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Prison sentences imposed in connection with gang death in Lenawee County in 2019

ADRIAN – The man who “lit the fuse” that led to the 2019 murder of a Weston man will spend at least 12 years in prison after completing his current sentence.

Andrew Erin Cecil, 33, pleaded guilty in July to manslaughter and aggravated weapons possession for his role in the killing of Christopher Dickerson. The agreement set the prison sentence for the manslaughter charge at 10 to 22 1/2 years, to be served after the mandatory 2-year sentence for the aggravated weapons possession charge.

Cecil is already serving a 10-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2020 of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm less than murder. That charge related to him stabbing Dickerson in the back during a fight in 2018. That case led to Cecil wanting Dickerson dead before he could testify in a trial, prosecutors and Dickerson's mother said Thursday during a sentencing hearing in Lenawee County District Court.

District Judge Michael R. Olsaver had to decide whether the sentences for manslaughter and aggravated weapons offense should be served concurrently with the assault conviction or after the assault conviction. He chose to serve them consecutively, meaning Cecil could serve up to 34 1/2 years for the assault and manslaughter cases. He also did not give Cecil credit for the time he spent in prison while that case was being resolved.

Cecil's desire to prevent Dickerson from testifying in the assault trial was an attempt to undermine the justice system, Olsaver said.

“This is especially true in this case because our legal system is designed to find the truth at every indictment. In this case, Christopher Dickerson was murdered to hide that truth,” he said.

Olsaver said that in addition to the attempted detriment to the justice system, consecutive sentences were appropriate because both cases involved the same victim.

“If I were to issue those sentences simultaneously, we would more or less erase or limit the fact that this is a second offense,” he said.

Dickerson's killing was “completely unnecessary,” said Lenawee County Assistant District Attorney Douglas Hartung.

“This is the dumbest murder I can think of in my career in Lenawee County,” he said.

Dickerson's mother, Tracy Dickerson, told Olsaver her son would not testify in the assault trial, and Hartung said there was nothing they could have done to compel him to testify. If he did not testify, prosecutors would have used the transcript of his testimony in the preliminary investigation of the assault case, just as they did after his murder.

Instead, Cecil used the “villains he had in his power” – Count Teresa Trevino, Austin Keith Richardson and David Curtis Taylor – to silence Dickerson.

“It was Andrew Cecil who lit the fuse that started a chain reaction that caused three bullets to explode in Chris Dickerson's brain,” Hartung said.

All of those involved had a connection to the Latin Counts gang, either as members or through contacts with members. Witnesses testified during the trials that the Latin Counts have a rule that any gang member who betrays or testifies against another member should die, and that Trevino and Cecil conspired to have Dickerson killed.

Trevino was sentenced in April 2023 for second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit open murder, solicitation to commit open murder, and gang membership. He is serving a prison sentence of 45 to 85 years for murder and conspiracy, 37 1/2 to 65 years for solicitation, and 15 to 26 years and 8 months for gang membership. These sentences will be served concurrently.

Cecil was originally charged with the same crimes as Trevino, and they were tried together before separate juries. Cecil's jury was unable to reach a verdict, and Olsaver declared the trial void. Cecil pleaded guilty on the day a new trial on murder and other charges was scheduled to begin.

Richardson was sentenced to 7.5 to 60 years in prison for first-degree murder and 7.5 to 20 years for gang membership after pleading guilty and cooperating with the investigation.

Taylor recently pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting a crime for possessing the gun used to shoot Dickerson after his death. His sentencing is scheduled for October 3.

Both Richardson and Taylor accused the other of shooting Dickerson in a wooded area near Morenci on January 21, 2019.

Olsaver also spoke about the damage Cecil's actions have caused Dickerson's family, saying he has heard Tracy Dickerson make multiple statements about their victim impact.

“We cannot right the wrong that has been done,” he said. “We cannot make a judgment that will allow Ms. Dickerson and her family to experience the joys of life that they would have if they had their son and her brother.”

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Tracy Dickerson said this situation began with the argument between Cecil and her son on May 1, 2018, when Cecil “stabbed my son for the first time and tried to kill him. Rather than take responsibility for his actions, he decided it would be better to have my son murdered to prevent him from testifying at his trial.”

Dickerson said she disagreed with Cecil's deal, but she was tired of continuing the fight.

“My biggest regret is that I neglected my other sons and my grandchildren,” she said in court. “I'm looking forward to starting my life over. I want to make memories with my family again. … I've carried so much hate inside me for the past six years, but Chris made me realize that enough is enough. He's now at peace and it's time for me to let go of all the hate and start living my life again.”

Dickerson also thanked the investigators, prosecutors and victims' rights advocates for the thousands of hours they worked on this case. She also thanked Olsaver for his role in the case.

Cecil and his attorney, George Lyons of Jackson, said he has accepted responsibility for his actions and is working to reform himself by taking college courses and other classes available to him in prison. Cecil apologized to Tracy Dickerson, saying he did not know what it was like to lose a son, and he apologized to the court for “the time and energy everyone has wasted on this case.”

Olsaver also ordered Cecil to pay $266 in court costs and $6,039 in restitution, with $1,039 going to Tracy Dickerson and $5,000 to the state Crime Victims Compensation Fund.

– Contact reporter David Panian at [email protected] or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.

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