Jury selection was completed Friday in the murder trial of former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean, who is charged with shooting and killing Atatiana Jefferson in October 2019 after a neighbor called a police non-emergency line to report that the front door to Jefferson’s home was open.
The 12-member jury and two alternates are scheduled to begin hearing evidence Monday in the Fort Worth courtroom of District Judge George Gallagher. The judge said the opening session would be limited to half a day in deference to the funeral of Jim Lane, who had been lead attorney for the defense and who died Nov. 27.
Lane’s failing health, along with the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues had caused the trial to be delayed on numerous occasions. The process of jury selection finally got underway on Monday, the day after Lane’s passing.
The shooting of Jefferson, who was Black, prompted demonstrations in Fort Worth. Dean, who is white, resigned from the police department after he was charged.
The jury seated Friday did not include any Black members. The jury pool consisted of about 200 people.
Bodycam video expected to be seen by the jury shows Dean approaching the door of the home where Jefferson was watching her nephew. The video shows Dean walking around the side of the house, pushing through a gate into the fenced-off backyard and firing through the glass window after shouting for Jefferson to show her hands. Dean is not heard identifying himself as a police officer.
There has been little public discussion of likely defense or prosecution strategy in the case in the wake of a judicial gag order imposed early in the proceedings.