A Johnson County jury ruled Thursday that a 42-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a woman and injuring a Burleson police officer should be sentenced to death.
Jerry Don Elders was sentenced nearly a week after he was sentenced to death for the carjacking death of 60-year-old Robin Waddell, but his attorney did not respond to a request for comment. He did not respond immediately.
The Johnson County Sheriff's Office confirmed the sentencing in a social media post. Sheriff's Office officials wrote that law enforcement agencies from across the county packed the courtroom “to show support” for the victim's family.
Jurors found Elder guilty on April 25, and after hearing arguments during the sentencing phase of the trial, they were asked to decide between the death penalty by lethal injection or life in prison without parole.
The elders' conviction is for Waddell's murder. He still faces charges in connection with allegedly shooting and wounding a police officer. He was indicted by a grand jury in June 2021.
Police previously said injured Officer Joshua Lott conducted a traffic stop on April 14, 2021, at approximately 4:15 a.m. in the 1100 block of Southwest Hillside Drive.
According to authorities, a car believed to be occupied by two men and a woman was stopped due to a malfunctioning tail light. Burleson Police Chief Billy Cordell said in 2021 that one of the three people inside the vehicle fired multiple shots, striking Lott in the chest, neck and shoulder as he approached the passenger side of the vehicle. .
Police believe the officer fired shots and the suspects drove away, abandoning the vehicle about two miles from the scene of the shooting, Cordell said.
The occupants of the vehicle then drove to a residence in the 8000 block of County Road 802 and are believed to have carjacked the woman.
Police said Elders, who had a previous arrest warrant related to possession of a controlled substance, was identified as a suspect in the shooting.
Police said the woman arrived at the Joshua Police Department about 8:45 a.m. after being shot and was taken to a hospital, where she died. An alert was issued for elderly people believed to be driving a stolen Toyota Tacoma owned by a woman.
Investigators then tracked the car through Denton's license plate reader. Gainesville police pursued the vehicle, but the Elders abandoned the vehicle and were later arrested in a wooded area, the police chief said.
Waddell's children testified during the sentencing phase. Immediately after the verdict was announced, Waddell's daughter Patricia Cook read a letter to elders, KDFW-TV (Channel 4) reported.
“I've been here day in and day out and seen this situation through to the end. This is the worst experience of my life,” Cook said.
