A man was stopped by a Shelby County Deputy east of Memphis for driving 12 mph over the speed limit and soon found himself charged with four Atlanta-area murders.  Atlanta Police said murder warrants were drawn up Saturday afternoon and served on a man early Sunday, as he sat in a jail cell at the Shelby County Justice Center in downtown Memphis.  He was charged with the murders of three men in the Atlanta Hilton and Towers and another man at a College Park Days Inn.   Please view the families appreciation to Sgt. David L. Edmonds (Click Here).

As stated in the paper, a weapon was recovered, a .45 caliber handgun and various pieces of identification belonging to several people including the three men that were killed at the Hilton Hotel, the man at the College Park Days Inn and also from a lady that was robbed while staying at the North Atlanta Hilton. The man was extradited to Atlanta. 

Headlines from the newspaper on November 3, 1998: 

Atlanta hotel slayings suspect avoided jail for years.  The man suspected in four slayings at Atlanta area hotels in October, including the triple killings at a Hilton hotel downtown, should have been in prison at the time of those killings instead of on the streets, according to state law, the state's former attorney general said.  The man  in 1995 was sentenced to 10 years' probation for aggravated sodomy and aggravated assault.  According to the "two strikes" law, on the first conviction of one of the six most serious crimes, judges must sentence the offender to at least 10 years in prison.  There is no parole regardless of the length of the sentence.  On the second conviction for those six crimes plus murder, the minimum sentence is life without parole.  Yet a deal was struck for 10 years probation instead of the 10 years in prison. 

Sometimes the system just stinks.  If this man had not been put on probation 4 people would still be enjoying their lives with their families.  What good are laws if our own legal officials are not following the laws.  As the District Attorney stated in the newspapers, "The results of a bad system are going to be bad and, in this case, tragic.  I am thankful that there are good watchful law enforcement people, such as the Sheriff's Deputy that stopped this man,  that  are there doing their jobs and trying to get the bad people off the streets. 

Ps:55:23: But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.

The man that was arrested for killing my son and three other men was indicted on 32 charges.  He was indicted on four counts of murder; 12 counts of felony murder, which applies when someone is killed during the commission of a felony; eight counts of aggravated assault; four counts of armed robbery and four weapons charges. 

Atlanta, Ga. 09/02/99:  The suspect charged with four Hotel murders last year in the Atlanta area has been arraigned on 32 charges which included muder, aggravated assault and armed robbery. 

The suspect, Timothy Carl Dawson is being held without bond at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. 

Dawsons attorneys filed 94 motions on Dawsons behalf.  State Attorneys stated it may take as long as a year to answer all the motions.  Pre-trial motion hearings are scheduled for October 15 of this year but the trial may be as late as next fall or later. 
The District Attorney tells us it will probably be between a year to two years before this man is brought to trial.  It has been announced that they will go for the death penalty.  All I know is my son was a good son that never did anyone any harm.  He lived by the rules and tried to do what was right. 
 
 

Ps:94:13: That thou (Lord) mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.

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