Torture death shocks Illinois town

[Guest guest]

This happens a lot more than we think, people being treated like that and having their checks stolen.

These are the kind of people, the true brutes, that are why for millennia societies around the world had flogging, the stocks and public hangings. Mere prison isn't good enough for these people.

It is unfortunate, but I have been saying for a long time that our welfare system has been set up in a way to create people just like this.

In a message dated 3/24/2008 2:51:56 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

I personally was shot at by BBs when I was younger. It isn't funny let me tell you. This is what folks with differences go through sometimes...I personally was shot at by BBs when I was younger. It isn't funny let me tell you. This is what folks with differences go through sometimes...http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080322/ap_on_re_us/torture_slaying;_ylt=AltmNg96fFa_3Dd6NV7bT59H2ocATorture death shocks Illinois townBy JIM SUHR, Associated Press Writer Sat Mar 22, 1:16 AM ETALTON, Ill. - Banished to the basement, the 29-year-old mother with a childlike mind and another baby on the way had little more than a thin rug and a mattress to call her own on the chilly concrete floor.Dorothy Dixon ate what she could forage from the refrigerator upstairs, where prosecutors say housemates used her for target practice with BBs, burned her with a glue gun and doused her with scalding liquid that peeled away her skin.They torched what few clothes she had, authorities say, so she walked around naked. They often pummeled her with an aluminum bat or metal handle.Dixon - six months pregnant - died after weeks of abuse. Police have charged two adults, three teenagers and a 12-year-old boy with murder in the case that has repulsed many in this Mississippi River town."This is heartbreaking," police Lt. said. "It was almost as though they were making fun of the abuse they were administering. This woman was almost like living in a prison."Investigators put much of the blame on Riley, 35, who they said befriended Dixon but pocketed monthly Social Security checks she got because of her developmental delays.Dixon saw little, if any, of the money, said. For months she weathered the torment to keep a roof over her head and that of her year-old son, who weighed just 15 pounds when taken into state custody after his mom's death."I've never seen an almost conspiratorial effort by a group of people to continuously torture someone until she finally died, then not really show any remorse," said. "It was just a slow, torturous, tragic way to die. I highly doubt Dorothy Dixon even knew she was dying."Riley, 43-year-old Judy Woods and three teenagers, including Riley's 15-year-old daughter, LeShelle McBride, are charged with first-degree murder, aggravated and heinous battery, intentional homicide of an unborn child, and unlawful restraint. Riley's 12-year-old son is charged as a juvenile.Riley, her daughter, Woods and 16-year-old Benny have public defenders who did not immediately return messages for comment. An 18-year-old defendant, Elliott, planned to get his own attorney, court records show.All remain in jail on $1 million bond.Messages left with a Chicago-area sister of Dixon went unreturned, but neighbors, and newspaper accounts offer a mosaic of the months leading to Dixon's demise inside the small, white, blue-shuttered house.Riley and Dixon, police said, had lived in Quincy, a Mississippi River town about 100 miles north of St. Louis, Mo. Quincy is where Riley worked as a coordinator for a regional center that helps the developmentally disabled with housing and other services. Dixon was a client.For years, an impoverished Riley struggled raising her children. Her use of methamphetamine and cocaine brought drug convictions in 2002 and 2004. But with treatment and housing help from the Quincy YWCA, Riley put her life in order - so much that in February of last year, the Quincy Herald-Whig did a story on her comeback.Last summer, Dixon and Riley moved into the $800-a-month, three-bedroom rental in Alton about 15 miles north of St. Louis. From the start, neighbors Chad Hudson and Terri Brandt considered Riley trouble." was evil, vindictive. Manipulative," said Hudson, convinced the teenagers were Riley's powerless minions."She was angry, vicious," added Brandt.Riley considered Dixon her slave, making her rub Riley's feet until Riley fell asleep and forcing her to run naked around the house when she got in trouble, the neighbors said. "Being in their house was like being in a prison day room," Hudson said. "They just sat around the kitchen table and fought." There was little question that Riley ruled the roost. While doing fix-ups on the home last fall, landlord Steve Atkins saw Riley "barking orders" at the children and everyone else. Atkins joked to her whether he needed to call the Army and see if they wanted their drill sergeant back. "She didn't laugh about it at all," Atkins said. "Obviously, I hit a nerve." Atkins said Dixon generally kept to herself "but was always nice when she spoke to you." He saw no hints she'd been suffering or tortured. "I would have never, ever suspected something like this," he said. "It's definitely shocking." Police said Dixon was allowed out of the house but didn't say under what conditions. didn't know who the father of Dixon's fetus is. said things apparently came to a head Jan. 30, when investigators believe that Woods, during a dispute, beat Dixon on the head with an object wouldn't identify. The next day Woods found her dead. watched the autopsy and found her injuries disturbing. X-rays revealed roughly 30 BBs lodged in her. Deep-tissue burns covered about one-third of her body - her face, her chest, her arms and feet - and left her severely dehydrated. Her face and body showed signs of prolonged abuse. Many of her wounds were infected. None of the injuries, said, proved singly fatal to Dixon. Her system already was taxed by her unborn baby. "The autopsy sort of indicates her immune system just shut down," he said. "It was not capable of fending off any more." In the rental home's basement, Atkins said, he found spots of blood in a shower and tiny smears on the concrete floor, washer and dryer. "It's disgraceful the way this girl died, as kind and as sweet as this girl was," he said. "She didn't deserve to die the way she did. It's just terrible, senseless. It's just a total shame." Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home.

