Joseph Wade Dozier met and started dating 14 year old Misty Pearson in the early part of 1992. By July of 1992; she was pregnant. Joseph came home and told his father, William Dozier; that someone was going to kill him. That someone was Misty’s grandfather, Keith Pearson. Keith had found out that his granddaughter was pregnant and he had threatened Joseph’s life.
William, Sharon (his wife and Joe’s mother), and Joe went to Keith Pearson’s farm to confront him and clear this matter up. At first he told them to leave. But at William’s insistence that the matter needed discussing; he relented and they stepped aside to discuss the matter. Keith admitted that he had threatened the boy; but, he had done so in the anger of the moment and did not really mean what he had said. The Matter was discussed at length among the adults, William and Sharon Dozier and Keith (Kim’s Dad) and Kim Pearson.
It was decided that Joe and Misty would get married and that she would continue her education in the Gravette School. Graduation was important to Keith Pearson and he wanted the assurance that his granddaughter would receive her diploma.
At the time of this meeting Keith made it clear to Kim Pearson: Misty’s mother, that he would no longer make the payments on her home in Siloam Springs. He was very angry at her for allowing this to happen and she would now have to suffer the consequences. He was unhappy with the fact that she was living with Ronnie Wiley and that she had allowed Misty to get pregnant. Ronnie was a deadbeat who only worked at odd jobs. He had a small disability income due to losing some fingers on his hand; but he did not have a full time job.
After the meeting with Keith, William and Sharon met with Kim at the Siloam Springs KFC. Kim had told William she did not care if Misty and Joe got married but she was concerned that the child might not be Joe’s. She told William and Sharon that as soon as Joe dropped Misty off another boy would pick her up. Keith had told William earlier that He was not sure that the baby was Joe’s because he had caught Misty out in the woods behind his house with a boy, and it wasn't Joe.
Many remark justice is blind; pity those in her sway, shocked to discover she is also deaf. David Mamet
