On a spring evening in Memphis, Tennessee, the life of 39-year-old Reginald Maurice Anderson, an African American man, was tragically cut short. On May 24, 2020, Anderson was in a parking lot at 1300 Bellevue when he was fatally shot. A woman who was with him at the time, Renita Bennett, was also shot multiple times but managed to survive the violent attack.
Anderson was remembered by loved ones as a friendly, funny, and loyal person who enjoyed making people laugh.
The investigation into Anderson's death led authorities to identify Joshua Dotson as the primary suspect. The shooting was part of a series of violent crimes attributed to Dotson. Following the incident, a manhunt was initiated by the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force and other law enforcement agencies to locate him. Dotson was wanted on multiple charges, including three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, and firearm possession during a dangerous felony.
Joshua Dotson was apprehended on June 18, 2020. His subsequent legal proceedings brought to light the extent of his crimes. In addition to the murder of Reginald Anderson, Dotson was also charged with the shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend, Jamesha Covson, on June 12, 2020, and the killing of Divieon Parker in November 2019.
During his trial for Covson's murder, Dotson referred to himself as a 'serial killer' and compared himself to the horror movie character Michael Myers. He ultimately pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Anderson, Bennett, and Parker. This was in addition to being found guilty for the murders of Jamesha Covson and her unborn child. For the murders of Anderson, Bennett, and Parker, Dotson was sentenced to 159 years in prison, which was to be served consecutively with the 102-year sentence he received for the other murders, bringing his total sentence to 261 years.
