Raynella Dossett Leath

Case record: Wilkerson v. Raynella Dossett Leath

Timeline

• October 25, 1948 — Raynella Large was born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
• 1966 — Raynella Large graduated from Oak Ridge High School.
• 1970 — Raynella Large married her first husband, Ed Dossett.
• August 1992 — Ed Dossett was found dead in the couple’s corral, allegedly trampled by cattle.
• March 13, 2003 — Raynella Dossett Leath found the body of her second husband, David Leath, in their bedroom.
• May 2009 — Raynella Dossett Leath went on trial for the murder of her second husband, David Leath.
• March 2009 — The first trial for David Leath’s death ended with a hung jury.
• 2006 — The death of Ed Dossett was re-investigated after David Leath’s death; Raynella Dossett Leath was charged with administering an overdose of morphine.
• 2008 — Raynella Dossett Leath was charged with first-degree murder in the death of David Leath.
• January 2010 — Raynella Dossett Leath’s retrial began.
• January 25, 2010 — Raynella Dossett Leath was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to 51 years to life in prison.
• January 26, 2010 — Coverage reported the jury in Raynella Dossett Leath’s re-trial found her guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting of her second husband, David Leath.
• August — Raynella Dossett Leath was expected to stand trial for the 1992 death of her first husband, former Knox County District Attorney Ed Dossett.
• 2012 — True crime author Diane Fanning published Her Deadly Web about the Raynella Dossett Leath case; the case appeared on Deadly Women episode An Inconvenient Marriage.
• June 17, 2012 — Snapped reported that Raynella Dossett Leath found guilty of the 2nd husband’s murder.

Background

Raynella Dossett Leath was a Knoxville, Tennessee woman serving a life sentence at the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville. She was raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and attended Oak Ridge High School, graduating in 1966.

She became a registered nurse and married her first husband, Ed Dossett, in 1970. The couple had three children and lived on a farm west of Knoxville, Tennessee.

The offence

Second husband: David Leath (March 13, 2003)

On March 13, 2003, Raynella Dossett Leath found the body of her second husband, David Leath, in their bedroom. She called 9-1-1 and reported her husband’s death as a suicide.

Prosecutors alleged she shot David Leath in the head. The physical evidence was described as suggesting three shots fired from a .38 caliber Colt revolver, with police arguing that the second shot killed David Leath instantly. A toxicology report indicated David Leath was drugged with a combination of drugs similar to what is used for patients having surgery.

Attempted staging

Prosecutors alleged that after shooting her husband, Raynella Dossett Leath attempted to stage his murder as a suicide.

Investigation

After David Leath’s death, authorities re-investigated the earlier death of Ed Dossett.

A medical examiner later revealed that the morphine levels in Ed Dossett’s system were “so extraordinarily high it is unlikely that any human could function in an ambulatory manner or continue to live.”

In 2006, Raynella Dossett Leath was charged with administering an overdose of morphine related to Ed Dossett’s death.

In 2008, she was charged with first-degree murder in the death of David Leath.

Arrest

The provided material did not describe a specific arrest event for Raynella Dossett Leath.

Trial

First trial (May 2009; hung jury)

In May 2009, Raynella Dossett Leath went on trial for the murder of her second husband, David Leath. She maintained that her husband’s death was a suicide.

After hours of jury deliberation, there was no verdict and the judge declared a hung jury. Coverage later described the first trial for David Leath’s death as ending with a hung jury in March 2009.

Judge Richard Baumgartner handed the case to the jury after hearing five days of witness testimony and arguments by defense and prosecution attorneys. A Knox Count Medical Examiner, Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan, testified that David Leath was shot three times and said the second shot killed him instantly.

The first trial also involved toxicology evidence described as showing David Leath was drugged with a combination similar to what is used for patients having surgery. Raynella Dossett Leath’s attorney, Jim Bell, argued no evidence directly connected her to the shooting.

Retrial (January 2010)

Raynella Dossett Leath’s retrial began in January 2010.

In the prosecutor’s opening statement, prosecutors played Raynella Dossett Leath’s 911 call from the night of David Leath’s death. The prosecutor explained why David Leath’s death was murder rather than suicide, saying three shots were fired and the second shot killed David Leath instantly. The prosecutor also told the jury David Leath was drugged with a combination similar to what is used for patients having surgery.

The defense did not argue that David Leath’s death was a homicide; the defense’s position was described as an alibi. Defense attorney Jim Bell was also described as arguing that the jury did not hear the entire 911 call made to report David’s shooting, so they did not know the whole story. Bell played the 911 call, and stated that the voice of his investigator could also be heard and that the call was inadvertently included.

Judge Richard Baumgartner excused one juror for family reasons before opening arguments. Coverage described the jury as made up of 12 jurors and two alternates, with jurors sequestered for the re-trial.

A Knoxville sheriff’s officer, Sgt. David Amburn, testified that he was among the first officers to arrive at the scene at David and Raynella Dossett Leath’s home. Amburn said Raynella Dossett Leath was laying in the front yard not moving; when he nudged her with his foot, she started to cry and told the officers: “Help him! Help him! He's been shot!”

