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Ex-Georgia sheriff indicted on murder

Derwin Brown was killed outside his house, three days before he was to be sworn in as sheriff.

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A grand jury looking into the shooting death of a metro Atlanta-area sheriff-elect returned an indictment for murder Friday against the sheriff he was to replace.

The indictment's 19 counts against former DeKalb County Sheriff Sidney Dorsey include one count of murder, three counts of violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corruptions Organizations (RICO) Act, two counts of bribery, two counts of violation of oath, nine counts of theft and one count each of aiding or permitting another to escape lawful custody or confinement and illegal use of inmates.

The county grand jury has been looking into corruption in the sheriff's department under Dorsey, 61, and the murder of Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown. Dorsey and two other men were charged with the murder last November.

Prosecutors allege Dorsey had Brown murdered because he was planning to expose corruption in the sheriff's department under Dorsey.

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During his campaign, Brown had promised to reform the sheriff's department and had planned to fire 38 deputies, according to DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan. He had pledged to authorize an outside audit of the jail's $50 million budget.

Brown was shot dead in his residential driveway on December 15, 2000, as he returned from a party celebrating the end of his sheriff's training.

Patrick Cuffy, whom Dorsey had hired as a jailer, said he planned the killing at Dorsey's request.

Cuffy, the state's star witness, has received immunity in exchange for his testimony.