GUILTY TX - Atatiana Jefferson, 28, fatally shot at home, Fort Worth, Oct 2019 *officer charged* #2

[Weki]

I’m so nervous!

 

[mimi56]

Guilty of Manslaughter

 

[Weki]

Wow manslaughter. What an injustice! JMO. He handled it well. I didn’t realize there was going to be a penalty phase. I’m expecting jury will recommend very little time.

 

[MTW2011]

Did the Court impose sanctions (or anything) on the relative he called to the Bench after verdict was read?
I could hear someone talking but could not make out their words as the Judge was finishing what he was saying. (I was watching via Law and Crime Network’s livestream. I heard her last name when the Judge questioned her but it sounded like they cut the audio for the rest of it)

 

[MTW2011]

Opinion of the verdict by a Attorney in Colorado/Texas/Wyoming (per his profile bio)

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[sds71]

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[Weki]

Cathy Russon tweeted that the judge will determine sentence which is in the 2-20 year range. But it sounded like there will be a penalty phase with the jury. Why did the judge take the discussion to chambers? He wanted to discuss timing.

 

[Weki]

I’m going to speculate that it was his own testimony where the prosecutor got him to agree several times that he did “bad police work” that got him this verdict! If he had been unequivocal in saying he did everything like he was supposed to I think it would’ve been harder for the jury to reach a guilty verdict. Yet another example of why you should never take the stand guilty or innocent. The prosecution had no case but he made it seem like he did and got damaging admissions from a beleaguered and traumatized defendant.

 

[WichitaFalls]

RIP Atatiana Jefferson.

 

[SeesSeas]

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[Reasonable & Just]

Thank you! Well this does it. Not guilty on all charges. If the nephew could see all that then so could she. I don’t know why she rushed to get the gun and why she pointed it. Now I’m not so sure she would have a perfect self-defense if she had shot him.

I also don’t understand a woman alone leaving doors open and then going in the back to play video games, which are typically loud and consume all your attention. I know they were trying to air the house but I would stay in the front of the house while the doors are open.

People do this in some neighborhoods. They feel safe in their homes, as they should.

 

[Weki]

LawTube is saying his defense attys let him down and went along with the state’s erroneous legal argument that it’s only self-defense if the victim acted unlawfully.

 

[Chelly]

I’m going to speculate that it was his own testimony where the prosecutor got him to agree several times that he did “bad police work” that got him this verdict! If he had been unequivocal in saying he did everything like he was supposed to I think it would’ve been harder for the jury to reach a guilty verdict. Yet another example of why you should never take the stand guilty or innocent. The prosecution had no case but he made it seem like he did and got damaging admissions from a beleaguered and traumatized defendant.

Agree. On witness stand, he admitted over and over to performing bad police work. That's what when I posted my prediction of manslaughter verdict. It was as close as I could imagine to confessing. His attorneys should have prepared him, but they allowed him to virtually convict himself.

 

[AngTxGal]

I totally agree. It is outrageous that LE can lurk around a house and the homeowner not be able to take action to defend themselves. Unless you identify yourself as a cop, you are just a trespasser.

LE can’t lurk around your home without identifying themselves, justice will prevail here.
This cop is lucky he was not shot dead. He shot into her home, she could have legally shot back and killed him to defend herself!

Yes, I’m a Texan in the DFW area and also an LE supporter, but this type of LE behavior cannot ever be ok!
This cannot ever be what a trained officer is allowed to legally do.
This cannot ever be something citizens have to fear.
This type of behavior will get cops shot, and make citizens distrust them more than they already at times do.
Justice must be served here, and I’ll trust the process until I have reason not to do so.

JMO

Aaron Dean’s testimony Law&Crime Network

 

[WichitaFalls]

LE can’t lurk around your home without identifying themselves, justice will prevail here.
This cop is lucky he was not shot dead. He shot into her home, she could have legally shot back and killed him to defend herself!

Yes, I’m a Texan in the DFW area and also an LE supporter, but this cannot ever be ok. This cannot ever be what a trained officer is allowed to legally do. This can not ever be something citizens have to fear. This type of behavior will get cops shot, and make citizens distrust them more than they already at times do.
Justice must be served here

JMO

Aaron Dean’s testimony Law&Crime Network

DFW here too! Well stated, could not agree more.