After a day of deliberation, the jury had not reached a unanimous verdict.

Sentencing

On January 25, 2010, Raynella Dossett Leath was convicted of first-degree murder and was automatically sentenced to 51 years to life in prison.

Immediately following her conviction, the charges relating to her first husband’s death were dropped.

Appeals

Following her conviction, Raynella appealed for a new trial on the basis of Judge Richard Baumgartner’s judicial misconduct for his drug use. She cited the murder of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom case, which resulted in all of the defendants’ convictions being overturned. Her appeal was denied.

Outcome

The re-trial jury found Raynella Dossett Leath guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting of her second husband, David Leath. When the verdict was read, it was described as a reaction in which her mouth fell open in shock. She was granted a few minutes with her daughters before being taken into custody.

David Leath’s daughter, Cindy Wilkerson, called the verdict “a burden off my shoulders.” Wilkerson added: “Something needed to be done. He didn't do it. I didn't do it. They chose the right one today.”

The provided material also stated that there was an automatic sentence of life with the possibility of parole for Dossett Leath.

Other details

First husband: Ed Dossett (August 1992)

In August 1992, Ed Dossett, described as being in the late stages of terminal cancer, was found dead in the couple’s corral. His death was initially ruled an agricultural accident based on the allegation he had been trampled by cattle.

Despite the medical examiner’s suspicions about a double indemnity clause on Ed Dossett’s life insurance policy, the death was initially ruled to be an agricultural accident by the first medical examiner who autopsied him.

A medical examiner named Randall E. Pedigo was described as having said that the notion of a domestic cattle stampede raised suspicions about insurance fraud not murder. Pedigo also was described as having lost his medical license after being convicted of sedating and sexually molesting minors in 1995. Pedigo said prosecutors in Dossett’s office resisted his performing an autopsy, that he felt pressured to rule the death an accident, and that he had a “policy” of erring on the side of the family in cases where a judgment call was required. Pedigo said he persuaded Raynella Dossett Leath that the insurance company would need an autopsy, and she consented.

Pedigo described finding traumatic injuries consistent with trampling and a hoof print in the middle of the bib of Ed Dossett’s overalls. Later, Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan reviewed the file during the Leath investigation and concluded the morphine level was “so extraordinarily high it is unlikely that any human could function in an ambulatory manner or continue to live.”

Six months after Ed Dossett’s death, his widow married his friend and neighbor, David Leath.

In January 2010 reporting, Raynella Dossett Leath was described as being scheduled for a trial in August for the 1992 death of her first husband, former Knox County District Attorney Ed Dossett. The cause of Dossett’s death was initially believed accidental when he was trampled by cattle, while prosecutors were trying to prove Dossett died from an intentional overdose of morphine.

Attempted murder involving Steve Walker (mid-1990s)

In 1995, after the death of her first husband, Raynella discovered that Ed Dossett had an affair with another woman that resulted in the birth of a child. Ed Dossett’s alleged mistress was described as being in the middle of a divorce with Steve Walker; the mistress told Walker about the affair and that Ed Dossett fathered one of her children.

Soon after, Raynella Dossett Leath lured Mr. Walker to her farm. She allegedly opened fire on him until she ran out of bullets. She was charged with attempted murder, but plea bargained to a lesser charge.

She served six years on probation and her criminal record was expunged.

Later reporting described Walker’s account as stating that she said, “she would kill him and the child’s mother and raise the child herself.”

David Leath’s background and family details

David Leath was described as a barber who owned the Suburban Barber Shop and as having cut hair at the middle chair for almost 40 years. Mr. Leath’s death was described as involving a gunshot wound and as occurring in his own bed in 2003.

Reporting described that Raynella asked a former partner of David Leath, Hoyt Vanosdale, to deliver a package to Cynthia Wilkerson, David Leath’s daughter from a previous marriage. Vanosdale said she did not tell him the box contained David Leath’s ashes.

A narrative detail described that David Leath had signed deeds and a will ensuring Raynella Dossett Leath would inherit all the couple’s property. A will was described as missing.

Child deaths and other personal details mentioned

Reporting described that two years after Raynella Dossett Leath married David Leath, she had an 11-year-old son killed in an auto accident, and her 15-year-old daughter was described as the driver.

Defense arguments in the retrial reporting

Coverage described that Raynella’s defense attorney Jim Bell argued throughout the trial that no evidence directly connected her to the shooting.

Other reporting described that James A. H. Bell argued the client had loved her husband and that there was no way she would have killed him, quoting: “If you believe Miss Raynella murdered him,” and adding: “you have to believe she is nothing but a serpent of Satan.”

Popular culture references

True crime author Diane Fanning published Her Deadly Web in 2012 about the Raynella Dossett Leath case. Her case appeared on the Deadly Women episode, An Inconvenient Marriage. Snapped also referenced the case on June 17, 2012.