[Guest guest]

This happens a lot more than we think, people being treated like that and having their checks stolen.

These are the kind of people, the true brutes, that are why for millennia societies around the world had flogging, the stocks and public hangings. Mere prison isn't good enough for these people.

It is unfortunate, but I have been saying for a long time that our welfare system has been set up in a way to create people just like this.

In a message dated 3/24/2008 2:51:56 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

I personally was shot at by BBs when I was younger. It isn't funny let me tell you. This is what folks with differences go through sometimes...I personally was shot at by BBs when I was younger. It isn't funny let me tell you. This is what folks with differences go through sometimes...http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080322/ap_on_re_us/torture_slaying;_ylt=AltmNg96fFa_3Dd6NV7bT59H2ocATorture death shocks Illinois townBy JIM SUHR, Associated Press Writer Sat Mar 22, 1:16 AM ETALTON, Ill. - Banished to the basement, the 29-year-old mother with a childlike mind and another baby on the way had little more than a thin rug and a mattress to call her own on the chilly concrete floor.Dorothy Dixon ate what she could forage from the refrigerator upstairs, where prosecutors say housemates used her for target practice with BBs, burned her with a glue gun and doused her with scalding liquid that peeled away her skin.They torched what few clothes she had, authorities say, so she walked around naked. They often pummeled her with an aluminum bat or metal handle.Dixon - six months pregnant - died after weeks of abuse. Police have charged two adults, three teenagers and a 12-year-old boy with murder in the case that has repulsed many in this Mississippi River town."This is heartbreaking," police Lt. said. "It was almost as though they were making fun of the abuse they were administering. This woman was almost like living in a prison."Investigators put much of the blame on Riley, 35, who they said befriended Dixon but pocketed monthly Social Security checks she got because of her developmental delays.Dixon saw little, if any, of the money, said. For months she weathered the torment to keep a roof over her head and that of her year-old son, who weighed just 15 pounds when taken into state custody after his mom's death."I've never seen an almost conspiratorial effort by a group of people to continuously torture someone until she finally died, then not really show any remorse," said. "It was just a slow, torturous, tragic way to die. I highly doubt Dorothy Dixon even knew she was dying."Riley, 43-year-old Judy Woods and three teenagers, including Riley's 15-year-old daughter, LeShelle McBride, are charged with first-degree murder, aggravated and heinous battery, intentional homicide of an unborn child, and unlawful restraint. Riley's 12-year-old son is charged as a juvenile.Riley, her daughter, Woods and 16-year-old Benny have public defenders who did not immediately return messages for comment. An 18-year-old defendant, Elliott, planned to get his own attorney, court records show.All remain in jail on $1 million bond.Messages left with a Chicago-area sister of Dixon went unreturned, but neighbors, and newspaper accounts offer a mosaic of the months leading to Dixon's demise inside the small, white, blue-shuttered house.Riley and Dixon, police said, had lived in Quincy, a Mississippi River town about 100 miles north of St. Louis, Mo. Quincy is where Riley worked as a coordinator for a regional center that helps the developmentally disabled with housing and other services. Dixon was a client.For years, an impoverished Riley struggled raising her children. Her use of methamphetamine and cocaine brought drug convictions in 2002 and 2004. But with treatment and housing help from the Quincy YWCA, Riley put her life in order - so much that in February of last year, the Quincy Herald-Whig did a story on her comeback.Last summer, Dixon and Riley moved into the $800-a-month, three-bedroom rental in Alton about 15 miles north of St. Louis. From the start, neighbors Chad Hudson and Terri Brandt considered Riley trouble." was evil, vindictive. Manipulative," said Hudson, convinced the teenagers were Riley's powerless minions."She was angry, vicious," added Brandt.Riley considered Dixon her slave, making her rub Riley's feet until Riley fell asleep and forcing her to run naked around the house when she got in trouble, the neighbors said. "Being in their house was like being in a prison day room," Hudson said. "They just sat around the kitchen table and fought." There was little question that Riley ruled the roost. While doing fix-ups on the home last fall, landlord Steve Atkins saw Riley "barking orders" at the children and everyone else. Atkins joked to her whether he needed to call the Army and see if they wanted their drill sergeant back. "She didn't laugh about it at all," Atkins said. "Obviously, I hit a nerve." Atkins said Dixon generally kept to herself "but was always nice when she spoke to you." He saw no hints she'd been suffering or tortured. "I would have never, ever suspected something like this," he said. "It's definitely shocking." Police said Dixon was allowed out of the house but didn't say under what conditions. didn't know who the father of Dixon's fetus is. said things apparently came to a head Jan. 30, when investigators believe that Woods, during a dispute, beat Dixon on the head with an object wouldn't identify. The next day Woods found her dead. watched the autopsy and found her injuries disturbing. X-rays revealed roughly 30 BBs lodged in her. Deep-tissue burns covered about one-third of her body - her face, her chest, her arms and feet - and left her severely dehydrated. Her face and body showed signs of prolonged abuse. Many of her wounds were infected. None of the injuries, said, proved singly fatal to Dixon. Her system already was taxed by her unborn baby. "The autopsy sort of indicates her immune system just shut down," he said. "It was not capable of fending off any more." In the rental home's basement, Atkins said, he found spots of blood in a shower and tiny smears on the concrete floor, washer and dryer. "It's disgraceful the way this girl died, as kind and as sweet as this girl was," he said. "She didn't deserve to die the way she did. It's just terrible, senseless. It's just a total shame." Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home.

