MEMPHIS, Tenn.
--
As they continued to search for whoever killed four adults and two children, police refused to say Wednesday whether the slayings may be linked to one of the victims, who had a history of violent crime.
Cecil Dewayne Dotson, who rented the small brick home where the bodies were found, served jail time for aggravated assault in the 1990s and had been recently charged with aggravated robbery.
Dotson, 30, was to have appeared in court on the robbery charge Monday. That night his body and the others were found, along with three wounded children who remained in critical or serious condition Wednesday. It remained unclear when the attack occurred; it could have happened over the weekend.
Police have ruled out a murder-suicide, they released little other information and conceded they had virtually nothing to go on. They have refused to identify any victims, but relatives say Dotson and two of his children were among the dead.
Dotson's sister, Nicole Dotson, said he lived in the home with his girlfriend and his five children.
The house where the bodies were found is on a dead-end street in a poor neighborhood east of downtown. Most victims were shot; at least one child was stabbed. The children ranged in age from about 1 to 12 years old, police said.
In an affidavit filed by police, Dotson was accused of driving a van that nearly struck a pedestrian on Jan. 9. When the pedestrian approached the van and yelled, Dotson pulled out a handgun and demanded the man's wallet. Dotson was arrested shortly after and identified by the victim.
Dotson's attorney did not return calls seeking comment.
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Associated Press writers Kristin M. Hall in Memphis and Rose French in Nashville contributed to this report.
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