 

[AngTxGal]

Agree. On witness stand, he admitted over and over to performing bad police work. That's what when I posted my prediction of manslaughter verdict. It was as close as I could imagine to confessing. His attorneys should have prepared him, but they allowed him to virtually convict himself.

It is possible he tried to tell the truth and is leaving his fate in the hands of the jury.
If that is the case, he is allowed to be human and make mistakes. He is not allowed to lie, or justify those mistakes, especially if those mistakes cause an innocent person to be killed.

Justice will prevail, and I’ll trust the process until I have reason to do otherwise.
JMO as a DFW area Texan- we need a verdict and sentence that promotes honesty and peace, not injustice on either side

 

[AngTxGal]

Thank you. Interesting. Well now I understand why the jury might be having trouble. I don’t think she was acting unlawfully if she thought it was a burglar and didn’t see him enough to know he was a cop. He didn’t announce himself so that theory is shaky at the very least. I need to go back and listen to jury instructions. I still think that from his perspective it was self-defense. But it was self-defense from her perspective as well.

Now I’m remembering them saying the nephew knew it was the boy cop that shot her. I swear I heard that at some point around the time the nephew testified. This would indicate he could see through the window and if he could see so could she. But o don’t believe he testified this way. So it’s not in evidence.

I don’t know if her nephew knew it was the boy cop who shot her, but if he did he could have figured that out based on Dean’s actions inside the home.
The nephew may not have seen him or identified him as a cop at all. Their actions do not make sense as people who see a cop with a gun outside their window.

JMO

 

[JerseyGirl]

Former Texas police officer found guilty of manslaughter for the shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson at her home | CNN

A former Forth Worth, Texas, police officer was found guilty of manslaughter Thursday in the 2019 shooting of 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson in her home.

www.cnn.com

The sentencing phase begins Friday, CNN affiliate WFAA reported.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

LE can’t lurk around your home without identifying themselves, justice will prevail here.
This cop is lucky he was not shot dead. He shot into her home, she could have legally shot back and killed him to defend herself!

Yes, I’m a Texan in the DFW area and also an LE supporter, but this type of LE behavior cannot ever be ok!
This cannot ever be what a trained officer is allowed to legally do.
This cannot ever be something citizens have to fear.
This type of behavior will get cops shot, and make citizens distrust them more than they already at times do.
Justice must be served here, and I’ll trust the process until I have reason not to do so.

JMO

Aaron Dean’s testimony Law&Crime Network

DFW here too! Well stated, could not agree more.

ATX here. I am not a lawyer but as a lay person reading the law, I do not see how this could be manslaughter. I don't understand why that was even an option. Manslaughter is like if you drop your gun, and it accidently goes off and kills someone. Murder is if you raise your gun, point, and shoot. Murder is defined differently in Texas than it is in other states, and than it is in most of our colloquial understanding. You don't need to have planned to kill someone, you simply shoot at them knowing you can cause grievous bodily injury and death. That is murder in Texas. That is what Dean did. On top of that, he created the conflict to begin with, then acted egregiously. The fact the jury gave him a lesser charge is a slap in the face of justice IMO.

Here is the statute one may read for themselves: PENAL CODE CHAPTER 19 CRIMINAL HOMICIDE

Texans are weary of citizens getting killed by poorly trained police officers. If chaos erupts after Dean is sentenced today, I don't think anyone would be surprised. This needs to stop.

 

[SeesSeas]

Aaron Dean trial: How long could Dean's sentence be?

The punishment phase of the trial will determine how long Dean's prison sentence will be for the conviction of manslaughter in the 2019 death of Atatiana Jefferson.

www.wfaa.com

If the jury sentences Dean to 10 years or less and recommends the sentence be probated, then the judge has to grant it. If the sentence is more than 10 years, he has to serve some prison time, experts say.
If the judge orders him into probation, experts say, the judge could also assess up to 180 days in jail, as a condition of the supervision, without anyone's input. The judge could also order Dean into county custody upon sentencing.