Aaron Dean, the previous Texas police officer who was convicted of manslaughter within the 2019 killing of Atatiana Jefferson, has been sentenced to 11 years, 10 months and 12 days in jail.
The determination was introduced on the afternoon of Tuesday, Dec. 20, lower than every week after Dean was discovered responsible of manslaughter on Dec. 15.
Dean was initially indicted on a homicide cost, however earlier than the jury started deliberations, the choose within the case instructed them they might think about a manslaughter verdict, which in Texas carries a most penalty of 20 years in jail.
Sentencing deliberations started on Monday. The jury deliberated for greater than seven hours earlier than breaking for the day.
The sentencing ends a long-delayed trial that started three years after Jefferson was killed in her Forth Worth-area residence. Dean arrived at her home on Oct. 12, 2019, responding to a name about an open entrance door after a neighbor made a report back to a nonemergency police line. Dean stated that he believed a housebreaking was in course of, although Jefferson’s nephew, who was within the residence on the time of the capturing, stated that the door had been left open to vent smoke from hamburgers he burned.
While on the lookout for indicators of an intruder, Dean went into the yard of the home. Prosecutor Dale Smith contended that Dean didn’t announce himself at any time. Jefferson’s nephew, who was 8 years previous on the time of the capturing, stated his aunt grabbed a handgun she owned as a result of she heard noises outdoors.
The essential query of the trial was whether or not Dean noticed Jefferson’s weapon earlier than opening hearth himself. Dean testified that he had seen the barrel of the gun pointed at him, so he opened hearth; his protection lawyer Bob Gill stated in closing statements that Dean had a proper to self protection.
Smith argued that Dean didn’t give Jefferson time to adjust to instructions, akin to elevating her palms; physique digital camera footage launched by the Fort Worth Police Department exhibits Dean capturing Jefferson a couple of second after he first addressed her. Prosecutors alleged that Dean by no means noticed the gun, and described him as a “gung-ho, hard-charger” who “just shot.”
Dean had accomplished his police academy coaching the 12 months earlier than the 2019 capturing, and stop the drive two days after the capturing, hours earlier than he was arrested and charged with homicide.
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