[Guest guest]

This happens a lot more than we think, people being treated like that and having their checks stolen.

These are the kind of people, the true brutes, that are why for millennia societies around the world had flogging, the stocks and public hangings. Mere prison isn't good enough for these people.

It is unfortunate, but I have been saying for a long time that our welfare system has been set up in a way to create people just like this.

In a message dated 3/24/2008 2:51:56 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

I personally was shot at by BBs when I was younger. It isn't funny let me tell you. This is what folks with differences go through sometimes...I personally was shot at by BBs when I was younger. It isn't funny let me tell you. This is what folks with differences go through sometimes...http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080322/ap_on_re_us/torture_slaying;_ylt=AltmNg96fFa_3Dd6NV7bT59H2ocATorture death shocks Illinois townBy JIM SUHR, Associated Press Writer Sat Mar 22, 1:16 AM ETALTON, Ill. - Banished to the basement, the 29-year-old mother with a childlike mind and another baby on the way had little more than a thin rug and a mattress to call her own on the chilly concrete floor.Dorothy Dixon ate what she could forage from the refrigerator upstairs, where prosecutors say housemates used her for target practice with BBs, burned her with a glue gun and doused her with scalding liquid that peeled away her skin.They torched what few clothes she had, authorities say, so she walked around naked. They often pummeled her with an aluminum bat or metal handle.Dixon - six months pregnant - died after weeks of abuse. Police have charged two adults, three teenagers and a 12-year-old boy with murder in the case that has repulsed many in this Mississippi River town."This is heartbreaking," police Lt. said. "It was almost as though they were making fun of the abuse they were administering. This woman was almost like living in a prison."Investigators put much of the blame on Riley, 35, who they said befriended Dixon but pocketed monthly Social Security checks she got because of her developmental delays.Dixon saw little, if any, of the money, said. For months she weathered the torment to keep a roof over her head and that of her year-old son, who weighed just 15 pounds when taken into state custody after his mom's death."I've never seen an almost conspiratorial effort by a group of people to continuously torture someone until she finally died, then not really show any remorse," said. "It was just a slow, torturous, tragic way to die. I highly doubt Dorothy Dixon even knew she was dying."Riley, 43-year-old Judy Woods and three teenagers, including Riley's 15-year-old daughter, LeShelle McBride, are charged with first-degree murder, aggravated and heinous battery, intentional homicide of an unborn child, and unlawful restraint. Riley's 12-year-old son is charged as a juvenile.Riley, her daughter, Woods and 16-year-old Benny have public defenders who did not immediately return messages for comment. An 18-year-old defendant, Elliott, planned to get his own attorney, court records show.All remain in jail on $1 million bond.Messages left with a Chicago-area sister of Dixon went unreturned, but neighbors, and newspaper accounts offer a mosaic of the months leading to Dixon's demise inside the small, white, blue-shuttered house.Riley and Dixon, police said, had lived in Quincy, a Mississippi River town about 100 miles north of St. Louis, Mo. Quincy is where Riley worked as a coordinator for a regional center that helps the developmentally disabled with housing and other services. Dixon was a client.For years, an impoverished Riley struggled raising her children. Her use of methamphetamine and cocaine brought drug convictions in 