Ex-Texas Officer's Trial Set For Next Year In Atatiana Jefferson's Slaying
FORT WORTH, Texas (CBSDFW/AP) - A judge in Texas has tentatively set an August trial date for former Fort Worth officer Aaron Dean, who's charged with murder in the shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson.
Jefferson, who was 28-years-old at the time, was fatally shot through a window of her home. She was a pre-medical graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana and lived at the home to care for her mother and 8-year-old nephew.
Judge David Hagerman on Tuesday said the scheduling may be fluid but that the Dean's case "needs to be tried next year," the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
Dean resigned after he was charged with murder in the Oct. 12, 2019, shooting death of Jefferson.
Jefferson was babysitting her nephew at her mother's home when a neighbor called a non-emergency police line to report that a door was ajar. Police have said that Dean opened fire from outside through a window after "perceiving a threat."
Dean resigned from his job following the deadly shooting and was subsequently indicted by a grand jury on a murder charge on December 20, 2019.
A gag order was issued that prevents prosecutors and defense attorneys from speaking publicly about the case. At Tuesday's pretrial proceedings, Hagerman said he would likely consider a motion to change the venue of the trial from Tarrant County.
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