AR - Dexter Williams, 24, found dead in hot tub with TV weatherman, 5 Sept 2011

[HastingsChi]

As Bad Rice says above re: Joe Friday's link, I think the stories are merely unthinkingly mashed together, one with an inaccuracy, rather than are necessarily indicative of a change in story. On the internet, it's hits that matter, not accuracy. Daily Mail does this sort of thing all the time, as do other sites - no editing of what's up, just more set atop it.

I think you are absolutely right-- I just re-read the police report and there is no statement from Cummins in it; I also re-read all local articles (with their lack of information) and could not find information about a Cummins statement.

Thanks Bad Rice and wfgodot

 

[HastingsChi]

This is being covered on JVM now.

JVM actually did a great job on the story with Lt Jim Hansard of the Maumelle PD confirming that Williams arrived with Cummins. Additionally, defense attorney Holly Hughes mentioned what I posted yesterday: that Cummins leaving the scene is "highly suspicious" and wondered if he disposed of evidence during that period.

 

[Betta Blue]

Williams (the deceased) seems a little young to have been hanging out with these guys. I am curious about how they all knew each other. Maybe through a personal ad?

The "dog collar"-- is it possible that it was just a necklace that was made to look like a dog collar? Or simply a dog collar worn as a necklace? Not unheard of.

Sad, in any case. Way too young to die.

 

[HastingsChi]

Williams (the deceased) seems a little young to have been hanging out with these guys. I am curious about how they all knew each other. Maybe through a personal ad?

The "dog collar"-- is it possible that it was just a necklace that was made to look like a dog collar? Or simply a dog collar worn as a necklace? Not unheard of.

Sad, in any case. Way too young to die.

Betta Blue : I could answer many of your questions-- (I posted this a couple hours ago but you might find it useful) I uncovered some valuable information about Dexter Williams which allowed me to understand very probable answers to some of the things we have been questioning (dog-like collar, type of scene, drugs, etc).

However since I know that Websleuths is a victim-friendly site and Dexter Williams is the victim I am hesitant to share the information (I'm the new kid on the block, don't want to get banned on my second day as an active poster).

Might a moderator or long time poster message me and help determine if this information can be shared?

 

[Betta Blue]

Betta Blue : I could answer many of your questions-- (I posted this a couple hours ago but you might find it useful) I uncovered some valuable information about Dexter Williams which allowed me to understand very probable answers to some of the things we have been questioning (dog-like collar, type of scene, drugs, etc).

However since I know that Websleuths is a victim-friendly site and Dexter Williams is the victim I am hesitant to share the information (I'm the new kid on the block, don't want to get banned on my second day as an active poster).

Might a moderator or long time poster message me and help determine if this information can be shared?

HastingsChi,
Hope someone comes along who can help! I'm sure there are many who want to have a better understanding of this case, beyond the bizarre headlines.

 

[Kimster]

Betta Blue : I could answer many of your questions-- (I posted this a couple hours ago but you might find it useful) I uncovered some valuable information about Dexter Williams which allowed me to understand very probable answers to some of the things we have been questioning (dog-like collar, type of scene, drugs, etc).

However since I know that Websleuths is a victim-friendly site and Dexter Williams is the victim I am hesitant to share the information (I'm the new kid on the block, don't want to get banned on my second day as an active poster).

Might a moderator or long time poster message me and help determine if this information can be shared?

Thank you for being sensitive to victims. Because Dexter is a victim, please only post things that have been reported by LE or disclosed in the main stream media. This man has a family in mourning and they don't need to see his reputation on the line by our website. If the information you have discovered has been reported, you can link that information here, however.

Very sad when these things happen. WS is torn between trying to find out the truth of a crime verses trying to respect those who lose their lives. It's a fine line.

Again, thank you! I can see you are already a valuable asset to Websleuths.

