National Football League

Man who killed Warrick Dunn's mother may avoid execution

Published Jun. 18, 2015 1:12 p.m. ET

foxsports

By Steve DelVecchio

The man who was convicted of killing former NFL running back Warrick Dunn’s mother may avoid the death penalty.

According to Emily Lane of The Times-Picayune, a Supreme Court ruling that was issued on Thursday could result in Kevan Brumfield being declared mentally disabled. A 2002 Supreme Court ruling declared that it is unconstitutional to execute convicted felons who have been determined by the court to be “mentally retarded.”

Brumfield was convicted of murdering Baton Rouge Police Department officer Cpl. Better Smothers in 1993. Smothers was the mother of Dunn and five other children. She was gunned down by Brumfield while escorting a grocery store manager to a bank.

Dunn, who spent his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons, was 18 and a senior in high school when his mother was killed. He has since created a charitable organization in his mother’s honor that helps single parents attain their dreams of owning a home.

In 2008, Dunn visited the Louisiana State Penitentiary to meet Brumfield in person. He later said that he had forgiven Brumfield and had no intention of attending his execution. You can see an interview where Dunn spoke about meeting Brumfield here.

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