2002 and 2004. But with treatment and housing help from the Quincy YWCA, Riley put her life in order - so much that in February of last year, the Quincy Herald-Whig did a story on her comeback.Last summer, Dixon and Riley moved into the $800-a-month, three-bedroom rental in Alton about 15 miles north of St. Louis. From the start, neighbors Chad Hudson and Terri Brandt considered Riley trouble." was evil, vindictive. Manipulative," said Hudson, convinced the teenagers were Riley's powerless minions."She was angry, vicious," added Brandt.Riley considered Dixon her slave, making her rub Riley's feet until Riley fell asleep and forcing her to run naked around the house when she got in trouble, the neighbors said. "Being in their house was like being in a prison day room," Hudson said. "They just sat around the kitchen table and fought." There was little question that Riley ruled the roost. While doing fix-ups on the home last fall, landlord Steve Atkins saw Riley "barking orders" at the children and everyone else. Atkins joked to her whether he needed to call the Army and see if they wanted their drill sergeant back. "She didn't laugh about it at all," Atkins said. "Obviously, I hit a nerve." Atkins said Dixon generally kept to herself "but was always nice when she spoke to you." He saw no hints she'd been suffering or tortured. "I would have never, ever suspected something like this," he said. "It's definitely shocking." Police said Dixon was allowed out of the house but didn't say under what conditions. didn't know who the father of Dixon's fetus is. said things apparently came to a head Jan. 30, when investigators believe that Woods, during a dispute, beat Dixon on the head with an object wouldn't identify. The next day Woods found her dead. watched the autopsy and found her injuries disturbing. X-rays revealed roughly 30 BBs lodged in her. Deep-tissue burns covered about one-third of her body - her face, her chest, her arms and feet - and left her severely dehydrated. Her face and body showed signs of prolonged abuse. Many of her wounds were infected. None of the injuries, said, proved singly fatal to Dixon. Her system already was taxed by her unborn baby. "The autopsy sort of indicates her immune system just shut down," he said. "It was not capable of fending off any more." In the rental home's basement, Atkins said, he found spots of blood in a shower and tiny smears on the concrete floor, washer and dryer. "It's disgraceful the way this girl died, as kind and as sweet as this girl was," he said. "She didn't deserve to die the way she did. It's just terrible, senseless. It's just a total shame." Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home.

[Guest guest]

I personally was shot at by BBs when I was younger. It isn't funny

let me tell you. This is what folks with differences go through

sometimes...

I personally was shot at by BBs when I was younger. It isn't funny

let me tell you. This is what folks with differences go through

sometimes...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080322/ap_on_re_us/torture_slaying;_ylt=AltmNg96fFa\

_3Dd6NV7bT59H2ocA

Torture death shocks Illinois town

By JIM SUHR, Associated Press Writer Sat Mar 22, 1:16 AM ET

ALTON, Ill. - Banished to the basement, the 29-year-old mother with

a childlike mind and another baby on the way had little more than a

thin rug and a mattress to call her own on the chilly concrete

floor.

Dorothy Dixon ate what she could forage from the refrigerator

upstairs, where prosecutors say housemates used her for target

practice with BBs, burned her with a glue gun and doused her with

scalding liquid that peeled away her skin.

They torched what few clothes she had, authorities say, so she

walked around naked. They often pummeled her with an aluminum bat or

metal handle.

