Thursday, 4:30 PM
Husband, accused of killing wife in Berkshires, tells police he ingested poison
By Globe Staff
The pastor of a small church in the Berkshires was found stabbed to death today in Great Barrington, and police charged her 63-year-old husband with murder.
The body of the Rev. Esther Dozier was found at 6:30 a.m. in her home on Railroad Avenue, a short walk from the Clinton AME Zion Church, according to police and prosecutors. Her husband, Henry E. Dozier Sr., was arrested 30 minutes later during a traffic stop in Lenox, according to a statement issued by the Berkshire district attorney’s office.
After his arrest, Henry E. Dozier Sr., a deacon at the church, told police he had ingested poison. He was rushed to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, where he was treated and released into the custody of police, according to the statement.
Dozier is expected to be arraigned this afternoon in Southern Berkshire District Court.
Founded in the 1840s, the Clinton AME Zion Church is linked to W.E.B. Dubois, DuBois, the black educator who was born in Great Barrington. Randy Weinstein, the founder and director of the W.E.B. DuBois Center in Great Barrington, said that the Rev. Esther Dozier’s influence stretched beyond the roughly 30 members of her church’s congregation.
"She was devoted to the legacy of W.E.B. DuBois and made an impact on this community," Weinstein said.
Material from the Associated Press is included in this report.
