Attorneys for the officer, Aaron Dean, argue he can’t get a fair trial in Tarrant County.
A hearing to determine whether the trial for a former Fort Worth officer who has been charged with murder in the shooting of Atatiana Jefferson resumed Tuesday.
Attorneys for the officer, Aaron Dean, argue he can’t get a fair trial in Tarrant County.
On Monday, the first day of the hearing, state district Judge David Hagerman granted mandatory background checks witnesses and a review of any criminal history, but a decision wasn’t made on the change-of-venue request. Several of Jefferson’s family members were in the courtroom.
The hearing resumed Tuesday morning and lasted less than two hours before Hagerman postponed the change-of-venue motion until Wednesday at 9 a.m.
Dean, 37, is accused of fatally shooting Jefferson, 28, inside her mother’s home in October 2019 after a neighbor called a non-emergency line to report that the doors to the home were open and lights were on.
When Dean and another officer responded to the home near the 1200 block of East Allen Avenue about 2:30 a.m., neither of them announced their presence, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit.
Dean, who resigned two days after the shooting, was the first officer in Tarrant County to be charged with murder. He was released on $200,000 bond.
His lawyers requested a change of venue for the trial Dec. 1, arguing that extensive news coverage of the case makes a fair trial impossible.
The trial, which was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, is set for Jan. 10, with jury selection scheduled for Jan. 4.
If the case is moved to another Texas county, the start of the trial probably would be delayed again.
Dean could face life in prison if convicted.
