Sidney Dorsey

Sidney Dorsey (February 23, 1940 – March 2, 2026) was an American law enforcement officer who served as the first African American sheriff of DeKalb County, Georgia, from 1996 to 2000. After Dorsey lost a 2000 runoff election to challenger Derwin Brown, he arranged to have Brown murdered. Dorsey was sentenced to life in prison for the murder.

Early life, family and education

Dorsey recalled that he lived in New York with his mother and younger sister when he was a young child. His mother continued to reside in New York City decades later. On July 10, 2002, Dorsey was convicted of ordering Brown's assassination in order to obstruct Brown's expected probe into corruption occurring in the DeKalb County sheriff's office during Dorsey's term.

Superior Court Judge Cynthia Becker sentenced Dorsey to life in prison for the murder conviction, an additional 23 years on racketeering and violation of oath of office convictions, and concurrent sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years for several convictions of theft by taking of the oath of office of an elected official. Dorsey was previously held at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison and was transferred to Augusta State Medical Prison. Two of the men hired to murder Brown, Melvin Walker and David Ramsey, were acquitted of the murder in state court. In 2005, both were found guilty in federal court of conspiracy to commit interstate murder for hire, and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

In 2007, it was reported that Dorsey confessed to his part in ordering the assassination out of bitterness for his defeat in the sheriff's election. He claimed he had attempted to abort the assassination plot before Brown's murder but was unsuccessful.

Personal life and death

Dorsey was married to Sherry Dorsey,

He died at age 86 while incarcerated at Augusta State Medical Prison on March 2, 2026.