FORT WORTH, Texas _ It's been nearly a year since ex-Fort Worth Police Officer Aaron Dean was arrested and charged with murder for shooting Atatiana Jefferson on Oct. 12, 2019, but he has yet to be tried on the charge.
Dean has been out of jail on a $200,000 bond since Oct. 14, 2019. No trial date has been set and the coronavirus pandemic delayed many hearings, but the Tarrant County district attorney said recently that she wants to start scheduling hearings again to move the case forward.
Jefferson was playing video games with her nephew when a neighbor called the non-emergency line to report that the front door to the house had been open all day, and it was now well into the night.
When Dean and another officer showed up, they quietly moved through Jefferson's backyard and looked through open doors. Neither of the officers announced their presence, according to body-camera video.
When Jefferson heard some noise outside, she looked out of a bedroom window and Dean fired a shot, killing her, police have said.
A jury will have to decide if Dean was justified when he pulled the trigger. He has pleaded not guilty.
District Attorney Sharen Wilson said the prosecution of Dean is a priority for her office, but she couldn't say more because of a gag order.
Three pretrial hearings happened between Dec. 16, 2019 and April. But a motions docket that was set for April 14 was canceled because of COVID-19.
Judge David Hagerman set a Zoom hearing to discuss Wilson's request to schedule more court hearings. The next hearing, to consider pretrial motions, is scheduled for Oct. 27, according to court records.
The district attorney said she wants to schedule a jury trial as soon as the county deems it safe.
The Texas Supreme Court has delayed jury trials until at least December, so it's likely that Dean won't go to trial until at least 2021.
