INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Indianapolis community is in uproar following the controversial sentencing of Elliahs Dorsey, who was convicted of the April 9, 2020 killing of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officer Breann Leath.
Dorsey was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being found guilty but mentally ill on charges that included one count of reckless homicide, three counts of criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon, one count of attempted murder, and one count of criminal confinement.
Notably, Dorsey was not convicted of murder by the jury, with the charge being reduced to reckless homicide. His overall sentence for the attempted murder charge is 40 years, with 25 years expected to be served in the Indiana Department of Correction.
The remaining 15 years will be suspended if Dorsey undergoes mental health treatment, followed by 15 years on probation. Concurrently, his sentence for the criminal recklessness charges and the criminal confinement charge will be served.
The nearly four years Dorsey has already spent in jail will count as his sentence for reckless homicide.
The sentencing has sparked outrage from multiple city leaders, including IMPD Police Chief Chris Bailey and Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, who expressed disappointment, believing that the sentence failed to deliver justice for Officer Leath, her family, and her three-year-old son.
Rick Snyder, president of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) No. 86, called the sentencing a "miscarriage of justice" and criticized Judge Mark Stoner, who oversaw the case.
Snyder argued that the maximum sentence of 63 years should have been imposed on Dorsey for what he described as "cold-blooded murder." During a news conference, Snyder stated that the sentencing sends a message to violent offenders in Indianapolis that they can evade severe punishment by claiming mental health issues.
As a result, the Indianapolis FOP has called for Stoner's resignation and urged the Indiana Supreme Court to establish a civilian board to review the Marion County court system.
Snyder emphasized the need for civilians to provide feedback to the Indiana Supreme Court to amend or create rules that would guide court operations more effectively. He also requested a meeting with Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to explore additional options and potential "executive actions."
Locally, Snyder called on Mayor Hogsett and the Indianapolis City-County Council to establish a commission on criminal justice outcomes in Marion County and proposed reevaluating the decision to make judges unelected in Indiana.
Officer Breann Leath, a three-year veteran of the IMPD and a National Guard veteran, was tragically shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call on April 9, 2020.
Known for her compassion and dedication to her community, Leath was described by her colleagues as an exemplary officer who genuinely cared for the people she served. Her tragic death left a profound impact on her colleagues, friends, and family, including her three-year-old son, parents who serve with the Marion County Sheriff's Office, and two sisters who have worked in corrections.
In honor of her service, the Indiana Women's Prison's nursery was renamed the Officer Breann Leath Maternal & Child Health Unit by Indiana's governor.
A year after her death, the trauma and grief remain palpable within the IMPD.
Officer Desiree Biggers, Leath's partner, described her as her "work wife" and recalled Leath's empathy and ability to connect with the community.
Leath's legacy continues to inspire those who patrol the East District, where she worked, and efforts have been made to honor her memory, including a mural with her photo and unit number at the IMPD's East District building and the creation of a domestic violence reduction initiative named LEATH.
The sentencing of Elliahs Dorsey and the community reactions underscore the complexities and concerns surrounding the criminal justice system's handling of cases, especially those involving violence against law enforcement officers.
The community has shown strong reactions to the sentencing decision, with demands for increased transparency, clearer guidelines, and a review of sentencing practices. These reactions are fueled by the memory of Officer Breann Leath's service and tragic loss.
"If you even get to meet me, I hope that you still see a little bit of Bree. Because that was my work wife, that's my heart," Biggers said. "And I miss her terribly."
Dorsey was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being found guilty but mentally ill on charges that included one count of reckless homicide, three counts of criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon, one count of attempted murder, and one count of criminal confinement.
Notably, Dorsey was not convicted of murder by the jury, with the charge being reduced to reckless homicide. His overall sentence for the attempted murder charge is 40 years, with 25 years expected to be served in the Indiana Department of Correction.
The remaining 15 years will be suspended if Dorsey undergoes mental health treatment, followed by 15 years on probation. Concurrently, his sentence for the criminal recklessness charges and the criminal confinement charge will be served.
The nearly four years Dorsey has already spent in jail will count as his sentence for reckless homicide.
The sentencing has sparked outrage from multiple city leaders, including IMPD Police Chief Chris Bailey and Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, who expressed disappointment, believing that the sentence failed to deliver justice for Officer Leath, her family, and her three-year-old son.
