‘Worst of the worst’ killer’s appeal denied in Fort Wayne barber’s slaying

A man a trial court found to be the “worst of the worst” killers for gunning down a Fort Wayne barber outside his shop was properly convicted and sentenced to more than 87 years in prison, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.

The court affirmed the jury’s verdict and the Allen Superior Court’s sentence imposed on James L. Dodson Jr. in a memorandum decision. Dodson was convicted in the April 9, 2019, murder of Michael Lovett, which the panel noted happened in broad daylight a short time after the two had argued while Lovett was cutting Dodson’s hair.

A jury convicted Dodson of murder and using a firearm based on eyewitness testimony, video surveillance of the shooting captured from a nearby gas station and other evidence. The COA affirmed Friday in James L. Dodson, Jr. v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.), 20A-CR-89.

“As Dodson was escorted from the courtroom, he remarked, ‘At least I’m still alive,’” Judge Terry Crone noted. “… At the sentencing hearing, as the trial court was explaining its finding of aggravating and mitigating circumstances, Dodson snapped, ‘Whatever, man, give me my mother f**king time.’ … The court found Dodson to be ‘the worst of the worst,’” sentencing him to 65 years for murder, enhanced by twenty years for the use of a firearm and to a consecutive term of two years and 183 days for criminal recklessness.

The appeals court rejected Dodson’s arguments that his sentence was inappropriate, that the trial court improperly excluded certain evidence and that the evidence was insufficient to support his murder conviction.

“The nature of the murder here was heinous. After his verbal argument with Lovett, Dodson returned with an armed accomplice and mowed down Lovett in a hail of bullets outside his barber shop. As evidenced by his brutality and criminal record, Dodson’s character is contemptible,” Crone wrote. “Born in 1984, Dodson has three juvenile adjudications for criminal mischief and drug possession, six misdemeanor convictions for resisting law enforcement, marijuana possession, battery, disorderly conduct, and operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in his body, and a class D felony conviction for marijuana possession. He also has a federal felony conviction for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, for which he was sentenced to sixty months, and he has had his probation revoked.

“Dodson’s remark after the jury returned its verdicts showed callous disregard for Lovett’s senseless death, and his profane remarks to the probation officer and the trial court showed contempt for the judicial system” the judge concluded. “We find no compelling evidence that would justify overturning the trial court’s sentencing decision in this case, and therefore we affirm it.”