FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF News ) – The Texas Second Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments Tuesday in an effort to overturn the conviction of former Fort Forth police officer Aaron Dean.
Dean was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to almost twelve years in prison in December 2022 for the fatal shooting of Atatiana Jefferson while on duty in 2019.
He and his partner were responding to a neighbor’s call about an open door. She and her then 8-year-old nephew Zion Carr were playing video games inside the home.
Body camera footage show Dean shot Jefferson through her bedroom window after seeing her silhouette without identifying himself as a police officer.
Court documents show his attorneys will argue the jury should not have had the manslaughter option and that Dean never had a fair trial in Tarrant County due to local media attention.
Today’s hearing is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
The hearing comes on the heels of the City of Fort Worth approving a $3.5 million settlement with Jefferson’s nephew Zion last week.
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