A judge may decide on Wednesday to delay Aaron Dean's murder trial.
Dean, a former Fort Worth police officer, shot and killed Atatiana Jefferson in 2019. While responding to a call about an open door at Jefferson鈥檚 home, Dean shot Jefferson through her window, never identifying himself as an officer, body camera footage shows.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Jan. 4, 2022, with the trial set to start on Jan. 10. The defense has asked to delay the trial, because they say certain expert witnesses will be unavailable.
Dean鈥檚 lawyers have also asked the judge to move the trial to another county. They say the extensive publicity surrounding the killing has already poisoned Dean鈥檚 chances.
鈥淪ince the date of the alleged offense and because of the considerable discussion in the community, there exists in said County so great a prejudice against Mr. Dean that he cannot receive a fair and impartial trial,鈥� Dean鈥檚 attorneys wrote in .
Jefferson鈥檚 killing in 2019 has been a huge topic of conversation in the media, and her name comes up in many discussions of racial justice in the community. Dean is white and Jefferson was Black.
Prosecutors argue that the media coverage hasn鈥檛 stirred up any bias against Dean, and that it鈥檚 too early to ask to move the trial anyway. on a decision until he talks to potential jurors.
Judge David Hagerman of Tarrant County鈥檚 297th District Court will consider the delay at a hearing on Wednesday at 9 a.m. He said he may also consider other motions in the case, including moving the trial, if necessary.
Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org. You can follow Miranda on Twitter .
