Fort Worth mayor, council member face contempt of court hearing after Dean verdict comments
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Murder Trial of Aaron Dean
The case against Aaron Dean in the shooting of Atatiana Jefferson finally began to unfold Nov. 28, 2022, with jury selection. Dean was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison Dec. 20 after he was convicted of manslaughter. Read the trial coverage here.
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Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and city council member Chris Nettles face a contempt of court hearing after they made comments following the jury’s verdict in the Aaron Dean trial.
Dean, a former Fort Worth police officer, was found guilty of manslaughter Thursday in the October 2019 shooting of Atatiana Jefferson, a Black woman who was in her own home.
Nettles declined to comment Friday, but said in an email to the Star-Telegram that the judge ordered him to appear for a contempt hearing. The hearing is scheduled for Jan. 4.
“Councilman Nettles will not be making any more comments until after the sentencing and trial are completely over. No Comment,” he wrote.
Star-Telegram reporters observed Nettles going into the courtroom on Friday as the sentencing hearing was about to begin. KXAS Channel 5 reported that Mayor Mattie Parker also appeared before Judge George Gallagher on Friday morning. Parker did not immediately respond to a message left with her office.
A city spokesperson asked to comment about Parker wrote in an email: “Given the gag order and out of respect for the remaining proceedings in this case, the City will not comment until the conclusion of the punishment phase of the trial.”
Closing arguments in the sentencing phase are expected Monday morning, and jurors will then decide Dean’s punishment.
In a statement Thursday, Nettles called the verdict a “slap in the face” to the Black community.
“The verdict says that a white man can murder a Black woman in her own home with nothing more than a slap on the wrist — literally,” he wrote.
“I don’t know where we go from here, but I do know that things need to change.”
In her statement Thursday, Parker said the verdict provides “a measure of justice,” but doesn’t change the tragedy that happened to Jefferson and her family.
“This tragedy for me has always been about Atatiana Jefferson,” Parker said in the emailed statement, which she also shared on social media. “About her life as a daughter, sister, and aunt, and her lasting legacy. Many people in our community are hurting, and we must come together with compassion and grace. Our prayers are with the jury as they continue their service in the sentencing phase. May God bless Atatiana’s memory and continue to be with her family.”
A gag order prohibits lawyers and others directly involved in Dean’s trial from speaking publicly about the case.
This story was originally published December 16, 2022 at 1:25 PM.
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