On a Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee, the life of 18-year-old Divieon KyJuan Parker was tragically cut short. It was November 17, 2019, when Parker, a young male, was fatally shot in the parking lot of a local market, becoming another victim of gun violence in the city. The incident prompted an immediate investigation by law enforcement, who began the arduous task of piecing together the events that led to the teenager's demise and searching for the person responsible.
The case drew significant attention from the community, which rallied around Parker's grieving family, offering support and calling for justice.
For some time, the investigation continued without a named suspect, leaving a void of answers for a family and a community seeking closure. However, the relentless work of multiple law enforcement agencies eventually led to a breakthrough. The investigation connected Parker's murder to a man named Joshua Dotson. Dotson's name would soon become synonymous with a string of violent crimes in the Memphis area, as investigators linked him to several other homicides that occurred between 2019 and 2020. This discovery painted a grim picture of a man authorities would later describe as a self-proclaimed 'serial killer.'
The resolution in Divieon Parker's case came as part of a larger legal proceeding against Joshua Dotson. On February 14, 2025, Dotson pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Divieon Parker. This plea was part of a larger admission of guilt that also included the murders of Renita Bennett and Reginald Anderson. During his court proceedings for the separate murder of his former girlfriend and her unborn child, Dotson had chillingly referred to himself as a 'serial killer' and even compared himself to the fictional horror movie character Michael Myers. For the murders of Parker, Bennett, and Anderson, Dotson was sentenced to an additional 159 years in prison. This sentence was to be served consecutively to the 102 years he had already received for the other murders, bringing his total sentence to 261 years. While the lengthy prison term ensures Dotson will no longer be a threat, it does little to erase the pain and loss experienced by the family of Divieon Parker and the other victims.
