In 2003, Carlton Dotson tragically killed Patrick Dennehy, a first-year college recruit from Santa Clara, California. This was a huge loss for the Baylor University men’s basketball team.
Dennehy was a star player at Saint Francis High School before he joined Baylor’s NCAA team. In his freshman year at the University of New Mexico, he played in 33 games and started one, averaging 2.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Dennehy was robbed of the chance to show off his skills on a college stage by a senseless act of violence, which was very sad.
Brandon Dennehy grew a lot during his second year of college, which is a given.
He became the best player on the New Mexico basketball team. He started in 28 of the 30 games he played and averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Dennehy had only just begun to show what he could do, so it wasn’t surprising when he decided to transfer to Baylor in 2002.
Dennehy spent his first year on the team as a “redshirt,” which means he didn’t play. He also spent the whole summer working hard on his skills, so everything pointed to him having a big future ahead of him.
Daniel Dennehy’s death had a big effect on a lot of people. A preliminary autopsy report said that he died from gunshot wounds to the head.
A source said that Carlton Dotson shot and killed Dennehy during a fight while they were both carrying guns.
Five days before his trial, on June 8, 2005, Dotson surprised everyone by pleading guilty to killing Dennehy. He was given a sentence of 35 years in prison.
Even though this is a long time, he could ask for parole after serving half of his sentence in 2021.
Even though Carlton Dotson pleaded guilty to killing his former Baylor University basketball teammate Patrick Dennehy, the case of Carlton Dotson is still a tragedy.
Even though he wrote a letter at the beginning of 2006 asking for permission to appeal his sentence, he was not allowed to do so because he gave up his right to do so when he pleaded guilty.
Dotson lives in the John B. Connally Unit in Kennedy, Texas, right now.
Dennehy’s death in June 2003 shocked and saddened his family and fellow Baylor basketball players, who held a memorial service for him on August 28, 2003, just a few short months after his untimely death.
Dennehy didn’t stay at the university for very long, but he left an impression that is still felt today.