Lexington homicide suspect was on parole after setting an apartment building ablaze
A Lexington man sentenced in 2012 to 45 years in state prison has been charged in a homicide that occurred earlier this year, not long after he was released on parole, according to court records.
Brandon Dockery, 32, was sentenced in 2012 to 45 years in prison after he admitted to lighting a Lexington apartment building on fire. The fire was set after he got into a fight with people in one of the apartments. He destroyed several apartments, killed pets and forced residents to flee the building. One jumped off a third-floor balcony.
Now Dockery has been charged with murder in a 2021 shooting after getting into a standoff with law enforcement that ended with him being shot, according to police and court records. He pleaded not guilty to the homicide, which happened about eight months after Dockery was released on parole.
Dockery set the fire early in the morning on April 15, 2010. He showed up to the apartment to visit a woman he had been seeing who lived there, according to court records. With her son and two of her brothers on hand, he made advances toward her, according to court records. Dockery, who seemed to be drunk, got aggressive after being denied.
The woman’s brothers intervened, and one of them threw Dockery out of the apartment, according to court records. Witnesses told investigators that Dockery started making threats to kill them and burn down the apartment.
Dockery left after causing a scene in the parking lot. He was caught on surveillance video at a local Thorntons gas station buying a cigar and 95 cents worth of gas in a gas can while he was gone from the apartment building.
Witnesses told police they saw Dockery come back and approach the apartment where he previously got in a fight. Then they saw him take off running from the area as the fire began to burn, according to court records.
Dockery admitted to police he started the fire with gasoline and a cigarette butt, according to court records. He said he didn’t intend to kill anyone when he did it.
The fire decimated the building. Photos from the scene showed flames shooting through the roof. Photos taken overhead after the fire was put out showed that apartments had been destroyed.
One resident was injured jumping from a third-floor balcony.
The Lexington Fire Department and police alleged the fire endangered the lives of 18 people who were in the apartment complex, according to court records. Two pets were killed in the flames.
Dockery pleaded guilty to arson, attempted murder and wanton endangerment in May 2012 in a deal that dropped some charges.
Dockery, who was 20 when he set the fire, wrote in a letter to Judge Pamela Goodwine that he went temporarily insane when he set fire to the apartment. Dockery, who was originally from Chicago, said he suffered significant abuse as a child and also had to deal with his father being killed. He said he wished he could take back what he did.
Family members and loved ones asked for leniency in letters to the judge, noting the hardship and trauma Dockery faced as a child and young man. But fire victims who lost possessions or were injured called for Dockery to face the maximum punishment.
Nell Honican, who jumped from her third-floor balcony to escape the fire, said her working life was shortened by 10 years. She suffered constant pain and swelling as a result of her injuries after the jump, she said in a letter written to the court before Dockery’s sentencing.
Honican understood that Dockery faced difficulties growing up, but “it does not excuse his behavior,” she wrote in her letter.
He was sentenced in August 2012 and released on parole on Oct. 23, according to the state Department of Corrections. The 32-year-old had been credited for 627 days served prior to his conviction, meaning he served a total of 10 years and eight months.
Why attempted murder convict was released early
“Dockery was eligible for parole after serving 20 percent of his sentence,” said Lisa Lamb, deputy commissioner of community services and local facilities at the Department of Corrections. “He was originally seen by the Parole Board in 2018, and he received a 24-month deferment. He was then granted parole on his second time before the board.”
Now that Dockery has been charged in connection to the June 19 shooting death of 30-year-old Raymar Webb, he may be forced to serve the rest of his prior sentence. Corrections records indicate that sentence could run until 2039 or 2055.
“If a person is revoked while on parole, their sentence is recalculated, and they have to serve any remaining time left after credits are applied,” Lamb said.
Dockery was charged with the murder of Webb after Webb was found with multiple gunshot wounds around 2 a.m. in a parking lot near North Mill and West Short streets in downtown Lexington.
A large crowd had gathered in the parking lot, Lt. Dan Truex said after the shooting. Police wrote in an arrest warrant that witnesses identified Dockery as the shooter. Surveillance video from nearby businesses also matched up with what witnesses told police in statements, according to the warrant.
Dockery was publicly identified as a suspect in the case on June 25. He was considered armed and dangerous, police said. He was arrested in July and charged with murder after law enforcement shot him in a confrontation that involved Lexington police and the U.S. Marshals Service. He was at a woman’s home at the end of Thirlstane Court, a cul-de-sac near New Circle Road.
Murder suspect was shot after disorder with officers
Police stated in court records they found out Dockery had been at the Thirlstane Court home since June and surveilled the residence. Stopped away from the house, the woman was allegedly uncooperative with investigators, but they went to the house anyway.
When police made contact with Dockery at the front door, he kept “his hand in his pocket as if he had a weapon” and “continued to ignore officer’s commands,” investigators said in court documents.
Dockery can be heard saying, “I don’t want to die” on body camera footage, police said in the documents.
“A Taser was initially deployed at Dockery, followed by an exchange of gunfire,” police said. “Dockery eventually exited the residence and sat on the porch until he was provided first aid. He was found to be in possession of a black handgun that was jammed when it was secured. This leads investigators to believe that Dockery fired his firearm until the jam occurred.”
Dockery was booked into the Lexington-Fayette County Detention Center after being treated for his shooting injuries at a local hospital.
Dockery pleaded not guilty to murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun during his arraignment Monday.
This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 7:41 AM.