Relatives, advocates criticize 15-year sentence for ex-cop Oliver

DALLAS (AP) — Relatives of a black teenager killed by a white former police officer who was convicted of murder  say the jury’s 15-year prison sentence isn’t long enough.

Charmaine Edwards, stepmother of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards, said after sentencing Wednesday night that Roy Oliver “can actually see life again after 15 years, and that’s not enough because Jordan can’t see life again.”

Oliver will be eligible for parole after 7½ years of the 15-year sentence. The same jury that convicted Oliver handed down his punishment.

Oliver, who was on duty as a Balch Springs police officer at the time of the 2017 shooting of Jordan Edwards, was convicted on Tuesday. His defense team said they’ve already begun the appeals process.

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Daryl Washington, who is leading a civil suit the Edwards family has filed in the matter, praised prosecutors for having the courage to bring a case against a police officer — but also said the prison sentence should have been longer.

Dallas-based Mothers Against Police Brutality, an advocacy group, also voiced dissatisfaction with Oliver’s sentence. The group said the sentence “is not at all commensurate with his crime.”

Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said her office was “very satisfied” with the “historic convention,” even though it had sought a minimum prison sentence of 60 years for Oliver.