Teens Murder 15-Year-Old Kimberly "Kimmy" Jo Dotts

“Snitches get stitches,” the teens told 15-year-old 8th grader Kimberly Jo Dotts before hanging her upside down from a tree and clubbing her to death with a rock after they feared she would tell one of their parents they had planned to run away from home.

Kimberly had only recently met the group of friends -Jessica, Aaron, and the other teens- who gathered in the woods that afternoon, May 10, 1998. As they discussed running away from home to Florida, Kimberly backed out; she wanted to stay in Clearfield (PA) with her mom, she told the teens.

Pair Hang Kimmy From a Tree, Beat Her With Rock

One of the people in the group told the others how Kimmy had told on her to her parents once before. The group pondered the idea of Kimmy telling their parents they planned to run away and immediately turned on the teen, a short, overweight girl with learning disabilities.

Jessica and Aaron placed a noose over Kimberly’s head, slung the other end over a maple tree branch, and pulled the rope with all their strength. Kimmy’s body flew up into the air and began to shake and convulse. Moments later, her body went limp and fell to the ground.

As Kimmy lay on the ground gasping for air, Jessica grabbed a basketball-sized boulder and smashed her in the face. The other seven teens stood around watching, some egged them on, and a couple participated in the coverup.

Jessica and Aaron covered Kimmy’s body with leaves. She commented to one of the others in the group, “It was fun to hang someone. It would be fun to do it again.’

Aaron Straw Discovers Kimmy's Body in Woods

On May 19, 1998, an unusually hot Tuesday, a search party assembled to search for the missing teen. Aaron Straw was among those in the search team who combed a wooded area along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and found Kimberly “Kimmy” Dotts body in the Gallows Harbor in a state of decomposition.

Police questioned Straw about the discovery. Within a few questions, Aaron told authorities about the murder, blaming his girlfriend, Jessica, for the actual murder.

Kimmy’s autopsy determined she died from ‘repeated blows to her head from a rock,’ although the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy testified that she was “dead or in the process of dying” from the hanging by the time she was hit with the rocks.

Teens Convicted

All seven teens at the scene of Kimmy’s murder were charged in her death, although ultimately, only Jessica and Aarond went on trial for her actual murder.

In January 1999, the jury convicted Jessica of one count of conspiracy to commit homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. The 17-year-old was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Straw was convicted of first-degree murder and eight related counts. He also received a sentence of life in prison without parole.

Three of the others involved in the murder were sentenced to six months in juvenile detention, including Teresa Wolfe, who tightened the noose around Kimmy’s neck. Another person, Dawn Lanager, who invited Kimmy to the woods, received probation. Tracy Lewis, the cousin who claimed Kimmy had told on her before, was sentenced to 5 to 25 years in prison. She served five years before she made parole.

Sources:

https://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/slain-teens-parents-want-killer-to-stay-behind-bars/article_086bafb2-ceb5-11e5-bf80-d313a2772a53.html

https://gantnews.com/2018/12/07/breaking-holtmeyer-now-has-the-possibility-of-being-released-on-parole/#google_vignette

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