In late May of 2018, concern grew for 46-year-old Kevin Thompson when he uncharacteristically failed to show up for his job at Myers Well Service in Pennsylvania. Described as a 'model employee,' his sudden absence was alarming. After five days without contact, his mother reported him missing, providing investigators with keys to his home in the Carrick neighborhood. Upon entering the residence, a grim scene awaited them. Blood was smeared on the walls and pooled in the kitchen, and Thompson's white Cadillac was missing from the driveway. A strong odor of decay led police to a shed in the backyard, where they made a gruesome discovery. Inside a bag of dog food, they found a plastic bag containing human remains. A subsequent search of the shed and the basement of the home uncovered more dismembered body parts, including Thompson's head and torso. The autopsy would later reveal that he had been brutally murdered, having sustained multiple stab wounds to the chest and blunt force trauma.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on Thompson's roommate, John Dickinson. Surveillance footage from a gas station showed Dickinson driving Thompson's Cadillac on May 30th, accompanied by two other individuals. It was also discovered that purchases had been made using the victim's credit cards after his death. Friends of Thompson told investigators that he and Dickinson had been in a relationship in the 1990s and that Dickinson had a history of violence, including a past incident where he allegedly stabbed a man in the leg. Several of Thompson's work colleagues also recalled meeting Dickinson and feeling uneasy about him.
Following his capture, John Dickinson confessed to the police that he had reacted violently after Thompson made a sexual advance towards him, leading to a struggle that moved from the bedroom to the basement. Dickinson was subsequently arrested and charged with the murder of Kevin Thompson and abuse of a corpse. During a preliminary hearing, further disturbing details emerged, with a police officer testifying that Dickinson admitted to beating and stabbing Thompson numerous times, including through his eye. Dickinson pleaded not guilty, and his attorney suggested that a 'heat of passion' defense might be pursued to reduce the charge from first-degree murder. Despite the defense's arguments, Dickinson was held for court on charges of criminal homicide.
