by Donna Weaver What happened to Dorothy Dixon did not happen in some third world country or as an act of war. It happened in the basement of a rented house in the Mississippi River town of Alton, Illinois.Dixon--the developmentally disabled mother of a 1-year-old boy--was six months pregnant at the time of her death caused by months of torturous abuse at the hands of the people she lived with. She was frequently beaten with an aluminum bat and was burned with a glue gun. Her housemates had set fire to the few clothes she owned, leaving her to walk around naked. She and her year-old son, who weighed only 15 pounds, were virtually held captive, forced to sleep on the basement floor. Dixon's autopsy also revealed deep-tissue burns as a result of being scalded with hot liquid that peeled away her skin, and approximately 30 BBs embedded in her body.
Charged with first-degree murder, aggravated and heinous battery, intentional homicide of an unborn child, and unlawful restraint are: Michelle Riley, 35, Judy Woods, 43, Michael Elliott, 18, Benny Wilson, 16, and Riley's 15-year-old daughter, LeShelle McBride. Riley's 12-year-old son is also charged as a juvenile. Police say Riley was the ringleader--befriending Dixon and moving her into her home in order to steal Dixon's monthly Social Security checks.
Reading the CNN story about the sweet and childlike young mother's slow horrific death I had to wonder if her murder could have been prevented. Neighbors Chad Hudson and Terri Brandt were interviewed after the homicide saying:
"Michelle 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."
Sometimes being a good neighbor means minding your own business. Sometimes doing the right thing means minding your neighbors.
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