Aaron Dean Trial Day 3: Testimony to continue in former Fort Worth officer’s murder trial

FORT WORTH, Texas – Another day of testimony is expected in the trial of Aaron Dean Wednesday after an emotional day on the stand Tuesday.

Dean is charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Atatiana Jefferson in 2019.

If convicted of murder Dean could face between 5 and 99 years in prison.

FOX 4 will have gavel-to-gavel coverage on Fox4News.com and our YouTube page, plus live updates from the courtroom throughout the day.

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ATATIANA JEFFERSON COVERAGE

What to expect from Day Three

The trial is expected to get underway at 9 a.m. and last until 5 p.m.

On Tuesday, court wrapped up around 4 p.m. because Judge George Gallagher said the next witness to be called to the stand would take a while.

WARNING: Graphic images are expected to be shown during today’s testimony. Viewer discretion is advised.

Previous Trial Coverage

On Tuesday, intense, extensive body camera video from Dean was played in court showing Dean and Officer Carol Darch along the perimeter of Atatiana Jefferson’s home. Dean entered the backyard first and fired a single shot through the window striking Jefferson in the chest.

The defense team has said Dean saw a person in the window with a gun.

Darch got emotional on the stand while testifying, when discussing Zion Carr, Atatiana Jefferson’s nephew who was home at the time of the shooting.

Earlier the jury watched a recording of Carr interviewing with a forensic examiner just hours after the shooting. In it, Carr said Jefferson removed a handgun from her purse after hearing something in the backyard, then pointed it at the window.

The defense team argues it differs from his testimony on Monday, when he said she kept the gun to her side.

Before the trial wrapped for the day, Jefferson’s neighbor, James Smith, took the stand.

Smith placed a call to police after seeing the door to Jefferson’s mother’s home open and the lights on. 

Smith testified he found it unusual to see two open doors at the house across the street in the middle of the night. He says he went over to the home first to see if something was wrong but then left to go and call police.

“I didn’t know what was going on. It was 2 o’clock in the morning, and I didn’t want to startle her,” he said. “I realized that if she’s in the back of the house, and if she had to come from the back to the front, her front door is already open. So that would have been concerning for her for someone to be in her home at 2 a.m. and she not know who it is.”

Atatiana Jefferson Shooting Timeline

The shooting happened on Oct. 12, 2019.

Atatiana Jefferson was babysitting her 8-year-old nephew at her mother’s house.

A neighbor made a non-emergency call to police because a door was open with lights on.

Officer Dean arrived, walked into the backyard and saw Jefferson in a window with her gun in her hand. Dean yelled, “put your hands up! Let me see your hands!” before immediately firing a single shot, killing Jefferson.

The shooting led to protests against the Fort Worth Police Department.

If you have issues viewing the timeline click here.