A welfare check in early March 2008 on Lester Street in Memphis turned up six murdered people inside a small brick house, including 22-year-old Shindri Roberson. Roberson and three other adults — Cecil Dotson Sr., Marissa Williams, and Hollis Seals — had each been shot multiple times. Two young children, Cemario and Cecil Dotson II, were stabbed and beaten; three other children in the home survived attempts on their lives.

The scene suggested staging: Roberson’s body appeared to have been moved after death and drugs were placed on her, apparently to create a false narrative. Investigation shifted away from an external gang hit — though Cecil Dotson Sr. was a known gang member — after his brother Jessie Dotson was brought in for questioning. Jessie Dotson confessed, describing a violent argument with his brother that escalated to shooting Cecil, followed by killing the other occupants to eliminate witnesses.

Jessie Dotson was charged with six counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. At trial the prosecution played his taped confession and crime-scene evidence; in October 2010 a jury found him guilty on all counts and he was sentenced to death for each of the six murders. Does anyone have additional information about Shindri Roberson or the victims’ lives that could add context to this case?