“I was just in disbelief at first. Like, they have the wrong person; there’s no way that happened,” Lauri Beasley told FOX 56.
What was meant to be a Fourth of July camping trip ended in tragedy when Beasley’s brother, 35-year-old Thomas “TJ” Dick, was killed on July 6.
Investigators say the man accused of pulling the trigger was his best friend of 20 years, Anthony “Tony” Emerson.
“My brother, at the time that he died, had been living with Tony for three years at Tony’s grandparents’ house, and they worked together,” Beasley said. “He thought of Tony like a brother to him, more than a best friend.”
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting happened inside a camper on Turkey Gap Road in the early hours of July 6.
According to an arrest citation, Emerson told 911 dispatchers he fired the shot after an argument while drinking.
“The betrayal that he must have felt when he felt that sting, when he heard that bang, when he took his last breath,” said Beasley. “That part is what goes through your mind when you realize justice has not been served.”
Deputies told her that the two men were dropped off at the campsite by a neighbor just after 1 a.m., saying that person even texted their family to confirm. Minutes later, her brother was dead.
“All of a sudden, there’s an altercation so bad that you shoot your best friend of over 15 years and claim you had no choice, even though your best friend was unarmed,” Beasley said.
Throughout the 20-minute 911 call recording, Emerson could be heard pleading to Dick, “Why the [expletive] did you come in here after me?”
Emerson was arrested and charged with murder, but pleaded not guilty. His attorney argued self-defense, and a grand jury ultimately declined to indict him.
In a statement, Emerson’s attorney wrote:
This case was never about murder. It was about survival.
Tony was attacked by a larger, intoxicated man who became violent. Tony retreated into an RV, tried to shut the door, and warned the man to stop. When the man forced his way inside and charged at him, Tony had no choice but to defend himself.
Tony immediately called 911 after the shooting, attempted lifesaving measures on the deceased, and fully cooperated with law enforcement. He didn’t run. He didn’t lie. He did everything a responsible citizen should do under the circumstances. All of the physical evidence aligned with Tony’s statements. His story never changed because it was the truth. The grand jury didn’t find the evidence insufficient – they found the evidence consistent with self-defense.
This was a tragedy. Two lives were changed forever that night – one was lost, and one was forced to survive. Kentucky law is clear: self-defense is not a crime. The grand jury’s decision confirms that principle.
Robert Norfleet, attorney for Anthony Emerson
Kentucky is a stand-your-ground state, meaning you can use deadly force if you reasonably believe your life or someone else’s life is in danger.
Beasley believes that the law is flawed.
“It’s not the burden of the prosecutor to prove that it’s not self-defense, which I think is the most alarming thing that I found out about all this, because that would mean that everybody could claim self-defense on the stand or under the stand-your-ground law,” Beasley added. “This man got away with it on an unarmed man with no witnesses to corroborate his story.”
Beasley said despite the grand jury’s decision, she will continue to seek justice for her “kind, funny, loyal” brother.
“This is just a bump along the way. I’m not giving up. I will not rest till my last breath. I will be fighting for justice, and I will get justice, because I know for a fact that this was not self-defense,” Beasley said.
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