Baylor University Basketball Scandal - The Disappearance and Murder of Patrick Dennehy

The Disappearance and Murder of Patrick Dennehy

Patrick Dennehy was a junior forward who transferred to Baylor University from the University of New Mexico following his sophomore season in 2001–2002. In the summer of 2003, Dennehy and his new teammate Carlton Dotson indicated that they were concerned about their safety. Following a party to which both men no showed, there were indications that something had gone wrong when Dennehy's family had not heard from him and his roommate returned home to find that his dog had not been fed. On June 25, Dennehy's car was found in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with its license plates removed.

An affidavit filed on June 23, which was unsealed on June 30, seeking a search warrant for Dennehy's computer says that an informant in Delaware told police that Dotson, who was by now at home in Hurlock, Maryland, told a cousin that he had shot and killed Dennehy during an argument while firing guns in the Waco area. On July 21, Dotson was charged with the murder of Patrick Dennehy and taken into custody in Maryland. On July 26, a badly-decomposed body was found in a gravel pit near Waco and was later identified as Dennehy. On July 30, his death was ruled a homicide and Dennehy was buried in San Jose, California, on August 7. Following a stint in which Dotson's competency to stand trial was in question, he pleaded guilty to the murder on June 8, 2005 and was sentenced on June 15 to 35 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole after he has served about half of his sentence.