Tuesday night, A&E’s show The First 48, profiled the Lester Street murders that took place in March. The show followed Memphis Police detectives as they searched for those behind the grizzly scene. There’s been controversy about The First 48 since it started following MPD detectives years ago. Recently MPD announced they will no longer allow “48″ to follow their detectives for numerous reasons.
What did you think about the First 48 show on Lester Street?
I thought it was great it shows how stupid that some people in yalls city is.I have one question the dude that went in there lieing about who did it and he knew why wasnt he put in jail for lieing to the police. Hey A that a/o wanted was the reward money he wasnt interested anything eles its a crying shame that some people would scoop that low.The way that I look at it if you dont want willie world to be on anymore get his sorry no good black a/o out and put someone in there that will stop yall from killing each other.I recorded it so whem my friends come from out of town to visit me in Atoka they will not want to go to yall city
It’s just hard to believe that only one person could do all that and how strong his mother was talking to him. He showed no remorse. I guess he lost his heart in jail. I believe the detectives did a great job. It showed on their face how bad it really was at the scene. My heart goes out to all the families involved.
I thought that the police department did an excellent job at looking at all angles on which this dreadful incident occured. They explored all options and tips without hesitation. Just looking at this show and watching our police dept at work made me appreciate them more. I can’t imagine some of the things they have heard or seen. I think Jessie Dotson is a very sick man to act as brutally as he did, especially toward the children. With a mind like that, he should never see Memphis City streets again. We have enough fools out here destroying our city and surely we don’t need to add that one. I thought his mother was very brave and has to be in Christ to handle the information she received so well. My prayers for that family and those kids that miraculously lived.
i think the lester street episode on first 48 showed the hard work and dedication of memphis police officers in bringing a vicious killer to justice. the episode showed that the police department and citizens of memphis will not stand for this senseless violence. i too am a citizen of memphis that was recalled to active duty in the military in california. people out here say that we have a very outstanding police department, and they see it all on the first 48. keep up the good work mpd.
I thought the show was very well put together and edited well. I know people personally who were involved through EMS and LeBonheur and this case had a profound impact on them as well as the detectives who worked so diligently on the case. My heart goes out to the mother.. I cannot imagine where her strength comes from accept from God above. I also cannot believe that Jesse has entered a not guilty plea. I still do not know how he could have commited the crimes alone which is scary since the surviving child identified him only… I hope that he will make his heart right with God at some point in his life. And Memphis is just like any other metro area. Crime is real but not exclusive! It is a great area and you can fall victim to criminals in the smallest of areas!
I think the show did a Good job on airing this story.
I pray for all of the families involved and especially the children who were hurt PHYSICALLY and EMOTIONALLY in this horrific crime. It was very sad to see the accused killer has no REMORSE over the lives he took.
For a person to commit such a gruesome crime and murder innocent children is a demon possessed individual destined for hell. May God have mercy! We are living in the signs of times.
America and the World needs to BLESS GOD and put GOD first.
I feel that the show was great. It actually showed how well trained and dedicated our police departement is. I truly appreciate their hard work and loyal dedication to their career. My heart and prayers go out to the family especially the mother of Cecil and Jessie Dotson. I know that it will be a long road ahead for the family, remember to Keep God First and everything else will work out for you.
Stayed Prayed Up!!!!
I think it was a great that they aired Lester Street, because that something we needed to see far as crime are getting solve.I mean he showed no remorse at all about what he had did and i think personally that he committed those crimes himself, because he shot like one of those women in knees you know where they couldn`t run so it`s possible that he could have done it. Iwant to recommend at job well done for the Memphis Police Department because they were on the job trying to solve this case and you could see the look in their eyes how bad they wanted to get the suspect or suspects so job well done.And last but not least Christ himself was in that mom she asked questions, hug him said that she love him and i think she had to show him that because that is her child but i think she have wash her hands with him so basically i think he need help more than jail time don`t get me wrong he need to be punish which he will get but he need help in the process.
It was well put together and it showed what the police endure to solve a crime. The city was not shown to be anything other than what it is…something the comment maker would see if he wasn’t so ignorant himself.
I think the judge that let this killer back out on the streets again is just as guilty for the deaths of these people as the killer himself.It’s a shame that the justice system failed and these people had to lose their lives over it.
It’s a same to see what Memphis has came too.I don’t tune in the the news much any more because of all the sensless killing that goes on there.It’s nothing to tune in and see at least two or three people have been murdered the night before.I can tell by watching the news that it just become a way of life there and that’s really sad.Memphis people need to get their act together.
