A Charleston man who murdered a witness against him pleaded guilty today, announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin. Marlon Dewayne Dixon, 39, entered his guilty plea in federal court in Charleston, West Virginia, to witness tampering by killing.
At approximately 3:00 a.m. on July 12, 2014, Dixon lured Branda Mae Delight Basham, the murder victim, to a secluded section of railroad track in Charleston near the 700 block of Breece Street. At gunpoint, Dixon forced Basham to admit working with police to make undercover purchases of heroin from him. He then repeatedly shot Basham with a 9 mm pistol, killing her. She was 22 years old. After the murder, Dixon went to a nearby residence on Madison Street where he cleaned himself and disposed of his clothing.
The next day, police interviewed a local woman who identified the Madison Street residence where she had seen Dixon shortly before the time of the murder. Detectives from the Charleston Police Department executed a search warrant at the Madison Street residence. Police seized video from a surveillance camera that recorded Dixon wiping down the front door of the residence and carrying away several bags. Detectives also seized a pair of Dixon’s shoes found at the residence. Basham’s DNA was recovered from bloodstains on the shoes.
On July 17, 2014, Dixon surrendered to Charleston Police. He waived his Miranda rights and confessed to killing Basham. He admitted that he intended to retaliate against Basham for cooperating with law enforcement and to prevent her from testifying against him.
At the time of the murder, Dixon had been previously convicted of several felony offenses. These included federal drug trafficking convictions in 1999 and 2006, and a Kanawha County conviction of malicious wounding in 2007.
Dixon faces a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison when he is sentenced on March 17, 2016.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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