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Man Accused Of Killing, Dismembering Roommate After Police Find Severed Head, Human Remains

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CARRICK (KDKA) -- John Dickinson, 42, is facing multiple charges including criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and other charges.

He's accused of killing Kevin Thompson, 46. Thompson's mom reported him missing on Thursday. She told police Dickinson was her son's new roommate.

john robert dickinson
John Dickinson (Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety)

The two lived on Parkfield Street in Carrick.

On Friday, police found what was believed to be dried blood all over the kitchen and on the walls leading up to Thompson's bedroom. Investigators smelled a strong odor coming from a shed in the backyard. Police noticed flies landing on a bag of dog food inside the shed.

Inside that bag, investigators found a garbage bag and inside that, they found what they believed to be blood and human remains. In the basement, police found a human torso wrapped in two trash bags. They went back to the shed and found several plastic bags containing various limbs and a severed head.

kevin thompson
(Photo: Provided)

The medical examiner confirmed the victim was Kevin Thompson and said he died from blunt force trauma and multiple stab wounds to the chest. Officials believe the murder happened sometime between May 27 and May 29.

Some witnesses came forward and told police they were with Dickinson watching television when the news came on about a body being discovered in Carrick. They said he stated to them, "I did that."

Police said Dickinson told one of the witnesses he and Thompson got into a fight after Thompson made a sexual advance towards him. A third witness told police Dickinson spent Friday night at his home. That witness told police he found a notebook belonging to Dickinson, and inside, he found a page stating "This is John Dickinson. I am responsible for the death of Kevin Thompson. I had no help whatsoever. I told no one what I did."

Pittsburgh Police arrested Dickinson at Seldom Seen Greenway off of Route 51. Police said Dickinson was hanging out with friends who were camping when they took him into custody.

Half-Brother Of Accused Carrick Killer Reacts To Brutal Murder; Ralph Iannotti reports --

 

Richard Brazell describes Dickinson as his half-brother.

He said Dickinson was in a foster home until the age of 18, and it was after that, he said, when Dickinson re-established connections with him, his siblings and their mother.

In an interview with KDKA-TV News, Brazell said, "I found out [Sunday] morning by text messages. Someone told me, 'Your brother is a killer, he did this, he did that, blah blah blah.' We're shocked by it. My family and I, we truly are."

Brazell told KDKA-TV's Ralph Iannotti that he and his brother texted one another just the other day, and nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.

He said there was no hint his brother was becoming unhinged.

"I mean, he's not... to us, we don't know him as a murderer. He's our brother," Brazell said. "I don't know [what happened]. I just know we lost our older brother, Chuck, a few months ago, to a heroin overdose. That was his closest person. Losing him may have triggered something that sparked this violent outburst. I just hopes everything works out for all the parties involved."

Brazell admitted that his brother had a violent streak and had served time in prison, adding that Dickinson was never violent towards him.

Brazell had a message for Thompson's loved ones.

"I'm terribly sorry for their loss, it's very tragic," he said. "I pray they can get justice. I pray they have justice, I really do."

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