Death of Baylor Basketball Player Finally Solved
The mystery surrounding the death of a Baylor University (BU) basketball player has finally been solved after two years.
According to the Associated Baptist Press (ABP), Patrick Dennehy disappeared from the Waco, Texas-campus in June 2003. Six weeks later, his body was found, and on September 3, Carlton Dotson, one of Dennehy’s teammates, was indicted for murder. Dotson was placed in a mental hospital on a judge's order for two months.
Dennehy's death led to an investigation of the men's basketball team, and later NCAA probation, after investigators found that Baylor men's coach Dave Bliss had given Dennehy and another team member tuition money and that drug use by some basketball players had not been reported.
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As a result, Bliss and Athletic Director Tom Stanton resigned.
Dotson, 22, who pleaded guilty just two days before jury selection on June 8, will be sentenced June 15, facing five to 99 years in prison. He will not be eligible for parole until after serving half his term.
Baylor interim President William D. Underwood and the new athletics director, Ian McCaw, each released a statement following the guilty plea entered by Carlton Dotson on the death of Patrick Dennehy.
“Today's plea agreement in the Carlton Dotson prosecution brings us a step closer to concluding what has been a painful period for Baylor University," wrote Underwood.
"I pray that this will bring some closure to the Brabazon and Dennehy families, who have suffered the most from this tragedy. Our prayers also go out to Carlton Dotson's family members, who have endured a different, but no less painful ordeal," Underwood stated.
McCaw, meanwhile, said he viewed the recent prosecution as a "very positive development."
"We now await the final decision from the NCAA Infractions Committee before bringing the entire episode to closure," McCaw wrote.
