Texas man who shot cop before carjacking and killing woman during police chase gets death penalty
JOHNSON COUNTY, TEXAS: A North Texas man was sentenced to death after he was found guilty of killing a 61-year-old woman in 2021 during a police chase.
Jerry Don Elders was found guilty of capital murder and faces the death penalty or life in prison without parole in the shooting death of Robin Waddell. The jury deliberated over two questions on May 2 and decided to execute him by lethal injection.
Jerry Don Elders shot cop before killing Robin Waddell
Elders shot Burleson police Officer Joshua Lott three times during a traffic stop in 2021. He then fled the scene and kidnapped a woman at her home, stole her truck, killed her, and pushed her out of the vehicle outside the Joshua Police Department.
Waddell was found with multiple gunshot wounds near the station's doorstep. A patrol officer on duty at the time of the killing was called back to the station, according to the Forth Worth Telegram-Star. Waddell was taken to Burleson's Huguley Hospital South, where she died, 5NBC reported.
According to an earlier testimony, Elders was accompanied by a man and woman at the time he shot the police officer. The trio separated and abandoned their vehicle, which was later discovered burnt.
A ballistics expert testified last week that the same gun was used to shoot Lott and Waddell. Witnesses claim that the revolver was discovered in Waddell's pickup truck. Elders fled to Gainesville in the vehicle where he was arrested.
Robin Waddell's children pay tribute to her
During the final and sentencing phase of Elders' trial, Waddell's children delivered testimonies. "You always think you have more time and I have learned the hardest lesson that you don’t have more time," said Patricia Cook, Waddell’s oldest daughter, as reported by Fox 4 News.
"She was my answer to everything basically," added Phillip Waddell, her son. "It’s just the small things. ‘Hey Mom, I have a property tax bill. Help me.’ She guided me through life."
The jurors were also shown recordings of Elders calling the jailhouse during the sentencing phase. Throughout his coverstations, he mocked Officer Lott. During the trial, the defense called several witnesses in an attempt to spare Elders' life.
