Former Police Officer Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Death of Atatiana Jefferson

Aaron Dean, the former Fort Worth police officer found guilty of manslaughter in the 2019 shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson last week, was sentenced Tuesday to 11 years, 10 months and 12 days in prison.

Dean, a white police officer, fatally shot the 28-year-old Black woman in her home on Oct. 12, 2019, after a neighbor called a non-emergency police line to report that the front door to the woman's home was open. While investigating the open structure call, Dean entered the backyard and said when he looked through a window he saw a silhouette of a person and the barrel of a gun.

Dean fired once, fatally wounding the woman on the other side of the glass. Police would later learn the woman was home with her 8-year-old nephew playing video games and the door was open to vent the home after they burned some hamburgers. The woman's nephew said she got up to investigate a noise she heard outside, grabbed her gun from her purse and that seconds later she'd been shot.

The case sparked national outrage as evidence of another instance of police violence toward the Black community, this time involving an innocent woman who was within her rights to have a gun in her possession when she was confronted and shot by a police officer without warning.

A Tarrant County jury found the former officer guilty of manslaughter last week, deciding against the murder charge filed by prosecutors. With the manslaughter conviction, Dean faced up to 20 years in prison instead of life. Prosecutors pushed for the maximum sentence while Dean's defense hoped the jury, the same one that convicted their client on the lesser charge, would choose probation as his punishment.

After two days of deliberations, the jury sentenced the former police officer to nearly 12 years behind bars -- 11 years, 10 months and 12 days.

Prosecutors Dale Smith and Ashlea Deener said they believe there was some significance to the time the jury selected. The 10 months and 12 days, they believed, represented the month and date Jefferson was killed. The 11 years, they speculated, represented the current age of Zion Carr, the nephew of Jefferson who witnessed her death.

"I do not know if that was the message that the jury intended to send but that is what we assumed when we heard those numbers," Smith said.

Shortly after Judge George Gallagher read the sentencing verdict Jefferson's family, including one of her sisters, began giving their victim impact statements. Jefferson's sister Ashley Carr talked about the plans she had with her younger sister. She also spoke about plans for a birthday trip to New Orleans and that she hoped she would get to cheer on her sister through medical school.

SENTENCING REACTION

After Dean was sentenced Tuesday, the trial ended and a gag order in the case expired -- allowing people involved with the case the opportunity to discuss the results of the trial.

Prosecutor Dale Smith said the trial's conclusion means Jefferson’s family has closure. He added, it was not the prosecutors’ intention to put Fort Worth police on trial -- this was trial specifically about Dean, he said.

“There are so many great police officers in the city of Fort Worth and in Tarrant [County] and across this nation,” Dale Smith said. “This particular officer made a series of decisions early that morning that cost this woman her life. This jury is holding him accountable for it.”

Dean’s family left the courtroom Tuesday without making a comment. His attorneys have also not commented on the verdict.

James Smith, the neighbor of Jefferson who called police in the early morning hours of Oct. 12, 2019, about an open door at the Jefferson home, said he was still processing the sentencing verdict.

“The verdict, although not sufficient for me, Atatiana’s death will be a catalyst for change in Fort Worth Police.”

After the sentence was pronounced, one of Jefferson’s sisters, Ashley Carr, read a statement in court from herself and another sister, Amber Carr, who is Zion’s mother.

Amber Carr, said Jefferson, who planned to go to medical school, “had big dreams and goals” and that her son “feels he is responsible to fill the whole role of his aunt, and he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.”

Ashley Carr called her sister “a beautiful ray of sunshine.”

“She was in her home, which should have been the safest place for her to be, and yet turned out to be the most dangerous,” she said.

At a news conference held later Tuesday outside of the home where Jefferson was killed, Ashley Carr said the family wanted Dean sentenced to more time, but saw symbolism in the sentence chosen by the jury.

“Eleven years, that’s the same age as Zion,” she said. “Ten months, 12 days, that’s the day that it happened. It’s a message in this. It might not be the message that we wanted and the whole dream, but it’s some of it.”

Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, who represents Jefferson's estate, says he'll push for federal civil rights charges to be filed against Dean, and for Fort Worth to change police policies that Dean claimed he was following the night of the shooting.

"We're hoping this 12-year sentence will be a deterrence for other police officers going forward that they will think twice before they engage in deadly reckless behavior directed at a citizen," said Merritt.

Reactions to the sentence from community leaders or people associated with the trial can be read below.

Sharen Wilson, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney
This verdict and sentence won't bring Atatiana Jefferson back. This trial was difficult for all involved, including our community. My sympathies remain with Atatiana's family and friends and I pray they find peace. This trial wasn't about politics and it wasn't about race. If someone breaks the law, they have to be held accountable. The jury agreed. We thank the jury members for making sure justice was served.

Dale Smith, Tarrant County Prosecutor
The family finally has closure. They finally have an answer to what happened on Oct. 12, 2019, and they can finally, kinda, start moving forward with their lives. That's the biggest reaction right now, is what this means to the family.

Ashlea Deener, Tarrant County Prosecutor
I absolutely believe that this was murder that's why we charged it that way. So, am I relieved that this is over for the family? I am happy that they are happy and they are relieved … the good news is that the jury did their job. We trust, we believe in the jury system in our community and they did just that. So, we're happy and we're satisfied with their hard work.

