Willie Sullivan was executed by the State of Delaware for the murder of Maurice Dodd
According to court documents Willie Sullivan would go to his former place of employment and lure Maurice Dodd into a greenhouse and would beat and stab the man to death
Willie Sullivan would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Willie Sullivan would be executed by lethal injection on September 24 1999
Willie Sullivan Case
The homicide victim, Maurice W. Dodd (“Dodd”), was 78 years old at the time of his death. Dodd resided in a house trailer in Frederica, Delaware. On the same premises he operated a small nursery, “Dodd’s Nursery and Flower Garden.”
Sullivan confessed to the killing of Dodd, after being advised of and waiving his Miranda[2] rights. Sullivan’s confession was in the form of a statement given to Sergeant Michael L. Warrington of the Delaware State Police. According to Sullivan, his motive for the killing was that he “needed some money.”
The record reflects the occurrence of the following events. Sullivan and Lenny Harrison (“Harrison”) had planned to kill Maurice Dodd and steal money from him. In his statement to the police, Sullivan acknowledged that he had begun to think about killing Dodd for his money in the summer of 1991, while he was working for Dodd. The plan was for Harrison to lure Dodd into one of the greenhouses on the pretext of buying flowers. Once Dodd was inside, Sullivan was supposed to kill him.
The plan was partially carried out twice. First, on December 13, 1991, Harrison and Sullivan went to Dodd’s property and proceeded with their plan up to the point in time when Sullivan was supposed to kill Dodd. Sullivan then became frightened. He and Harrison both fled. Second, on December 24, 1991, Sullivan went to Dodd’s home alone to kill and rob him. Once again, however, Sullivan abandoned that idea.
On December 27, 1991, after being driven to Frederica by his sister, Sullivan went to Harrison’s home to obtain his help in carrying out their original plan. When he could not find Harrison, Sullivan walked to Dodd’s house alone, arriving at about 6:30 p.m. Sullivan was armed with a kitchen knife, which was concealed in his jacket.
Upon arrival, Sullivan asked Dodd if he had any flowers for sale. Dodd told Sullivan to go to one of the greenhouses and wait for him. When Dodd came through the door to the greenhouse a few minutes later, Sullivan attacked him from behind, stabbing him with the knife. Dodd attempted to escape from the greenhouse. Sullivan dragged him back inside and stabbed Dodd several more times.
Sullivan inflicted a total of ten knife wounds upon Dodd’s face, chest, back, right *936 arm, and right hand. Sullivan then picked up a metal ice scoop and struck Dodd repeatedly on his head until the scoop broke into pieces. Finally, with Dodd collapsed on the ground and groaning, Sullivan lifted up a large concrete block and threw it down upon him.
Dodd soon died. Sullivan removed a wallet from Dodd’s pocket. It contained $283. Sullivan then went inside and threw the kitchen knife behind the greenhouses. After checking to make certain that Dodd was dead, Sullivan put a cement block in front of the greenhouse door.
Sullivan then went back into Dodd’s house. Sullivan ransacked the bedroom, looking for more money. He was only able to find some rolls of change, totalling about $64, and a set of car keys. Sullivan took the keys and fled in Dodd’s automobile.
Over the next several days, Sullivan drove his friends to local shopping malls in the stolen automobile. Sullivan purchased basketball sneakers, two cassette tapes, a portable tape player, headphones, and a hat with the proceeds of the robbery. He also gave various amounts of money to his friends and family. By New Year’s Day, all of the money that Sullivan had taken from Dodd was gone. Sullivan eventually abandoned the stolen automobile in the parking lot of Kent General Hospital in Dover.
Three days after the murder, concerned neighbors found Dodd’s body in the greenhouse. Sullivan had told several friends, including Harrison, that he had killed Dodd. Information implicating Sullivan in Dodd’s death and the other crimes committed at the nursery soon reached the Delaware State Police. Sullivan was arrested on January 3, 1992.
Sullivan pled guilty to the charge of Murder in the First Degree and other offenses on December 2, 1992. A penalty hearing was scheduled. Beginning on December 7, 1992 and ending on December 9, 1992, a jury heard evidence to determine the appropriate sentence to be imposed
https://law.justia.com/cases/delaware/supreme-court/1994/636-a-2d-931-5.html
