FORT WORTH, Texas —The murder trial for Aaron Dean, a former Fort Worth police officer who shot and killed Atatiana Jefferson, will likely not take place in November due to the large number of cases on the judge’s docket.
Dean shot and killed Jefferson, a 28-year-old Black woman, in her home in October 2019 when he and another officer responded to a call from a neighbor, who said he was concerned because Jefferson’s front door was open. Inside, Jefferson and her nephew were playing video games and had propped the door open to let in a cool breeze.
The officers went into the backyard of the house. Dean and the other officer did not announce themselves or go to the front door. Jefferson, hearing noises in the backyard, went to a bedroom window to investigate. When Dean saw her through the window, he shot her, according to court documents and body-camera video.
A date for Dean’s trial could be scheduled at a hearing on Nov. 16. The murder case is on Judge David Hagerman’s docket in Tarrant County 297th District Court. The earliest date the trial could be set for is Nov. 29, the court coordinator for the 297th court said.
However, Dean’s case is not the only one scheduled to be heard on Nov. 16 — the day’s docket includes a total of 205 cases. The docket list, which is available on the court’s website, includes some cases where defendants appear to have multiple charges against them and each of those charges is counted as a separate case.
COVID-19 has caused a backlog in cases across the country. In February, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht told the Senate Finance Committee the justice system may need at least three years to get through the backlog of criminal cases in Texas, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
Dean’s case has been crawling through the Tarrant County justice system since Dean fatally shot Jefferson and resigned from the police department in October 2019. In July, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker urged the state district court judge presiding over the case to schedule a trial.
“I realize that Tarrant County courts are balancing a full docket with hundreds of cases that are lagging behind schedule due to the effects of the pandemic,” Parker wrote in a statement. “Despite these obstacles, it is imperative that a trial date be set as soon as possible.”
On Nov. 16, the case is scheduled to be set for trial, but the hundreds of other cases need actions taken on them, too.
The cases can be in different stages of the legal process. Some might be set on that day for a status conference, meaning the attorneys are just going over the case status.
Jeffery Watson’s case, for example, is set on Nov. 16 for an exchange of evidence. Watson is charged with murder in a road rage shooting that killed a grandmother of three.
Other cases, like Dean’s, might be scheduled for trial but not have a specific trial date set yet. Twenty-four other defendants are also on the docket on Nov 16. to potentially have their trial date set.
On Nov. 16, Hagerman will begin to examine each case on the docket. The court will set some cases for trial, depending on if everyone involved in the case is ready for trial and can agree on a date.
Courts also usually follow the Texas Criminal Code of Procedure to determine the order in which cases are set for trial. Dean’s case might not take priority, based on the Code of Procedure. In criminal cases, the code recommends that preference be given to criminal cases where the defendant is in jail and to cases where the alleged victim is younger than 14 years old. Unlike some of the cases on Nov. 16’s docket, Dean is not currently in jail.
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