Here I go, weighing in on a subject about which I know little and cannot relate directly to its social implications.
That said, I believe a Fort Worth trial jury delivered the correct verdict in the trial of former Fort Worth police officer Aaon Dean, who shot Atatiana Jefferson to death in 2019. The jury convicted Dean of manslaughter.
Dean was responding to a disturbance at Jefferson’s home. He shot her to death after believing she had pulled a gun out and was preparing to shoot him.
Dean is white; Jefferson was Black. Therein lies the social consequence.
It’s been said that a decade or two ago, this case likely wouldn’t have gone to trial in Fort Worth. This one did. The jury could have convicted Dean of murder. It could have found him not guilty. Instead, it split the difference by delivering a manslaughter verdict.
Jurors now must decide whether to send Dean to prison for a maximum of 20 years. It could bring back a probationary sentence. If the jury declines to sentence to hard time in the slammer, I do believe there could be serious recriminations from those who believe justice was only partially served with the manslaughter verdict.
The conviction has drawn a mixed response. Some residents wanted him convicted of murder. They worry that justice has been served only partially. I won’t comment on that, as I am sitting about 40 miles away in Collin County with no — if you’ll pardon the expression — skin in this game.
Now that he has been convicted of a felony, this former cop now will be a felon for the rest of his life. I will offer my expression of hope that the jury sends him to prison. He has to pay for the crime he committed.