The Brutal Murder of Ms. Dorothy Leatherwood

Ms. Dorothy Leatherwood was 72-years-old, a beloved church lady loved by the children in the Sunday school that she taught. Dorothy sang in the church choir and had many friends around Georgiana, Alabama.

On November 14, 2012, Dorothy’s ride for bible study arrived at her home. When her friend walked to the door and knocked, she did not answer. With the door partially cracked, the friend walked inside.

He discovered the dead body of Dorothy lying on the bedroom floor. She wore nothing more than a bathrobe; her throat had been cut open. An autopsy later revealed that Dorothy had been raped.

I Needed My Money

There were no signs of forced entry into the home. Dorothy’s purse had been dumped out, her credit cards and cash gone. A piece of Forothy’s bed comforter had been cut and replaced with a note that read, “I needed my money.”

Dorothy lived on a fixed income. Friends and family adamantly told police she was frugal and did not loan or give out cash. Police spoke to potential witnesses who told police they noticed the light on at her home at an unusual hour. They also noticed the door slightly ajar. Another witness told police to talk to a man named Eddie. The house was known for drug activity and police knew the man well.

Police questioned Eddie but he had been in Montgomery at the time of the murder. He had photos with his girlfriend to prove as much.

Dorothy’s family told police to look at a man named Shawn McClain. Shawn worked as a handyman in the area and lived two houses from Dorothy. He did yard work for her quite often.

Family also told police about Dorothy’s nephew, Frederick, who had recently assaulted a family member. He was in prison at the time and he and Dorothy had a good relationship.

On November 21, 2012, one of Dorothy’s neighbor's found a knife in the woods. Police believed this was the murder weapon but it turned out that it was not.

Police spoke to Shawn. He had learning disabilities and people described him as being “a little slow.” He lived at home with his mother who told them that Dorothy was nice to Shawn and considered him to be a friend. The mother consented to a search of her home.

Police found a work shirt with what appeared to be blood on it. Shawn told the police to take the shirt for testing. The stains on the shirt came back to be blood and the DNA matched Dorothy’s.

Shawn was taken to police headquarters for questioning. Without a lot of evidence, police needed Shawn to confess to the murder. He told police that he was at his dad’s house at the time of the murder but refused to take a polygraph test.

A Written Letter

Shawn asked if he could write a letter to his dad. Police agreed. Instead of taking the note to Shawn’s dad, they gave it to a handwriting expert to compare the writing with that on the note found in Sorthy’s home.

The handwriting expert determined the writing was one and the same.

Shawn finally confessed to the murder, telling police that Dorothy owed him money for yard work, but when he went to collect, she told him that she didn't have any money. That’s when he became angry and began yelling at Dorothy. She smacked him. He responded by pulling a knife out of his pocket and attacking her. Shawn says that he “blacked out” and doesn't remember much from this point forward.

Police suspect the motive was sexual-related, however, rather than financial.

McClain Convicted

Though it took several years, Shawn was finally held accountable for the rape and murder of Dorothy. McClain pleaded guilty to both charges on August 16, 2015. Ineligible for the death penalty, he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms.