Disclaimer: This article contains disturbing details concerning the tragic murder of Kim Dorsey. Reader discretion is strongly advised.
Oxygen’s new true crime series, Dateline: The Smoking Gun dropped its very first episode: In Cold Blood, - revealing a harrowing case. This episode featured the murder of firefighter Derrick Dorsey’s wife and victim, the late Kim Dorsey.
The victim was 38 years old at the time of death when she was discovered in the bedroom of her Jacksonville abode. Kim Dorsey was bludgeoned, stabbed, and s*xually abused when her husband and authorities found her.
It was a normal day on October 28, 2012, for Firefighter Derrick who was eagerly looking forward to seeing his wife after work. To his horror, instead of finding his wife usually greeting him by the door, he walked into a gruesome crime scene with the unconscious and naked figure of his wife in their bedroom.
After dialing 911, he rushed to her side and attempted to administer CPR, but she sadly passed despite his frantic efforts. Speaking to the show’s host Andrea Canning, Derrick painfully recalled the moment he realized she was gone saying,
“After a couple of minutes of giving her CPR, I realized that she was already stiff…”
While grieving her loss and waiting for authorities to arrive on the scene, he covered her with a blanket. He found himself thinking about the possibility of Kim attempting suicide, but with the room in shambles, a knife, a mangled pool cue, and a gun found within meters of her - this was no suicide as Derrick realized and police deduced.
Who was Kim Dorsey from Dateline: The Smoking Gun?
The victim’s full name per an obituary was Kim Marie Dunne Dorsey, from Dateline: The Smoking Gun. She was born on October 10, 1974, and while the exact details of her burial remain unknown, the site speculates she’s been laid to rest in Jacksonville, Florida.
Kim graduated from The University of North Florida and became an entrepreneur. As per Oxygen, she used to train building inspectors in Florida where she lived. Apart from her husband Derrick, Kim is survived by her three furry companions, whom she dearly loved until the time of her death.
Per the publication and Derrick, Kim also suffered depression, for which she sought medical assistance. This rendered her with several side effects including sleepless nights and weight gain.
What happened to Kim Dorsey from Dateline: The Smoking Gun?
In light of the horror scene Derrick had walked into - his wife’s tragic demise, investigators on scene began determining her cause of death and painted a picture of how it could’ve gone down.
In an interview with the true crime docuseries host, detectives gave an account of their observations and thoughts about what could’ve happened to Kim.
Taking notice of the knife, pool cue, gun, bullet holes, mangled room, and blood splatters across the room - signs of obvious struggle - Detectives undoubtedly understood it wasn’t suicide despite Kim’s depression. Detective Kuczkowski told the publication,
“This was obviously a murder scene, probably one of the most horrific ones I had ever seen.”
Snuffed-out cigarette butts, blood samples, a discarded phone, and more obtained from the crime scene were collected and analyzed by the forensic team to test for DNA.
Sergeant at the time T.K. Walters from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office called the scene chaotic and suggested a “connection” between Kim and her assailant, especially since there was no sign of forced entry or missing valuables from the home.
At the time of discovery, Kim was found without clothes, lying face up, and tightly bound to a dressing drawer with zip ties. Despite being restricted, she did attempt to fight back and reached for a licensed gun in her drawer and fired. The bullets indicate she tried shooting her attacker five times before the attacker killed her.
The autopsy reports revealed Kim’s cause of death: She endured blunt force trauma to the head and was stabbed in the neck. Detective Karen Smith also believes she was severely punched in the nose, based on the blood patterns in the room.
Who were the prime suspects in Kim Dorsey's murder?
There were four primary suspects who per officials could’ve been Kim’s assailants, police had their doubts about: Her husband Derrick, Lance, Kirkpatrick, Joshua, JR., and Brian Kiefer. Police left no stone unturned and hence, looked into Derrick’s alibi after his admission of having an affair.
However, their suspicions were quashed after his alibi and financial records came back rock solid. In the episode from Dateline: The Smoking Gun, Derrick revealed he had a friend called Lance Kirkpatrick, who previously lived with them since he was into the construction business - similar to Kim.
But, mentioned at the time of the murder, he was out catching shrimp on a boat in Georgia. Similarly, Joshua also stayed with the couple for a few months when he was 21 years old and could’ve had an inkling about the murder.
However, investigators dismissed him as a suspect after his interview proved there was no way he was a killer. Especially, not after he was unaware she’d even died. Furthermore, like Derrick, his alibi was also without fault.
Next on the list was JR, an entertainment system installer who visited the residence just the day prior to his wife’s murder. Derrick recalled the information after finding an illicit DVD installed the day before. He immediately informed authorities who then interrogated JR.
There was compelling evidence including the fact that he had a connection of sorts with zip ties and had defensive marks on his hands. However, his alibi was also checked out. Last on the list was Brian Kiefer - he was the key to solving the entire case. Not because he was Kim’s assailant, but because he led the detectives to the real killer.
Who killed Kim Dorsey from Dateline: The Smoking Gun?
During the investigator's efforts to find the person responsible for Kim’s death, they came across a stolen car case from October 30th - two days after Kim’s murder, linked to Kirkpatrick. This raised several questions in the detective's mind who initially ruled him out as a suspect.
As revealed by detectives from Dateline: The Smoking Gun, not only was he in town the day before Kim’s death, but was at a soiree, and took off with the stolen vehicle that morning.
Since Kiefer was at the same party and had committed felons before, naturally, police began to interrogate him about Kirkpatrick’s whereabouts and history. Kiefer claimed Kirkpatrick had confessed to murdering his boss’s wife, though he didn’t intend to kill her.
Furthermore, he narrated intimate details about Kirckpatrick’s conversation including the evidence found by police - facts known only by Kim’s killer, as per the investigators. After a tumultuous back-and-forth between the two men, police were finally able to pin down Kirkpatrick for murdering Kim.
Kirkpatrick confessed to killing Kim after his attempt to reportedly grab a jersey went wrong. He also claimed responsibility for watching the aforementioned DVD and getting intimate with Kim, after her alleged mood changed, which resulted in her violent death.
Lance Kirkpatrick was found guilty of murder in the first degree at his trial and given life imprisonment without parole by jurors at his trial.
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