LONGVIEW, Texas — Jurors on Monday found a Louisiana man guilty of killing an East Texas deputy during a 2019 traffic stop.
Gregory Newson, of Shreveport, Louisiana, was convicted of capital murder in the shooting death of Panola County Deputy Chris Dickerson during a Dec. 31, 2019 traffic stop. Last week, he pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The jury reached their verdict less than an hour after roughly four days of testimony and statements from lawyers.
In opening statements for the sentencing phase, the state said they are seeking the death penalty, while the defense has decided to wait until the state finishes their case before giving opening remarks.
Testimony will continue at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Dickerson was making a routine patrol stop in the small community of Gary in Panola County at 2 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2019, when he was shot and killed by Newson, who then fled and was arrested in Shreveport. The state labeled the shooting as an “execution.”
A slowed-down version of Dickerson’s dash cam showed Dickerson head toward the vehicle, but before he could reach the driver’s side window, the driver came out and fired his rifle at Dickerson behind the car.
A Texas Ranger, who watched the video, said Dickerson was surprised as he didn’t know what was going to happen. Newson was readily prepared to exit the vehicle he was in and use the gun he had.
On Friday, Dickerson’s widow, Krista Dickerson Shows, testified that before Dickerson left for work, she remembered telling him to be safe and come home. She recalled him looking at her, smiling, winking and then saying, "always."
The defense on Monday asked for the inclusion of self-defense in the jury instructions, while the state said that Newson is not entitled to self-defense. For most of the morning, the judge, state, and defense worked together to agree on the charge that the jury would hear.
During closing arguments, the prosecution said Dickerson was performing his duties as a law enforcement officer, and that decision put him in the path to be killed. The attorney said the dash cam video showing Dickerson getting shot shows that Newson is guilty. The state said Newson knew he was getting pulled over by an officer.
The state explained this is not a case of self-defense as Dickerson's hand was not near his gun before Newson fired his weapon.
Newson will kill someone just for following him, whether they're a cop not, the state said. There is no doubt that Newson knowingly shot Dickerson.
The defense said any presumption of innocence is enough to acquit Newson, adding that self-defense does apply to this case. They asked the jury to find Newson not guilty.
In response, the state emphasized Dickerson was just doing his job and Newson has to be held accountable for what he did. The state said there is no mystery in what happened in this case.
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