John “Swipe” Derrickson, a 27-year-old male from Chester, Pennsylvania, was killed by gun violence on July 26, 1991. His death happened near the intersection of Second and Grace Streets in Chester, where he was shot in the back of the head with a. 38-caliber handgun. The available online memorial information identifies him as a victim of gun violence, while a newspaper clipping connected to the case gives the fuller account of how his killing led to a criminal prosecution.
The man
accused in John Derrickson’s death was Sean Artwell, a Chester man who was 21 at the time he was sentenced. Artwell pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, and the case ended in a plea rather than a trial. In court, he reportedly showed little outward emotion as Judge Joseph Battle pronounced the sentence. Artwell received nine to eighteen years in prison for Derrickson’s killing.
The court proceedings also revealed the human weight left behind by the murder. Artwell apologized directly to the family, saying he was sorry and wanted another chance. His mother, Doris Battle, also pleaded for leniency, telling the court that Artwell had helped raise her three children after their father died and had been caring for her after she lost her sister. Two relatives of Derrickson were also in court and spoke about what the murder had done to their family.
One relative, identified as Doris Battle’s counterpart on the victim’s side in the article, described the killing as emotionally and traumatically devastating and said the family was determined to pursue Artwell directly. Another relative, Janice Watts, told Artwell that the family would never forget what happened but would forgive him. The statements painted the sentencing not only as a legal ending, but as a painful confrontation between two families forever tied together by the violence.
Assistant District Attorney Heather Mattes asked the judge for at least ten to twenty years in prison, arguing that Artwell had altered his behavior in a way that allowed him to commit such a brutal murder. The judge ultimately imposed a slightly lower minimum term, sentencing Artwell to nine to eighteen years. Based on the available online sources, Artwell is the only named suspect or convicted offender in John Derrickson’s death, and no additional suspects or later arrests are identified.
