Doctors describe killer’s brain damage

Erica D. Johnson

Thursday, April 17, 2003 | 9:42 a.m.

The man convicted of brutally killing an elderly Las Vegas woman has signs of brain damage that could affect his judgment and his ability to control his impulses, doctors testified Wednesday.

An MRI and battery of other tests performed on Anthony Dotson in 2000 and 2001 showed abnormal results, including a loss of brain matter on his frontal lobe, radiologist David Steinberg told jurors.

"The frontal lobe has to do with impulse control," he said. "A malfunction in that area can cause problems."

The left side of Dotson's brain is also much smaller than the right side, which appears to have resulted in decreased activity in the left part of the brain, Steinberg said.

"These findings are abnormal," he said. "I wouldn't expect to see a scan like this in a normal, aging person."

Steinberg's testimony came in the final days of the penalty phase of Dotson's trial before District Judge Michael Cherry. Dotson, 45, who was last week convicted of first-degree murder in the December 1999 death of Doris Bair, 79, faces the death penalty.

Jurors last week heard Dotson's laundry list of prior convictions, which revealed his apparent obsession with attacking elderly women. Jurors also watched taped testimony of two elderly California women whom Dotson was convicted of robbing and assaulting decades ago.

But defense attorneys on Wednesday tried to give jurors insight into the mind of the convicted killer. They pointed to a traumatic childhood, which included physical and sexual abuse, as a possible reason for Dotson's propensity for violence.

Simon Farrow, a neurologist who also examined Dotson, told jurors that the abnormalities in Dotson's brain could affect Dotson's behavior. The damage could have been caused by a variety of factors, including being hit in the head, he said. Defense attorneys claim Dotson was beaten with a baseball bat by his father during his childhood.

Carlotta Boswell, Dotson's aunt, described for jurors Dotson's turbulent childhood, which was plagued early on with behavioral problems.

"He was a handful," she said.

Dotson's mother abandoned him for long periods of time to pursue her singing career and she declined to speak on his behalf during the penalty phase, Boswell said.

Boswell begged jurors to spare her nephew's life, despite the brutality of his crimes.

"I can understand (the jurors') feelings because of what he's done," she said. "But not death. He never had a chance."