Man charged with murder in death of DeKalb freshman, faces new charges while jailed

The DeKalb man accused of murder in the death of a DeKalb High School freshman faces new charges for offenses prosecutors say he committed while detained at the DeKalb County Jail.

Three new felony criminal cases have been filed against Timothy M. Doll, 30, since June 3.

Doll has been held in the jail since his May 7, 2023, arrest, charged with first-degree murder after police found 15-year-old Gracie Sasso-Cleveland’s body discarded inside a laundry basket in a dumpster outside of Doll’s College Avenue apartment, according to DeKalb police and court records.

[ Read more: Prosecutors say evidence almost complete ahead of Doll murder trial in DeKalb teen’s killing ]

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said in the new cases that on June 3, Doll damaged a fire sprinkler in a holding cell at the jail, causing more than $500 worth of damage. He was charged with two Class 4 felonies in connection to the damage, which can carry one to three years in prison. The charges also are probational.

The damage occurred while Doll was housed in a segregation cell by himself, according to a synopsis filed by the sheriff’s office in DeKalb County court. While removing Doll from the cell, he “repeatedly admitted to breaking the sprinkler, staging he ‘didn’t care,’” the sheriff’s office said.

That same day, after allegedly damaging the sprinkler head, Doll is accused of battering a DeKalb County sheriff’s deputy while being taken to a padded cell in another part of the jail.

The next day, Doll was accused of again battering a DeKalb County sergeant, this time by spitting at her left cheek, and resisting a police officer when he tried to place him in handcuffs.

Both batteries are Class 2 felonies that if he is convicted, can carry prison terms of three to seven years. They also are probational.

The allegations occurred after deputies ordered Doll to remove the objects he had placed over his cell window, obstructing their view into the cell.

“Doll became combative with deputies and resisted their efforts to restrain him, by pulling his arms and body away from deputies as they attempted to place him into restraints,” the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said in a synopsis filed in court.

Doll was ultimately placed in a restraint chair – a type of physical restraint used to force a person to remain seated in one place, often to prevent self harm or harm to others – where he made “multiple threats” to deputies and spat at the sergeant and one of the deputies, according to the synopsis.

Doll will be represented by defense attorney Andrew Nickel in these cases as the DeKalb County Public Defender’s Office had a conflict of interest, according to court records. Nickel is already representing Doll against the murder charges.

An attempt to reach Nickel on Monday was not successful.