Dorsett family sentenced in murder case

An Ocean Township father and daughter have been sentenced to 30 years in prison on murder charges from a 2010 killing in Ocean Township, with additional sentences for other offenses.

The mother in the family has been sentenced to seven years for conspiracy to commit another murder. Thomas Dorsett, 65, his daughter Kathleen Dorsett, 39, and wife Lesley Dorsett, were all sentenced in court last Thursday by Judge Anthony Mellaci. Thomas Dorsett and Kathleen Dorsett were charged with killing Kathleen’s ex-husband, Stephen Moore, in August of 2010. In May of this year, they pled guilty to the charges. On Aug. 18, 2010, Moore’s body was discovered in Long Branch, in the trunk of a car belonging to his mother. Investigators soon concluded he had been killed in Ocean Township, at the Dorsett’s home, and that the body had been moved and the car burned in an attempt to divert the investigation. Kathleen and her mother, Lesley, were later found to have conspired to kill Moore’s mother.  Kathleen Dorsett pleaded guilty to first degree Murder, first degree Conspiracy to Disturb Human Remains, and first degree Attempted Murder. The judge sentenced her to 30 years in prison for the murder charge, 20 years on the attempted murder charge, and eight years on final charge. Thomas Dorsett pleaded guilty to first degree Murder and first degree Arson for Hire. The judge sentenced him to 30 years for the murder, and an addition 15 for the arson. Lesley Dorsett, who pleaded guilty to first degree Conspiracy to Commit Murder, was sentenced to seven years.