Chris Nettles, Fort Worth City Councilman
"While I am pleased with today's sentencing, and find some comfort knowing a murderer will spend time in prison, I am disappointed ... This verdict is the bare minimum. Since when are we "lucky" to sentence a proven murderer to prison? Are we supposed to celebrate the fact that the justice system actually did its job? Black people are tired of being told to "be grateful" and "look at the bright side" when getting handed the crumbs of society. Is it not enough to have video footage of the murder? Is it not enough to interrogate and try to discredit an 11-year-old boy? Is it not enough to have a Black woman shot to death lying on the floor of her own home? Why is it never enough? Today we can take a deep breath. But we must hold it in. This will not be the last time an innocent Black person is murdered by a police officer, so we must continue to stay vigilant and on defense. I will not rest until my Black community can finally feel safe in their own homes without fear of being shot to death."

Estella Williams, president, Fort Worth Tarrant County NAACP
The actions of Aaron Dean have greatly affected the lives of the Jefferson family and the entire Fort Worth Community. The emotional impact will be felt for years to come. His felony actions have done much damage to the psyche of our kids. His actions continue to perpetuate an uneasiness about the level of safety in our own homes.
The fact that the decision on sentencing is at the higher end of the spectrum of punishment, is proof that we are making progress toward judicial equity. The Fort Worth Tarrant County NAACP will continue to fight the good fight to ensure that the punishment of such acts fits the crime. We believe there is no solution to tragedy, but we are hopeful for a resolve [sic] of full and total justice in the case of such crimes. We hold hope that acceptance of the decision is a basis for continued discussion on how we can ensure movement to reach full and total justice.

SENTENCING CLOSING ARGUMENTS

Closing arguments in the punishment phase of the trial were heard Monday morning with Tarrant County prosecutor Ashlea Deener explaining to the jury the importance of Jefferson's life and addressing her nephew Zion Carr's future.

“Her life is worth more than a probation sentence,” Deener said. "Anything less is a travesty of justice."

The defense began by claiming the Dean family had been receiving death threats, including some by a man named Manuel Mata who was arrested and escorted out of the courtroom Friday afternoon.

On Monday afternoon, jurors asked to see the body cam video again and for a copy of the police department's general orders -- essentially the rule book that officers go by, but appeared no closer to a decision when after seven hours no sentence had been decided.

Deener also questioned why more officers didn’t testify about Dean's character.

Dean’s defense team began arguments by telling jurors this is a probation case, asking them to leave emotion out of their decision.

"He’s a God-fearing, law-abiding citizen of our county," attorney Bob Gill said of Dean. “There’s nothing to gain by sending this man to the penitentiary.”

The white Fort Worth officer shot the 28-year-old Black woman while responding to a call about an open front door. His guilty verdict was a rare conviction of an officer for killing someone who was also armed with a gun.

During the trial, the primary dispute was whether Dean knew Jefferson was armed. Dean testified that he saw her weapon; prosecutors claimed the evidence showed otherwise.

Dean shot Jefferson on Oct. 12, 2019, after a neighbor called a nonemergency police line to report that the front door to Jefferson’s home was open. She had been playing video games that night with her 8-year-old nephew and it emerged at trial that they left the doors open to vent smoke from hamburgers the boy burnt.

FAMILY, EXPERTS TESTIFY FRIDAY IN SENTENCING HEARING

On Friday prosecutors called psychologist Kyle Clayton to the stand who testified that Dean failed his first psychological exam when he applied to the police department.

"My conclusion was that he was not psychologically suitable to serve as a police officer," Clayton testified. "The results suggested he had a narcissistic personality style that would inhibit his judgment, decision making."

Dean was eventually hired, but only after he appealed the initial exam results.

Defense attorneys called Dean's mother Donna, sister Alyssa and church friends to testify about his character. They all said Dean would follow every rule if the jury sentenced him to probation, which is what his attorneys are asking for in lieu of a prison sentence.

"He told us he wanted to do it to make a difference in people's lives and help people," Donna said when asked why Dean wanted to become a police officer.

Prosecutors called on Elizabeth Turner to testify. She said Dean touched her breast years ago when they were students at the University of Texas at Arlington and that he asked her not to report it after she said it made her uncomfortable.

"He took his finger and touched my right breast and traced the outline of the breast with his hand, so touching my body over my hoodie I was wearing," Turner said. "I was deeply upset. I was taken aback. I told him immediately he was making me uncomfortable."

Dean was cited for simple assault in the case and received a citation after pleading no contest.

Jefferson's older brother, Adarius Carr, described his sister as his best friend, said her interest in medicine came from being diagnosed with diabetes and said he was always envious of how smart she was.

Carr said his sister had moved into their mother's home to take care of her nephew Zion after both their mother and sister had been hospitalized for unrelated illnesses.

"I got a call from my big sister Ashley. I knew mom was in the hospital, Amber was in the hospital, so I figured it was a call about one of them. She answered the phone and just told me up front, 'I don't know how to tell you this but Tay is gone.'"

Carr, who is in the Navy and was expecting a child at the time, took emergency leave and booked a trip home to Texas to be with his family. He told the jury the last time he saw his sister was when his family came to visit him in San Diego and they spent a week together touring the Navy base and enjoying Southern California.

"That was the last time I saw my sister," Carr said.