This piece provides information about Jim Lane’s Farewell.
One day before the jury selection phase of the murder trial for the killing of Atatiana Jefferson was set to commence, Jim Lane, the lead counsel for former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean, passed away.
Details regarding Jim Lane’s Farewell have not been disclosed yet.
Lane, aged 78, “The attorney’s efforts will be remembered for years in Fort Worth and Tarrant County,” according to Manny Ramirez, president of the Fort Worth Police Officers’ Association, who announced his demise on Twitter.
Jim Lane was an extraordinary man, who lived an extraordinary life. His impact will be sensed for generations in Fort Worth and Tarrant County.
I am grateful for the wisdom you shared and I’m proud to have known you. Rest in peace my friend.
May God continue to watch over Janet and Luke. pic.twitter.com/DVRwssJ1Qu
— Manny Ramirez (@MannyRamirez_TX) November 27, 2022
Following an accidental fall a few days ago, Lane reportedly received hospice care, according to WFAA-TV Channel 8.
Sources allege that Lane injured himself when he fell the week before Thanksgiving.
Prior to his demise on Sunday, Lane was in the hospital and had just been transferred to a nursing home for better care.
An acquaintance of the family reported that he passed away at a hospital from natural causes.
Lane served as the primary defense counsel for Dean, who is accused of the murder of Atatiana Jefferson in October 2019,
When a neighbor reported the home’s door was open, and its lights were on, Jefferson, 28, was staying at her mother’s house.
Prior to fatally shooting Jefferson, who was playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew and had drawn her weapon after hearing noises outside the home, Dean, according to the authorities, did not identify himself as a police officer.
Jury selection for Dean’s trial was scheduled to commence on Monday after several delays, one of which was partially caused by Lane’s ill health.
It’s unknown whether state District Judge George Gallagher, presiding over the trial, will issue a further extension on how Lane’s demise will affect the trial’s timeline.
Lane rose to fame when he was 24 years old, serving as a lawyer in the U.S. army by defending soldiers who had been implicated in the massacre at My Lai.
He returned home three years later to practice law after obtaining an acquittal for his clients. He chose to live and work on the city’s north side and established a legal practice there.
According to Barr, Lane was dedicated to helping firefighters and police officers and was aware of the difficulties these professionals endure.
After serving as a Judge Advocate General or JAG officer in the U.S. Army for four decades, where he attained the rank of captain, Lane entered private practice.
Condolences were sent his way
After learning of Lane’s demise on Sunday, several officials expressed their sympathies. “A trailblazer in innumerable ways, always carrying a great love for Fort Worth,” said Mayor Mattie Parker of Lane.
‘Jim’s decades of devotion to our city are much appreciated by all of us,’ Parker added.
Glen Whitley, the county judge for Tarrant County, stated that Lane “left Fort Worth and Tarrant County better than he found it.”
Whitley stated, ‘He will be missed, but his legacy goes on.’
Janet, his wife, and Jake, his son, are Lane’s survivors.
