Attack not race-based
In a case initially investigated as a possible hate crime, a black convicted felon labeled by prosecutors as a schoolyard bully, thug and “dime-store hoodlum” was found guilty Thursday night in the Mother’s Day 2013 beating of a white St. Francisville man outside a north Baton Rouge convenience store.
After the jury’s unanimous verdict was announced, David Ray III — who testified during the trial that Donald Ray Dickerson told him he was in the “wrong neighborhood” before he punched Ray unconscious in front of his wife and young daughters — downplayed the racial overtones that have hovered over the case for the past two years.
“That (race) never entered my mind,” Ray said outside state with battery such as Acer Aspire One 521 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire One 533 AC Adapter, Acer Ferrari One 200 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire One D260 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire One D255 AC Adapter, Acer TravelMate 8172 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire 1680 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire 1825PT AC Adapter, Acer Aspire 1551 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire 4551 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire 4552 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire 4730 AC AdapterDistrict Judge Lou Daniel’s courtroom.
“We don’t want to be a symbol of hatred. That’s not who we are,” he added.
Ray said he would like to meet and thank those, including Dan Williams Jr., Jamichael Williams and Latasha Henderson, who came to his aid at Stadium Chevron on Scenic Highway the night of May 12, 2013, and assisted police in tracking down Dickerson. Dan and Jamichael Williams, who are former brothers-in-law, and Henderson are black.
East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III called those three, who also testified at the trial, “community heroes of color.” Dan and Jamichael Williams prevented Ray from being injured more seriously or killed by restraining Dickerson for a time, Moore said.
Henderson called 911 and followed a vehicle that Dickerson rode away in until police pulled that vehicle over.
Ray was hospitalized with a broken eye socket, broken nose and other injuries after the brutal attack.
“That was a scary night,” he said Thursday. “I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
Daniel ordered a presentence investigation report and set a Sept. 3 sentencing date for Dickerson, 43, of Baton Rouge. The judge also ordered him held without bail.
Moore said his office will seek to have Dickerson — who has prior convictions for armed robbery, carnal knowledge of a juvenile and purse snatching — sentenced under the state’s habitual offender law, which could subject him to a lifetime behind bars.
“It’s been a long journey,” Ray said. “My family’s been living in pain for two years — what if. It certainly has made my family stronger.”