Former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean鈥檚 defense team pressed prominent witnesses on Thursday, trying to prove that their statements about Dean鈥檚 case make it impossible to get a fair trial in Tarrant County.
Dean is on trial for the on-duty killing of Atatiana Jefferson, who he shot through the window of her own home in the early hours of Oct. 12, 2019. His attorneys want 396th District Court Judge George Gallagher to move the trial to another county. Dean鈥檚 attorneys argue that statements from officials like former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, who condemned Dean鈥檚 actions in the press, have biased potential jurors locally.
Price, former Fort Worth Police Chief Ed Kraus, and current Fort Worth City Council member Chris Nettles took the witness stand on Thursday for the second day of pre-trial hearings. The defense focused on press conferences Kraus and Price gave shortly after the shooting.
In an one of the witnesses to the shooting, Jefferson鈥檚 nephew Zion Carr, said his aunt pointed a gun at the window before Dean shot her. Price said Jefferson's gun was at a press conference.
On Thursday, one of Dean鈥檚 lawyers, Bob Gill, asked her what she meant by that.
鈥淐itizens have a right to have weapons in their home,鈥� Price said.
Dean鈥檚 attorneys also argued in court filings that officials and the media have tried to make the shooting 鈥渁 racial issue.鈥� Dean is white, and Jefferson was Black.
Gill asked Price if she thought there was a racial aspect to the case.
鈥淐learly it involved a white officer and an African American female,鈥� Price said.
Dean鈥檚 attorneys also pushed Nettles for information on how much he鈥檚 publicized Dean鈥檚 case. Nettles, who joined the hearing via Zoom, ran for city council . After he was elected, Nettles went to the criminal courts building to to District Attorney Sharen Wilson and the previous judge who first oversaw the case, . The event was widely covered by local media.
Miles Brissette, another attorney on Dean's defense team, asked Nettles about why he told his council colleagues about the letter before he delivered it.
Nettles said he did it so his colleagues wouldn鈥檛 be blindsided by the move.
鈥淚t was on behalf of my office, not the City of Fort Worth,鈥� he said.
Nettles later shared some of the video of the event to Facebook. Prosecutors pointed out that anyone who might be swayed by the publicity could have watched the video, not just people in Tarrant County.
Reaction to the video wasn鈥檛 all good, Nettles said.
鈥淗onestly, it was both. Some positive, some negative,鈥� he said.
This is the second time Dean has asked for a change of venue. The previous judge overseeing the trial, 297th District Court鈥檚 David Hagerman, shot down the first request in May, but the trial was transferred out of Hagerman鈥檚 courtroom after Dean鈥檚 attorneys successfully argued he was biased and hostile towards them.
Dean鈥檚 trial has been delayed repeatedly this year due to requests from the defense. Jury selection is currently scheduled to begin the week after Thanksgiving, with the trial set to start on Dec. 5.
Before the hearing started on Thursday, as the judge came into the courtroom and said 鈥淟et鈥檚 get started,鈥� state prosecutor Ashlea Deener replied: 鈥淪tate鈥檚 been ready for hours. Days, months, years.鈥�
Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org. You can follow Miranda on Twitter @MirandaRSuarez.
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