I have been intrigued with the work the police do and I believe this show allows those people who always criticize the police for not doing anything to solve a crime to see that they are not magicians. I thought the way this particular episode was portrayed was very tasteful and did not show anything that the police do not see. I am in a different State and I saw and felt all the emotion that the officers who were the first to get in there saw and felt. Lt Anderson I commend him for showing his experience in using what he needed to to get the Junior to confess and make him see in himself what he had done. I commend his whole team for seeing these people not just as victims but as human beings brutally taken.. I wish all those who glorify not snitching watch this show and see that with no cooperation with the police, no crimes will be solved. It is not snitching it is telling the truth because tomorrow it could be you or your family member. Good job Memphis Police Department. City of Memphis be grateful you have police officers who care….
Be Blessed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think that “The First 48″ is an excellent show. I have watched it for years and the Lester Street episode was particularly chilling. I found it hard to sleep after seeing it, I had so many questions about how this could have happened. Did he actually use two guns like a cowboy and kill the entire household. Unbelievable. He was only two months out of jail! Jessie Dotson is a man possessed, he is mentally ill and has been for some time if you look at his police record. I wonder if he ever received any psychological therapy in those 14 years he spent in jail. He should have. This type of show is INFORMATIVE and needs to continue. People are knocking the show, calling it entertainment, this is not entertainment. This is vital INFORMATION that the public needs to see, so we can be aware, so we don’t become easy victims to these types of vicious criminals. Please Memphis PD, renew your contract with A&E and keep the public in the loop. Continue to let us know what we are up against, who to look out for. My prayers go out to the remaining Dotson family. God Bless and keep you.
I really don’t think the MPD did a great job. The story line had too
much missing information or maybe I missed something. Were there no fingerprints left on the knives and other items left in the house? I don’t think Jessie had on any gloves. Why wasn ‘t he considered a suspect all along with the past background that he has. Remember when the incident first occurred, MPD stated that they had no leads. UM!!!!! doesn’t had up. Also, I thought one of the children stated there was a knock on the door and they came in and an argument started. Who came in? The oldest living child said Uncle Jessie did it. Was Uncle Jessie the only one that he saw? I find it hard to believe that one person did all that. Isn’t it strange that Shindri had gunshot wounds to the knees? I really believe that the MPD was anxious to find a suspect because the people were pressuring them. Who would call Jessie’s sister from her apartment on her cell? UM!!!!! doesn’t add up. I truly feel sorry for the children. Look at the environment they were being raised in . Anytime a child can tell the MPD that she heard her father talking about drugs, etc. should tell the citizens of Memphis what Memphis City Schools faces on a daily basis. You cannot raise children in that type of environment and expect them to grow up and become productive citizens. Children practice what they see and what they have been taught. Hopefully, the surviving children will get the chance they deserve.
Great Job MPD! I feel a sense of security knowing you guys are out there to catch criminals like Jesse Dotson. I have been watching First 48HRS since it came on television. I enjoy watching the Memphis episodes because it let’s me know you the MPD really does care about the people of Memphis. My heart goes out to the Dotson family. That’s a lot of hatred to kill your own flesh in such a gruesome way, especially those little kids. They will be scared for life. I hate to see them having to go through such a trama.
I think the show was very well put together and that it showed just how good our police department works with the people out on the streets to get the information that is needed to close a case of this nature. We have to pray for those in situations like this that they can make it through.
As someone who grew up in Memphis and still live in the Mid-South, I was very excited to see the show. I was very curious about details of the case that were not made public knowledge until “the First 48.” However, with those facts, I have more questions than I did previously. Like one previous comment said….Jessie Dotson killed 6 people, 4 of which were adults, and 3 other children injured critically…ALL BY HIMSELF? I know that I am not a police detective, but come on..reality is reality. 4 adults were supposed to have murdered and no one fought back, no-one went for the door or to protect the kids. The shell casings that the show pointed out, 2 different kinds of guns were used. No-one with any common sense can believe that 1 single man held 2 different guns, firing them both at 4 adults killing them all before he went and used several different knives to stab 5 children. (The show detailed pictures of the casings, and the different broken knife blades.) Lastly, the 9 yr old boy told the detective when interviewed in the hospital that “they” came to the door, and “momma let them in.” They and Them are plural last I heard.
I am not saying that Jessie Dotson isn’t guilty, I just don’t think he acted alone. Unfortunately that means there is another murderer on the streets of Memphis. Just what we need!!
