David Dickerson was found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend, who was the mother of his daughter. He committed the crime by shooting and subsequently burning her. In 2015, the Mississippi Supreme Court upheld Dickerson’s capital murder conviction and his death sentence along with additional convictions for arson and armed robbery.

Following the conviction, Dickerson sought post-conviction relief, contending that he is intellectually disabled according to the court’s definition, making him ineligible for the death penalty. Dickerson argued that the post-conviction relief application, along with supporting affidavits, presented substantial evidence that he satisfied all three criteria for mental retardation. However, the petition for post-conviction relief was denied.