What to Know
- Aaron Dean entered his "not guilty" plea on day 1 of the trial.
- The defense lawyer argues that nephew Zion Carr's testimony differs from the forensic interview.
- Dean's former partner testifies she did not see a gun nor hear Dean yell "gun" before shooting and killing Jefferson.
The murder trial of former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean entered its third day on Wednesday.
Aaron Dean is the officer who shot and killed Atatiana Jefferson through a window of her mother’s Fort Worth home on Oct. 12, 2019.
Dean was one of two officers outside her window responding to an “open structure” call in the 1200 block of East Allen Avenue after a concerned neighbor called on a non-emergency police line reporting that the home’s doors were open and the lights were on, which was unusual.
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On Wednesday, the jury heard from the first investigators to arrive on the scene after the shooting, the medical examiner and a family member of Atatiana Jefferson.
DAY 3: THE FIRST INVESTIGATORS TO ARRIVE ON THE SCENE
The first witness to take the stand Wednesday was James Van Gorkom with the Crime Scene Unit at the Fort Worth Police Department.
He was an investigator at the scene after Jefferson's fatal shooting at her East Allen Avenue home.
Gorkom testified about the documentation of the scene. He arrived at Jefferson's home around 5 a.m. on the morning of the shooting to collect scan data from the scene. He walked through the crime scene with the jury using a 3D scan of the scene and photos.
Detective Doug Rohloff was also called to the stand Wednesday. Detective Rohloff is assigned to the major case unit with the Fort Worth Police Department. He says he has been with the department for 31 years.
According to Rohloff, officer-involved shootings fall under major case investigations.
Rohloff explained why Aaron Dean was given a replacement weapon when his original duty weapon was taken for evidence. Dean was also given a personal flashlight that was on the weapon used to shoot Atatiana Jefferson.
AUTOPSY REPORT OF ATATIANA JEFFERSON'S BODY
After playing another clip from the forensic interview with Jefferson's nephew, Tarrant County Medical Examiner Richard Fries took the stand Wednesday afternoon.
Fries walked the jury through very graphic photos taken during the autopsy of Atatiana Jefferson's body.
His presentation shows the bullet that was recovered from her body. "These are devastating wounds. I would not expect someone to survive," Fries says.
Jefferson was shot once in her upper left chest. Fries says the cause of Jefferson's death was a gunshot wound and the manner of death was a homicide
ATATIANA JEFFERSON'S OLDER SISTER ASHLEY CARR TAKES THE STAND
Ashley Carr, Jefferson's older sister, took the stand Wednesday afternoon.
Carr said Jefferson recently moved back in with her mother, Yolanda after she fell ill. Jefferson was also saving up for medical school.
Carr says her mother's side door was often open, referring to it as "the kind of home you can always come into."
The state has rested its case following Carr's brief testimony, and court was been dismissed for the day. Proceedings are expected to continue Monday morning.
