Photo courtesy of the Atatiana Tay Jefferson Foundation.
About 200 potential jurors reported Monday in the trial of an ex-Fort Worth police officer charged with the murder of Atatiana Jefferson. Jefferson, a 2010 graduate of Lake Highlands High School and graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, was killed while babysitting her nephew inside her mother’s home.
Aaron Dean was charged with murder after shooting Jefferson in the early morning hours of Oct. 12, 2019. He responded when neighbors called a non-emergency line reporting a front door left open. Dean shot Jefferson through a window, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The trial has been delayed numerous times, and lead defense attorney Jim Lane died the day before jury selection began. Judge George Gallagher opted to move forward with the process, issuing 25-page questionnaires to narrow down the jury pool. Jurors who admitted they’d heard about the case were asked to report back to court Wednesday for continued questioning. Those unfamiliar with the case will return Thursday.
Jefferson, known as “Tay” to her LHHS classmates, would have turned 32 Monday.