Dixon - six months pregnant - died after weeks of abuse. Police have

charged two adults, three teenagers and a 12-year-old boy with

murder in the case that has repulsed many in this Mississippi River

town.

" This is heartbreaking, " police Lt. said. " It was almost

as though they were making fun of the abuse they were administering.

This woman was almost like living in a prison. "

Investigators put much of the blame on Riley, 35, who they

said befriended Dixon but pocketed monthly Social Security checks

she got because of her developmental delays.

Dixon saw little, if any, of the money, said. For months she

weathered the torment to keep a roof over her head and that of her

year-old son, who weighed just 15 pounds when taken into state

custody after his mom's death.

" I've never seen an almost conspiratorial effort by a group of

people to continuously torture someone until she finally died, then

not really show any remorse, " said. " It was just a slow,

torturous, tragic way to die. I highly doubt Dorothy Dixon even knew

she was dying. "

Riley, 43-year-old Judy Woods and three teenagers, including Riley's

15-year-old daughter, LeShelle McBride, are charged with

first-degree murder, aggravated and heinous battery, intentional

homicide of an unborn child, and unlawful restraint. Riley's

12-year-old son is charged as a juvenile.

Riley, her daughter, Woods and 16-year-old Benny have public

defenders who did not immediately return messages for comment. An

18-year-old defendant, Elliott, planned to get his own

attorney, court records show.

All remain in jail on $1 million bond.

Messages left with a Chicago-area sister of Dixon went unreturned,

but neighbors, and newspaper accounts offer a mosaic of the

months leading to Dixon's demise inside the small, white,

blue-shuttered house.

Riley and Dixon, police said, had lived in Quincy, a Mississippi

River town about 100 miles north of St. Louis, Mo. Quincy is where

Riley worked as a coordinator for a regional center that helps the

developmentally disabled with housing and other services. Dixon was

a client.

For years, an impoverished Riley struggled raising her children. Her

use of methamphetamine and cocaine brought drug convictions in 2002

and 2004. But with treatment and housing help from the Quincy YWCA,

Riley put her life in order - so much that in February of last year,

the Quincy Herald-Whig did a story on her comeback.

Last summer, Dixon and Riley moved into the $800-a-month,

three-bedroom rental in Alton about 15 miles north of St. Louis.

From the start, neighbors Chad Hudson and Terri Brandt considered

Riley trouble.

" was evil, vindictive. Manipulative, " said Hudson,

convinced the teenagers were Riley's powerless minions.

" She was angry, vicious, " added Brandt.

Riley considered Dixon her slave, making her rub Riley's feet until

Riley fell asleep and forcing her to run naked around the house when

she got in trouble, the neighbors said.

" Being in their house was like being in a prison day room, " Hudson

said. " They just sat around the kitchen table and fought. "

There was little question that Riley ruled the roost.

While doing fix-ups on the home last fall, landlord Steve Atkins

saw Riley " barking orders " at the children and everyone else. Atkins

joked to her whether he needed to call the Army and see if they

wanted their drill sergeant back.

" She didn't laugh about it at all, " Atkins said. " Obviously, I hit

a nerve. "

Atkins said Dixon generally kept to herself " but was always nice

when she spoke to you. " He saw no hints she'd been suffering or

tortured.

" I would have never, ever suspected something like this, " he

said. " It's definitely shocking. "

Police said Dixon was allowed out of the house but didn't say under

what conditions. didn't know who the father of Dixon's fetus

is.

said things apparently came to a head Jan. 30, when

investigators believe that Woods, during a dispute, beat Dixon on

the head with an object wouldn't identify. The next day Woods

found her dead.

watched the autopsy and found her injuries disturbing. X-rays

revealed roughly 30 BBs lodged in her. Deep-tissue burns covered

about one-third of her body - her face, her chest, her arms and

feet - and left her severely dehydrated. Her face and body showed

signs of prolonged abuse. Many of her wounds were infected.

None of the injuries, said, proved singly fatal to Dixon. Her

system already was taxed by her unborn baby.

" The autopsy sort of indicates her immune system just shut down, "

he said. " It was not capable of fending off any more. "

In the rental home's basement, Atkins said, he found spots of blood

in a shower and tiny smears on the concrete floor, washer and dryer.

" It's disgraceful the way this girl died, as kind and as sweet as

this girl was, " he said. " She didn't deserve to die the way she did.

It's just terrible, senseless. It's just a total shame. "