Lance Eugene Kirkpatrick, Kim Dorsey’s Convicted Killer, Is Serving Life in Prison

On tonight’s episode of Dateline NBC, Andrea Canning investigates Kim Dorsey’s murder and the circumstances leading up to it. The episode features interviews with Derrick Dorsey, Detective T.K. Waters and more.

Kim Dorsey seemingly lived an idyllic life in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband Derrick Dorsey, who worked as a firefighter. Kim Dorsey owned her own construction business and worked as the Director of Training for the Quality Assurance Department of Inspection Depot.

On the evening of October 28, 2012, Derrick Dorsey returned home after working a 24-hour shift. When he walked inside, he found Kim Dorsey dead on their bedroom floor. Her hands were tied and she had been badly beaten.

According to News 4 Jax, her body was already stiff with rigor mortis. That meant that Kim Dorsey had died the previous day.

Lance Eugene Kirkpatrick Was Found Guilty of the Murder

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At first, because the home had been ransacked and a few items were missing, investigators believed that the murder could have been the result of a robbery gone wrong. They had no leads and no physical evidence at the time, though, so the case went cold.

Then, detectives received an anonymous tip saying that Lance Kirkpatrick had admitted to killing Kim Dorsey, which matched DNA that investigators found inside the victim. Kirkpatrick was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and rape.

Prosecutors alleged that Lance Eugene Kirkpatrick knew the Dorseys and broke into their home, raped and murdered Kim Dorsey while her husband was at work. They allege that he used a pool cue and a knife to kill her.

Defense lawyers argued that Kim Dorsey and Kirkpatrick had a sexual relationship prior to her murder and they had a fight that led to her death, claiming that it was not premeditated murder. They were arguing for a manslaughter charge.

Kirkpatrick Is Serving Life in Prison

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According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Lance Kirkpatrick is currently serving life in prison. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced on May 15, 2015.

According to The Florida Times-Union, prosecutors argued that Kirkpatrick beat Kim Dorsey with a pool cue, raped her, tied her up and then slit her throat. The defense, however, argued that he and Kim Dorsey had consensual sex on the day of her death and had argued that an argument escalated to murder, meaning that it would be a crime of passion rather than a premeditated murder.

“She never would have found Lance Kirkpatrick appealing, physically or in any other way,” said Assistant State Attorney Patricia Dobson during closing statements when prosecutors ridiculed the idea that Kim Dorsey and Kirpatrick could have been lovers.

The jury and judge found Kirkpatrick guilty of first-degree murder. In April 2015, he was sentenced to three life sentences without the possibility of parole. One for the rape of Kim Dorsey, one for her murder, and another for robbing the Dorsey’s home.

Tune in to Dateline NBC to hear more about the case. Dateline airs at 9 p.m. on Friday, July 31.

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