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Life terms close book on murder of sheriff-elect

ATLANTA — There was joy that the two men convicted of conspiracy to commit murder for hire in the slaying of DeKalb County Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown would spend the rest of their lives in a federal prison. But there was also anger.

"Today I am very happy," Burvena Brown, the sheriff-elect's mother, said after U.S. District Court Judge Jack Camp on Monday sentenced Melvin Walker, 41, and David Ramsey, 33, to life in prison in the Dec. 15, 2000, killing.

"If I could just get rid of this anger and forgive them. I would have liked to have heard 'I'm sorry.' But they still don't feel they're guilty," said Burvena Brown, with her other son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren around her.

Phyllis Brown, the sheriff-elect's widow, said she would never recover from losing her husband in a flurry of bullets in the couple's driveway. When he was attacked, Brown's arms were filled with Christmas gifts and the red roses he was bringing his wife for her birthday.

Since her husband's death, Phyllis Brown has suffered physical problems, including a stroke, which has left her dependent on a cane to walk and reluctant to speak in public.

The sentencing of Walker and Ramsey closes the book on a crime that drew attention around the world. Derwin Brown, 46, had defeated Sheriff Sidney Dorsey by promising to root out corruption. Soon after the shooting, investigators suspected Dorsey and his cohorts, but it took them almost a year to gather enough evidence to make arrests.

Former Deputy Patrick Cuffy and getaway driver Paul Skyers were offered immunity in exchange for testifying against the others. Dorsey was convicted of state charges for ordering the murder and is serving a life sentence, but the DeKalb County jury acquitted Walker and Ramsey in the 2002 trial. Last year, federal prosecutors brought conspiracy charges against Walker and Ramsey.

"These violent criminals will spend the rest of their lives paying for their horrific acts," said Assistant U.S. Attorney William McKinnon.

Rhonda Cook writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. E-mail: rcook@ajc.com