Atmore, Ala. – Derrick Dearman, a man convicted of one of the most horrific mass murders in Alabama’s history, is set to be executed as legal battles unfold and advocates call for justice to be served.
Dearman, 34, awaits death by lethal injection at Holman Correctional Facility. His execution date, set for later this month, comes after years of appeals following his 2018 conviction for the brutal slaying of five people, including a pregnant woman, in Citronelle, Ala.
The details of Dearman’s crime still haunt the small town of Citronelle, where his murderous rampage left an indelible mark on the community. On a muggy August night in 2016, Dearman broke into a home where his estranged girlfriend, Laneta Lester, was hiding from him. Lester had taken refuge with friends, but that night turned into a nightmare.
According to court records, Dearman slaughtered the victims in their sleep using an axe and a gun. His victims, Joseph Turner, Shannon Randall, Robert Brown, Justin Reed, and Chelsea Reed—who was five months pregnant—were murdered in cold blood. The crime scene was described by authorities as a bloodbath, with evidence of extreme violence and overkill.
Dearman reportedly kidnapped Lester after the killings, driving her to his father’s house in Mississippi. It was there, the following day, that he turned himself in to police, confessing to the murders in a chilling statement.
Investigators later revealed that Dearman was fueled by methamphetamine use, paranoia, and jealousy, but his motive never fully explained the extent of the carnage. “This was not just a murder—it was a massacre,” Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich said at the time of the trial.
At his trial, Dearman pled guilty to five counts of capital murder and one count of murder for the unborn child. The jury deliberated for less than two hours before recommending the death penalty.
While Dearman’s defense team argued that his drug addiction impaired his judgment, the jury was unmoved, and his death sentence was handed down in October 2018. Since then, Dearman has been on death row, his appeals working their way through the courts.
Now, as the execution date approaches, legal challenges are once again in motion. Dearman’s attorneys have filed last-minute motions for a stay, citing concerns over Alabama’s execution protocols, which have faced scrutiny after several botched lethal injections in recent years.
Families of the victims, who have waited nearly eight years for justice, have expressed both anger and relief. “We’ve lived in the shadow of what he did to our loved ones,” said one family member. “It’s time for him to pay the price.”
With the clock ticking toward his execution, Alabama officials are preparing for the culmination of a case that brought nationwide attention to the small rural town of Citronelle—a town that will never forget the terror Derrick Dearman unleashed on that summer night.
The execution is scheduled to be held between midnight Oct. 17 and 6 a.m. Oct. 18