:welcome:

 

[HastingsChi]

Thank you for being sensitive to victims. Because Dexter is a victim, please only post things that have been reported by LE or disclosed in the main stream media. This man has a family in mourning and they don't need to see his reputation on the line by our website. If the information you have discovered has been reported, you can link that information here, however.

Very sad when these things happen. WS is torn between trying to find out the truth of a crime verses trying to respect those who lose their lives. It's a fine line.

Again, thank you! I can see you are already a valuable asset to Websleuths.

:welcome:

Kimster : Thank you so much for your very nice welcome (I've been following WS for a couple years and am glad to be active now).

I absolutely agree with your thoughts on the information I uncovered. As we noticed yesterday with Dexter Williams' brother's plea to Cummins (via his now deactivated Facebook page) to contact him & left his phone number because he wants answers about what happened to Dexter, there is a family and lots of friends who lost someone they love and are now mourning his loss. I could not imagine what his friends and family are going through with Dexter's death being in the national spotlight (and unfortunately a subject of ridicule on so many sites). I'll definitely keep them in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[T-Rex]

I'd guess the drug was K, aka Special K / Ketamine. That would lead to nodding off / throwing up.

 

[tezi]

I can't imagine what Dexter's family is going through. How terrible that his brother has to plead with someone to understand how his brother died. I hope that Cummins has done the right thing and told the truth, no matter how terrible it might be.

Thank you HastingsChi for everything you have posted thus far. Your hard work is appreciated!

 

[KeineLiebe]

I guess ,if my DNA was going to be found all over the victim I might as well say he died in my tub with me.

If the two of these guys ,drugged this one guy and he wasnt a willing party to their party I could see them conspiring to claim accidental death from rough sex play.

The sleeping part maybe a needed part in the story due to the drugs that might be found that might not be meth. In addition to they would expect to be found with the drug in their systems....

There are many drugs people snort that can cause drowsiness. As I think someone mentioned earlier, ketamine is one of them. MDMA can also be snorted, and for long time users it will put you to sleep after a couple hours. I'm from Little Rock and am close with two of Dexter's friends. He had friends that were of various ages, and a 24 year old who is hanging out with people in their 30s is not unheard of. I happen to be 32 and have some friends who are in the early 20s.

Regarding the "dog collar" issue, the police report I read stated that no evidence of choking or injury was found around his neck, so most likely his choice of jewelry is totally irrelevant.

I understand that we are not supposed to criticize victims on this site, and I absolutely respect this policy. I do not judge Dexter for his lifestyle choices and would encourage you to keep an open mind about these things as well. He could have been drugged against his will, but it is important to consider all the evidence, and it is plausible that the substances he consumed were taken by choice. If the claims that Dexter was snorting drugs are true, there will be evidence of that inside his sinus cavity. It would be difficult and unnecessary to force someone to snort a substance against their will, especially when you consider how much easier it is to add the substance to their drink. I am not in any way trying to blame the victim for his death. At the same time, if we automatically assume that Cummins is responsible for the death and go about trying to prove his guilt rather than fully examining all evidence, then we could end up victimizing someone else who made bad choices in partaking in illegal drug use but may not have actually cause the death of their friend.

 

[HastingsChi]

There are many drugs people snort that can cause drowsiness. As I think someone mentioned earlier, ketamine is one of them. MDMA can also be snorted, and for long time users it will put you to sleep after a couple hours. I'm from Little Rock and am close with two of Dexter's friends. He had friends that were of various ages, and a 24 year old who is hanging out with people in their 30s is not unheard of. I happen to be 32 and have some friends who are in the early 20s.

Regarding the "dog collar" issue, the police report I read stated that no evidence of choking or injury was found around his neck, so most likely his choice of jewelry is totally irrelevant.