Rebelman, the statement you made was not cause for. Memphis police department did a superior job in solving the crime of the Lester Street murders. You all act like this is the first time Memphis have been on the First 48. The only think I hate if the child would not have told who murder the family, they probably would have never found out. People realize that Memphis is not the only cities that have a lot murders, there are a whole lot of other cities we just don’t hear about them or they do not solve there crimes. I hope Memphis make the right decision and renew the contract with the first 48
I was anxious to see this particular episode, since these killings made national and international headlines. My heart goes out to the surviving victems of this horrible crime. My heart also goes out to the police officers who worked this grusome crime scene. I am sure hardened as they are to crime, they could not help but be touched by this. You could see it in their eyes and the expressions on thier faces as you watched them survey the bloody scene. I was thankful that one of the last shows with MPD Homicide was this one. It showed the whole country how hard they worked and how much they cared. It is a show that needed airing and I was glad that the First 48 cameras were there to catch it all.
I feel that the MPD and homicide detectives did a great job investigating this case. I also feel that The First 48 did an excellent job with editing this episode. I tried to figure out how they were gonna pull off showing such a horrific crime on television but they did. A lot of people say that First 48 sensationalizes crime and makes Memphis look bad but the airing of this show demonstrates police and detectives working hard to solve cases. It also shows how they respected the victims family by not allowing cameras into the home and not showing pictures of the victims’ bodies. They only showed pictures of the crime scene. I think the city should renew its contract with First 48. The city council needs to stop talking to Larry Godwin about how the show makes our city look bad and get off their behinds and help him in the fight against crime then they want have to worry about Memphis being on television so much.
The MPD did an excellent job in solving this case. And the First 48 I have always enjoyed. It’s pretty hard for me to believe that 1 man did all these killings myself though. I have always said this; even before the show aired. It seems as though 1 of the 4 adults would have tried to make a run for the door or run into the room were the kids were. But according to the show no one was found by or near the door or the kids rooms. UHM………..interesting to say the least. As a mother myself I’m not for certain I would be able to embrace and accept one of my kids so brutally killings another sis/bro and especailly the kids.
God is yet Good, My prayer’s to the family.
First of all let me say that I saw the episode just last night. I heard about this case when it first happened. I live in NC and it was headlines on the internet as well as our local news stations. I was devastated to believe that so many people could be killed in a house at one time. I too thought that it could have been more than one person that committed the killings.
But first of all let’s be real, when you are starring down the barrel of a gun and a mad man is shoting like a has no good sense, you are afraid. You have to realize that these people were in shock! Jesse was a family member. He may have pulled the gun out and shot everyone so quickly that there was not time to react. Fear and anxiety over took the best of these people. The kids never stood a chance.
In a practical world, we would love to think that one of the adults would have been able to run or possibly over take the gun man. But contrary to believe, what we would do in a make believe world is a far cry from what actually happens in reality.
I have watched 48 Hrs for a long while now, and this is one of the first cases that sent chills down my spine. I felt that the Memphis Police Dept. did an exceptional job. Yes, they were under pressure to find the person responsible. They even disclosed that early on in the case. It was the will of God for that child to live and to let MPD know that it was “Junior” who committed the crime.
Eventually ‘Junior’ would have been caught, because he was getting sloppy with his lies. Detectives are trained for these type of things. They know the ins and outs to the mind of a criminal. They do not know everything but they do have a trained eye to zoom in on things that seem so everyday to us.
You have to remember that this was a fresh case while at the same time being filmed for a show. They could not disclose all of the evidence they had. I would guarantee that there will be evidence that will come out of the case that was never even viewed on 48 HRS. They had to do this because it would have made them lose control of the whole case.
So could Junior have acted alone? Sure! Did he act alone? Only Junior hold the answer to that question. If he is willing to go down for a crime alone, then let his soul rot in hell. Either way, we all have to meet our Maker!
God Bless the families involved, MPD, and everyone else that had any dealings with this case. It shows how when WE work together, WE can accomplish anything. And lastly, God Bless the citizens of Memphis. Your city takes a beating to the sarcasm of the media because of the crime and drug problems there. But at the end of the day, your city is no different than any other city in this world. Crime and drugs are everywhere! Memphis is just bold enough to allow the rest of America to peak into his back yard to get a real glimpse of what is going on on the streets.
Let’s remember Memphis for the true that it has to offer! As an African American, there are alot of true roots to our culture that lie in the streets of Memphis.
Blkdmndz01