A Johnson County jury found a man guilty of capital murder on Thursday after he'd been accused three years ago of killing a 61-year-old woman and shooting a Burleson police officer.
Jerry Don Elders was arrested in Gainesville on April 14, 2021, after an hours-long manhunt that began with the shooting of Burleson police officer Joshua Lott and the kidnapping and murder of 61-year-old Robin Waddell.
Burleson police said in 2021 that Elders was with a group of people when he shot Lott during a traffic stop before dawn. Police said the trio later abandoned that vehicle and then carjacked Waddell outside a home on the 8000 block of County Road 802.
At 8:44 a.m., Waddell showed up at the Joshua Police Department suffering from gunshot wounds. She was taken to Huguley Hospital South in Burleson where she later died.
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After a Blue Alert was issued in the officer's shooting, Elders was spotted in Gainesville driving Waddell's vehicle. After a short chase, Elders was taken into custody by Cooke County Deputies.
With a capital murder conviction, Elders faces either the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