I understand that we are not supposed to criticize victims on this site, and I absolutely respect this policy. I do not judge Dexter for his lifestyle choices and would encourage you to keep an open mind about these things as well. He could have been drugged against his will, but it is important to consider all the evidence, and it is plausible that the substances he consumed were taken by choice. If the claims that Dexter was snorting drugs are true, there will be evidence of that inside his sinus cavity. It would be difficult and unnecessary to force someone to snort a substance against their will, especially when you consider how much easier it is to add the substance to their drink. I am not in any way trying to blame the victim for his death. At the same time, if we automatically assume that Cummins is responsible for the death and go about trying to prove his guilt rather than fully examining all evidence, then we could end up victimizing someone else who made bad choices in partaking in illegal drug use but may not have actually cause the death of their friend.

KeineLiebe : I definitely appreciate your comments and respect your opinion.

That being said I'm curious what police report you read because the official police report does not make a determination on if there were signs of choking. The official police report does state: " The subject was lying on his right side in a fetal position, his face was blue and purple hi color with a chain around his neck. The chain was silver in color and consistent with what I believed to be a dog collar." (Edit: I should also note that in the report of the other officer's narrative it states " The male subject also had what appeared to be a metal chain collar around his neck. I did not note any type physical injury to the subject in the position that he was laying." I can see how one could construe this to mean no evidence of choking but if you read the report as a whole you will realize that these are two separate statements and do not rule the possibility of choking in or out of possibility).

For the record, no one is criticizing anyone's "lifestyle choice" as you state (as a 30 year old gay man I can tell you that one's sexuality is NOT a "lifestyle choice"). No one is criticizing anyone's use of drugs-- while a plethora of those comments and other hateful, bigoted comments can be found in the comments section of mainstream news sites and Brett Cummins' Facebook Fan Page, you will NOT find that sort of drivel here on Websleuths. Additionally, no one here is criticizing the age difference, I've dated guys Dexter's age as well as guys my own age; the age difference thing is such a non-issue.

I think the most alarming things that raises a ton of red flags to myself and many of us here are:
1. Cummins and Barbour did NOT perform any sort of life saving techniques on Dexter Williams, they just left him there in the position that they found him. (As a former lifeguard I can tell you that you ALWAYS make an attempt to resuscitate people in that situation and if you do not have the skills to perform CPR, you call 911 IMMEDIATELY!!!)

2. While they made no attempt to help Williams, they did take the time to clean up Cummins vomit before calling the police. (Makes you wonder, what else did they clean up before alerting the paramedics?)

3. Instead of making all attempts to help his friend Dexter Williams and stay with him until help arrives, Cummins chooses to flee the scene and return later. This action makes no sense at all unless there was something that Cummins was attempting to hide, dispose of or clean up. People may say "oh he just freaked out and left" to that I say hogwash-- you do not leave the side of a dead/dying friend before help arrives.

 

[Steely Dan]

According to the Police report; http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/64096290

One of the officers found the living area "Extremely Clean" I don't know what he means by that but it seems like he's noting a very recent cleaning.

Apparently, Brett Cummins has been questioned "muliple times" since this incident occurred.

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=128339.54928.140468

ETA: Here is the link to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article I posted about earlier today.

From the article;

"There could be criminal charges that come out of this case, but we're not looking for that," Hansard told The AP. "We're just trying to figure out what's going on."

I hope when they find out they let us know.

 

[pferrin]

On Dexters fb page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roger...0948764&set=pu.224115874283313&type=1&theater
Dexter is the fella sitting with striped towel around him..i believe. Too young to be gone.

 

[pferrin]

On Dexters fb page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roger...0948764&set=pu.224115874283313&type=1&theater
Dexter is the fella sitting with striped towel around him..i believe. Too young to be gone.

If you are on Dexters fb it is under house pool..pics are labeled

 

[HastingsChi]

Here is the latest development in the death of Dexter Williams from KATV (ABC affiliate in Little Rock):
Attorney: Ark. weatherman innocent in tub death

An attorney for the Arkansas meteorologist found sleeping in a hot tub with a dead man says no foul play was involved.

