After calling Jefferson’s nephew Zion Carr to the stand on opening day, the prosecution continues trying to build a case against the former Fort Worth police officer
FORT WORTH, Texas — On the first day of the murder trial of former Fort Worth officer Aaron Dean, Atatiana Jefferson’s nephew Zion Carr — who was inside his aunt’s home when she was killed on Oct. 12, 2019 — took the stand.
Carr — now 11 years old, but just eight at the time of the shooting — was the first witness to take the stand in the three-years-in-the-making trial.
The jury heard opening statements from both the prosecution and the defense before Carr took the stand.
“This is not a case about a drug deal gone bad, or a robbery. This is a case about a Fort Worth police officer — a stranger to Atatiana — who shot through the back of her bedroom window in the middle of the night when she was in her home and should’ve been safe. You are going to hear that this was an absolutely intentional act, an unjustifiable act that never should’ve happened,” said Tarrant County prosecutor Ashlea Deener.
The defense had initially waived its option for an opening statement but later spoke to the jury.
“This case is about facts, and not emotions,” said defense attorney Mike Brissette. “That gun was relevant. Everyone in Texas, everyone in the United States has the right to defend themselves in their home. This is a tragic accident. Tragically, Ms. Jefferson lost her life.”
Carr was playing video games with his aunt, Jefferson, on that night in 2019. A neighbor had called police to conduct a welfare check on Jefferson’s home after seeing a door open. Dean responded to the scene on an “open structure” call, arriving at the home at 2:29 a.m.
During his testimony Monday, Carr was very calm, but struggled to remember details about the incident years ago. He said he doesn’t remember the sound of the gunshot that killed Jefferson, but does remember her falling. He also said he doesn’t like to talk about what happened with anyone.
Court was in session for only half a day Monday, due to a funeral for one of Dean’s former attorneys, Jim Lane. Lane died last Sunday.
A full day of testimony is expected when court resumes on Tuesday.
WFAA will stream the trial on multiple platforms — including WFAA+, YouTube and wfaa.com. (WFAA+ is available on Roku and Amazon Fire.)
You can also watch it in the below embed.
Below, we’ll keep a timestamped, live tracker of what happens on the second day of the court proceedings.