Johnson County Trial for Jerry Don Elders Entering Punishment Phase
The punishment phase of the trial against convicted murderer and former convict Jerry Don Elders commenced on Friday, with prosecutors presenting several witnesses in their bid to push for capital punishment. The jury had previously found Elders guilty of capital murder after he shot and wounded Burleson police officer Joshua Lott during a traffic stop while also kidnapping, shooting dead 60-year-old Robin Waddell during a carjacking incident that occurred around the same time in April last year.
During Friday’s proceedings, Elders’ sister Kim Bamburg testified and broke down at times as she recounted her brother’s actions leading up to his arrest. She revealed that he blamed others for what happened during the shooting spree, including both Lott and Waddell. “It breaks my heart; it physically makes me sick to my stomach to see everything we’ve gone through,” Bamburg said while sobbing in court.
The prosecution’s case continued on Saturday with several witnesses taking the stand, during which Elders listened attentively at times and even took notes as the evidence was presented against him. The state argued that he would pose a danger to society, both inside prison walls and beyond them after his release from custody.
Another witness who testified in court on Saturday was Amber Allen, who claimed she married Elders twice while he was incarcerated but got the marriages annulled each time before eventually tying the knot with him again upon his release. She explained that although she believed at one point that Elders cared for her deeply, it became apparent to her later on that all he wanted from their relationship were money and company because of how manipulative he was during those periods they shared together as husband and wife.
Testimony in the punishment phase is scheduled to resume again on Tuesday morning with a hope by the state attorneys involved to present compelling reasons before the jurors to convince them that Elders should be sentenced to death for his crimes, which include capital murder charges against him.
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