Kriti Mehrotra
Patrick James Dennehy suddenly disappeared without a trace while attending Baylor University in June 2003. Following his disappearance, the entire collegiate sporting community found itself under a microscope. The 21-year-old was found to have been killed at the hands of someone he once trusted, following which a broader scandal involving the program he was under came to light. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Game Day Murders: A Killer Recruit’ details the events leading up to his death, the investigation that ensued and the aftermath of it all.
Patrick Dennehy’s Remains Were Found in a Rural Area Weeks After He Was Reported Missing
Although Patrick Dennehy was born on January 28, 1982, in Santa Clara, California, to Valorie Brabazon and Patrick Dennehy Sr., he was primarily raised by his mother and stepfather, Brian Brabazon. He thus had 3 parental figures for the majority of his life, all of whom unwaveringly supported his dream of one day turning his passion for basketball into a profession by making it to the NBA. His athletic build and dexterity further backed his potential. He reportedly stood at a towering 6’10” and weighed 230 lbs by the time he graduated from Saint Francis High School in 2000 as their star basketball athlete.
According to records, Patrick subsequently enrolled at the University of New Mexico, where he played for two years before transferring to Baylor University in 2002, beginning his junior year. He ended up redshirting his entire first season with the Baylor Bears for eligibility reasons, but he was preparing to be a starter on the upcoming roster by the time summer 2003 rolled around. He was truly excited about his future and laser-focused on his lifelong dream, which made it all the more unusual when he went radio silent after being last seen on campus on June 12.
On June 19, Patrick’s family reported him missing after not hearing from him for almost a week, around the same time he last attended classes or practice sessions at Baylor. What ensued was an extensive search across the nation, but it wasn’t until his killer confessed that he was found in a gravel pit/overgrown grassy site in a rural area outside Waco, Texas, on July 25. It took two more days for him to be positively identified, following which his autopsy report confirmed his cause of death as two gunshot wounds to the back of his head at close proximity.
The Killer Was Charged With Murder Even Before Patrick’s Remains Were Found
When Patrick’s family reported him missing, they specified that they were worried about his well-being because he hadn’t called on Father’s Day, which was extremely uncharacteristic of him. His roommate also indicated something had to be awry because when he returned from an out-of-town trip, he noticed Patrick’s dogs – whom he absolutely adored – hadn’t been fed in days. As investigations into the disappearance began, officials came to suspect foul play and zeroed in on fellow Baylor University basketball player Carlton Dotson, as he was also last seen on June 12.
According to records, an affidavit seeking a search warrant for Patrick’s personal computer filed on June 23 revealed that an informant in Delaware potentially had information about his homicide. The informant had reportedly approached authorities to claim that Carlton, who had fled to his home state of Maryland, had told a cousin he killed his teammate following an argument. The 21-year-old junior power forward allegedly said that he and Patrick had gone to a remote rock quarry roughly four miles from campus to practice shooting their guns when a fight turned fatal.
Two days after this affidavit was filed, Patrick’s Chevrolet Tahoe SUV was found abandoned in the parking lot of a shopping mall all the way in Virginia. The vehicle’s license plates were missing, but it was soon confirmed to belong to the missing junior forward. In the end, on July 21, 2003, Carlton was arrested for murder while still in Maryland, shortly following which he asked to speak with the FBI and confessed to everything. The motive behind his actions or the details of his alleged fight with Patrick have never been made public, but his confession helped solve the matter.
Carlton Dotson is Currently Under the Supervision of the Texas Parole Board
When Carlton spoke to officials, he reportedly claimed that demons were after him and that several individuals – like Patrick – had tried to kill him because he was “Jesus, the son of God.” He was subsequently extradited to Texas, where 3 psychiatrists later ascertained that he appeared to be suffering from hallucinations and psychosis, but he could regain lucidity under proper care. Hence, a judge declared him incompetent to stand trial in October 2004 and sent him to a psychiatric facility under the stipulation of reevaluation in 4 months – the reevaluation found him competent.
Carlton returned to a county jail in February 2005 to await trial, which was scheduled to begin on June 13, 2005. However, 5 days before opening statements, he pleaded guilty to Patrick’s murder, for which he was sentenced to 35 years in prison on June 15, 2005. He sought permission to appeal his conviction in December of the same year, but the request was dismissed in January 2006 on the grounds that he had forfeited this right by pleading guilty. Carlton was denied parole four times over four consecutive years, from 2020 to 2023, before it was ultimately granted on March 25, 2024. In June 2025, he was released under the Super Intensive Supervision Program and remains under supervision in Texas to this day.
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