Family Accused in Murder to Make Court Appearance Thursday

Two Ocean Township residents allegedly connected to the 2010 death of a Manchester man will appear in Monmouth County court on Thursday, May 9.

Thomas Dorsett will appear in the courtroom of Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mellaci, Jr., along with his wife Lesley Dorsett and daughter Kathleen Dorsett.

Thomas Dorsett is accused in the death of his former son-in-law Stephen Moore of Manchester. Moore’s body was found in the truck of his mother’s burning car, according to an nj.com story dated Aug. 26, 2010.

Moore was beaten to death and left in the car. Thomas Dorsett then paid Anthony Morris, 31, of Long Branch $3,000 to torch the car, the nj.com story says. Morris was indicted for arson for hire, tampering with physical evidence and desecrating human remains in January 2011, according to a 2011 Long Branch Patch story.

Moore disappeared after dropping his then 20-month-old daughter at ex-wife Kathleen Dorsett’s house in Ocean Township on the morning of Aug. 16, 2010, the story says. Colleagues at an Eatontown car dealership alerted police when Moore did not appear at work that day.

Kathleen Dorsett was charged in 2010 with her role in her husband’s murder. She and Lesley Dorsett are also charged with the attempted murder of Moore’s mother. 

Moore’s mother was awarded temporary custody of Kathleen Dorsett’s daughter after the homicide. The Prosecutors office said the two hired a hit man to kill Moore’s mother, the Asbury Park Press reported.

The Monmouth Prosecutors Office cited the divorce and strained relationship with Kathleen Dorsett as a contribution to the killing, nj.com said.

In addition to the murder-for-hire plot, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office also uncovered a money laundering scheme at various banks in Monmouth County, according to Long Branch Patch.

Kathleen, Thomas and Lesley Dorsett were arrested and charged with one count of third degree conspiracy to commit financial facilitation of criminal activity, commonly referred to as money laundering, and one count of third degree "money laundering" on Nov. 17, 2010.

According to the prosecutor's office, the charges allege that "the three Dorsett's structured financial transactions at five banks in Monmouth County for the purpose of evading state and/or federal currency transaction reporting requirements."

The amount of money deposited into the five banks leading up to Moore's death is over $96,00 according to a release from the prosecutor's office.

According to current Monmouth County Jail Inmates records, Dorsett was charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence, arson for hire, tampering with a witness, criminal attempt and conspiracy.

The records also show that Kathleen Dorsett was charged in 2010 with murder, tampering with evidence, conspiracy and criminal attempt. Lesley Dorsett was charged in 2011 with conspiracy and criminal attempt.

The three Dorsetts were indicted in January 2011 in connection with the murder-for-hire plot of Moore, according to Long Branch Patch.