Two young children, killed along with four adults who were shot to death at a Memphis residence, died from multiple stab wounds, according to preliminary autopsy results.
Preliminary autopsy reports support the causes of deaths offered by police who have charged the children's uncle, 33-year-old Jessie Dotson, with six counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder.
One of the children died from multiple stab wounds and the other was stabbed and beaten with a blunt object, according to the autopsy results.
Three other children in the house at the time of the killings were critically injured. Police said they were stabbed and beaten.
One of the children "implicated Jessie Dotson as the person responsible," an arrest warrant affidavit said.
Dotson, a convicted killer recently released from prison, was charged with fatally shooting his brother during an argument and then killing the five witnesses, including two of his brother's children, police said.
Records showed that Jessie Dotson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 1994 and spent 14 years in prison. He was released from prison in January. No other details were available.
Meanwhile defense lawyer Gerald Skahan was appointed to represent Dotson. Prosecutors have not yet said if they will seek the death penalty, but Skahan has experience with capital cases.