Rick Snyder, president of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) No. 86, called the sentencing a "miscarriage of justice" and criticized Judge Mark Stoner, who oversaw the case.
Snyder argued that the maximum sentence of 63 years should have been imposed on Dorsey for what he described as "cold-blooded murder." During a news conference, Snyder stated that the sentencing sends a message to violent offenders in Indianapolis that they can evade severe punishment by claiming mental health issues.
As a result, the Indianapolis FOP has called for Stoner's resignation and urged the Indiana Supreme Court to establish a civilian board to review the Marion County court system.
Snyder emphasized the need for civilians to provide feedback to the Indiana Supreme Court to amend or create rules that would guide court operations more effectively. He also requested a meeting with Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to explore additional options and potential "executive actions."
Locally, Snyder called on Mayor Hogsett and the Indianapolis City-County Council to establish a commission on criminal justice outcomes in Marion County and proposed reevaluating the decision to make judges unelected in Indiana.
Officer Breann Leath, a three-year veteran of the IMPD and a National Guard veteran, was tragically shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call on April 9, 2020.
Known for her compassion and dedication to her community, Leath was described by her colleagues as an exemplary officer who genuinely cared for the people she served. Her tragic death left a profound impact on her colleagues, friends, and family, including her three-year-old son, parents who serve with the Marion County Sheriff's Office, and two sisters who have worked in corrections.
In honor of her service, the Indiana Women's Prison's nursery was renamed the Officer Breann Leath Maternal & Child Health Unit by Indiana's governor.
A year after her death, the trauma and grief remain palpable within the IMPD.
Officer Desiree Biggers, Leath's partner, described her as her "work wife" and recalled Leath's empathy and ability to connect with the community.
Leath's legacy continues to inspire those who patrol the East District, where she worked, and efforts have been made to honor her memory, including a mural with her photo and unit number at the IMPD's East District building and the creation of a domestic violence reduction initiative named LEATH.
The sentencing of Elliahs Dorsey and the community reactions underscore the complexities and concerns surrounding the criminal justice system's handling of cases, especially those involving violence against law enforcement officers.
The community has shown strong reactions to the sentencing decision, with demands for increased transparency, clearer guidelines, and a review of sentencing practices. These reactions are fueled by the memory of Officer Breann Leath's service and tragic loss.
"If you even get to meet me, I hope that you still see a little bit of Bree. Because that was my work wife, that's my heart," Biggers said. "And I miss her terribly."
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Comments
2024-04-09T23:37-0500 | Comment by: Marie
Another joke trial. When you kill a Police Officer, you get death unless you are Black! I have a lot of good Black friends, but the ones that aren't good get away with MURDER!!! I try to not see color unless it is forced down my throat.
2024-04-10T16:56-0500 | Comment by: Pastor
The thing all states need to do with these Emergency Orders of Protection is do background checks on the Petitioner and Respondant, of each case, so the Judge sees both results before the Petitioner appears in court. Sometimes, a Severenly Mentally Parent, petitions the court to throw the other parent out of the due to alligations of abuse. When in fact the Petitioner has been in mental hospitals multiple time due to multiple events where others, non family members, have observed child abuse and sent that mentally ill parent to a Psychiatrist and then onto a mental hospital. Where as the other parent has a clean record, no accusation of abuse, no arrests, no anything. I've seen mentally ill abusive parents get custody of the child they are abusing, by not inviteing the good parent to come to court. This happens all time to good parents, who now need to hire a lawyer to protect their child from the child's mentally ill and abusive other parent. Churches and Pastors are often help the abusive parent, if she is the Mom, help her falsely accuse her Non abusive parent. I saw two churches go out of business over this issue since the Pastors tried to help the "Mom" not realizing she was abusive and mentally ill. In this on case the Dad had told the other pastors involved the truth, but the Pastors refused to try to interview the child's Pediatrician. As the result the people of two different churches shut the churches down since the people were listening to the children. In the case I am referring to, the Dad did eventully win sole custody of his children, but the abusive Mom got free money from Uncle Sam due the the VAWA Violence Against Women Act, but the Dad had to pay his own legal fees. The VAWA and the courts destroyed this family. Two churches went out of business helping the abusive Mom. The Dad won sole cusotdy of the children eventually, but the psychological damage to the children was huge. And his legal fees were astronomical.