all five people inside before taking an ax to them.

The victims were identified as Shannon Randall, Joseph Turner, Robert Brown, Chelse Reed, Justin Reed, and the Reeds’ unborn baby.

All six were dead by the time officers arrived.

2 Survivors

Dearman kidnapped Lester and the 3-month-old baby of Randall and Turner before taking them to his sister’s home in Greene County.

Dearman took the two survivors to his father’s house, where Lester found an opportunity to escape and get her and the baby to the Citronelle Police Department.

Dearman’s Arrest

Dearman’s dad took him to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, where he first attempted to turn himself in for not paying child support, but when deputies told him there was no warrant out for his arrest, his father talked him into confessing.

Dearman claimed he was on methamphetamine at the time, and that was his excuse for committing the murders.

The full story of Derrick Dearman can be found on our True Crime page.

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