Aaron Dean: What's next as former Fort Worth cop begins serving sentence
FORT WORTH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — Former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean has been transferred from the Tarrant County Jail to a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility in Huntsville to begin serving his nearly 12-year sentence for manslaughter.
He'll undergo diagnostics at the James H. Byrd Unit before being taken to his permanent housing facility.
A jury sentenced Dean to nearly 11 years, 10 months, and 12 days in prison Tuesday for shooting and killing Atatiana Jefferson in her home in Oct. 2019. The same jury found him guilty of manslaughter last week.
Even though the criminal proceedings in Tarrant County are done, this case is far from over. Aaron Dean, and the City of Fort Worth, could still be facing years of legal proceedings.
"Black people in North Texas want to feel safe in their homes," said Lee Merritt, the attorney for Atatiana Jefferson's sisters and brother. "They deserve to feel safe in their homes. We want Atatiana Jefferson's family made whole and to send a message to cities across the country that Black lives do in fact matter."
Now that the state's criminal case against Dean is done, Jefferson's family hopes to finally move forward with the civil suit they filed against Dean and the City of Fort Worth.
A judge had put the proceedings on hold, pending the outcome of the criminal case.
When the jury handed down Dean's sentence Tuesday, Merritt immediately filed a motion with the court to lift that stay.
"During this trial, we learned so much about how the City of Fort Worth trains its officers, what policies exist that are in place, and then we learned about what they knew about Aaron Dean prior to offering him a job as a Fort Worth police officer," Merritt said. "All of those things are going to be a part of what we are pursuing in litigation, looking for changes to those policies and for compensation, of course, for this family who has been rocked by the loss of their loved one."
Merritt says they are also working with the U.S. Attorney's Office to bring federal civil rights charges against not only Dean, but the Fort Worth Police Department as well.
"Best case scenario, the Department of Justice comes in to review the Fort Worth Police Department, that we believe is a troubled department historically, and decides to do a pattern and practice investigation into the region and its policies concerning the use of force," said Merritt.
Jefferson's sisters have met with former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden to advocate for federal intervention, according to Merritt.
The Department of Justice typically waits to get involved until the state's case is complete.
Those proceedings could move forward while Dean goes through an appeal.
He filed a notice of appeal almost immediately after the jury handed down his 11 year, 10 month, and 12 day sentence.
"What that means is he wants to make sure he has the right to appeal," said Lisa Herrick, a Fort Worth attorney.
If Dean's attorneys do pursue an appeal, he'll have to stay behind bars while that process plays out.
"The appeals process is a lengthy process," Herrick said. "The civil case will very likely be a lengthy process. If a federal case does end up getting filed and pursued, that could be a lengthy process."