Little Rock-based lawyer Mark Hampton said Thursday that KARK meteorologist Brett Cummins is innocent.

Full story (which doesn't mention any additional important info) can be found here.

 

[HastingsChi]

Here is some background about Cummins' attorney Mark Hampton (Information gathered from Hampton's website)

Areas of Practice: Drug Offenses, Homicide, Battery Offenses, Parole Release, White Collar Crime and Appeals.

From the "Mark in the News Section" we learn he has received media attention in the following areas: Former Prosecutor Acquitted on Drug Charges, Inmate Sex with Police Chief’s Wife and Baptist Music Minister Admits Child Sex Abuse.

I guess this is nothing less than an interesting choice of attorney for Cummins-- whether he is charged with some sort of murder-like crime (homicide, manslaughter, etc) or charged with a drug offense, seems like Hampton would have him covered...

 

[TGIRecovered]

Here is some background about Cummins' attorney Mark Hampton (Information gathered from Hampton's website)

Areas of Practice: Drug Offenses, Homicide, Battery Offenses, Parole Release, White Collar Crime and Appeals.

From the "Mark in the News Section" we learn he has received media attention in the following areas: Former Prosecutor Acquitted on Drug Charges, Inmate Sex with Police Chief’s Wife and Baptist Music Minister Admits Child Sex Abuse.

I guess this is nothing less than an interesting choice of attorney for Cummins-- whether he is charged with some sort of murder-like crime (homicide, manslaughter, etc) or charged with a drug offense, seems like Hampton would have him covered...

HastingsChi, you are the newbie who just keeps on giving!

With only 15 posts so far you have continued to keep me eagerly awaiting the next interesting bit of info you'll bring to us.

Inmate Sex with Police Chief's Wife? Really? :sick:

 

[HastingsChi]

HastingsChi, you are the newbie who just keeps on giving!

With only 15 posts so far you have continued to keep me eagerly awaiting the next interesting bit of info you'll bring to us.

Inmate Sex with Police Chief's Wife? Really? :sick:

Thanks for your kind words TGIRecovered, I really appreciate them.

Not to get us off topic but you asked, so here it is: Several Inmates Orgy With Police Chief's Wife

Rather than post the titillating details here, the above link to PoliceCrimes.com (which was linked to from Hampton's site) will give you the scoop on that.

 

[HastingsChi]

This just in from KARK 4 (the station who employs Brett Cummins):


Thursday afternoon, Brett Cummins released the following statement to CNN through
his attorney:

"Brett Cummins is devastated by the tragic death of his friend Dexter Williams and extends his sincere condolences to Dexter's family.
"They remain foremost in his thoughts and prayers. Mr. Cummins deeply regrets the grief this incident has caused those who know him, especially his co-workers and family members.
"Mr. Cummins continues to cooperate fully with authorities investigating the circumstances surrounding Mr. Williams' passing and, like them, looks forward to a conclusion of the inquiry, secure in his own innocence and confident that no foul play was involved.
"In an attempt to assist the Maumelle Police Department as they gather information in this regard, and so that all resources can be properly focused, no further public statements will be made at this time."

KARK notes: "Brett will not be on the air as he continues mourning the loss of his friend."

The KARK story also includes the statement from Dexter Williams' family which was released yesterday. Full story can be found here.

 

[tezi]

Here is the latest development in the death of Dexter Williams from KATV (ABC affiliate in Little Rock):
Attorney: Ark. weatherman innocent in tub death

An attorney for the Arkansas meteorologist found sleeping in a hot tub with a dead man says no foul play was involved.

Little Rock-based lawyer Mark Hampton said Thursday that KARK meteorologist Brett Cummins is innocent.

Full story (which doesn't mention any additional important info) can be found here.

Thanks HastingsChi! I haven't been on the computer much today. I think the choice of this attorney is "interesting."

I think that BC could possibly be facing drug charges.

JMO, IMO, and all other disclaimers.