Dec 8, 2017
A former University of Tulsa running back was found guilty Friday night of child-abuse murder in the death of his 6-week-old daughter, with the jury recommending he spend life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Tavarreon Mingo Dickerson, 24, was accused of causing Raylie Dickerson’s death on Jan. 13, 2016, by inflicting multiple blunt force trauma injuries three days earlier. Investigators said Dickerson shook the baby after she struggled to go to sleep following an early-morning bottle feeding.
The jury deliberated about eight hours before convicting Dickerson, who will be sentenced Dec. 18 by Tulsa County District Judge Doug Drummond.
During closing arguments Friday morning, Assistant District Attorney Sarah McAmis said Dickerson demonstrated a pattern of misconduct, referencing prior injuries his two other children sustained while in his care that she said were the result of abuse.
The state also sought to introduce evidence of domestic abuse that prosecutors said Dickerson perpetrated against his wife, who is Raylie’s mother, as further signs of the safety risk he posed to his family.
“Either, darn the luck, this defendant is the most unlucky person in all the world, or he can’t take it when kids cry and fuss and goes way too far with his physical abilities,” McAmis said.
Dickerson has denied wrongdoing in the incident and told investigators that Raylie was fussier than usual because he and his wife had changed the baby formula a few days earlier.
Raylie’s mother said she handed the baby to Dickerson at roughly 3:30 a.m. Jan. 10, 2016, in hopes that he would be able to help her get back to sleep.
Testimony indicated the mother called 911 after seeing that Raylie was unresponsive, and revealed that she attempted to administer CPR to her before the baby was taken to a hospital, where she died.
Dickerson did not testify, but the jury heard a series of audio recordings from his interviews with authorities who investigated Raylie’s death.
McArtor painted a sympathetic picture of his client during his closing argument.
“He’s the father who’s lost his child,” the attorney told the jury. “He’s the father who doesn’t know what happened to his child. He’s the father who wants to know what happened to his child. He’s the father now separate from his wife and his children. He’s the father now who’s trying to finish up his studies at the University of Tulsa."
McAmis, in her argument, asserted that “there can be no question that he used unreasonable force” upon Raylie, whose death the state Medical Examiner’s Office determined was a homicide.
She also contended that Dickerson’s threats of suicide detailed by his wife during her testimony were an attempt to avoid justice.
“Raylie would have and should have turned 2 years old on Saturday (Dec. 2), but she was never given that opportunity,” McAmis said.
The prosecutor said after the trial that she was pleased the jury spent significant time considering all available evidence, which she said proved Dickerson “lost control” the night Raylie was injured.
“And because of that, she lost her life and a family was destroyed,” McAmis said. “But today Raylie finally has the justice that she deserves.”