The jury was dismissed for the day after the State rested, and the defense called three witnesses to the stand.
Soon, the jury will begin deliberations to decide the fate of the convicted Lamar High School shooter. The defendant, whose name will not be made public due to his age, could face from probation to 40 years in prison.
Day 2 of sentencing began with testimony from Homicide Detective K. Robinson with the Arlington Police Department and Detective S. Cruz. Cruz works under Arlington PD’s Economic Crimes Unit and Digital Forensic Lab to extract information from digital devices.
Cruz read a series of texts from the convicted minor that were sent minutes after the April shooting at Lamar High School.
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The minor texted his father at 6:58 a.m. to alert him of a shooting and to call the police. According to prosecutors, the text was an attempt to create an alibi.
The teen's mother also took the stand Wednesday morning and was questioned about his life in Louisiana before moving to Texas in 2018. According to the mother, the move was sparked due to issues the minor had in school.
However, his mother assured the jury they had a close relationship.
“We talked every day, seven days a week,” she said. “The phone was all we had.”
However, when questioned by the defense about his behavior at Lamar High School, the mother admitted she was unaware of the full scope.
“Maybe a year ago, that’s when it really started,” she said. “That’s when his dad let me know he was being tardy a lot.”
The convicted teen’s mother also told the jury her son had refused to speak to her during his time at the Tarrant County Juvenile Detention Center.
“He has his rights to be able to refuse,” she said.
Bob Lewis, the probation officer assigned to the case, testified about the times the minor was offered to call his mom or father but refused. Lewis also testified about the teen’s behavior inside the detention center.
Lewis detailed a dozen seclusion reports that were both voluntary and disciplinary.
According to Lewis, voluntary is “usually used when youth wants to exit program because they’re upset about something or stressed. That’s when they choose to self-isolate, and they’re allowed to.”
A disciplinary seclusion report, according to Lewis, is when a “youth refuses to stay in the program despite council and encouragement for youth to re-enter the program.”
One of the disciplinary seclusion reports includes an incident on August 18.
“It was the morning of the first sitting of jury trial just before 2 a.m. that requested of staff… to bring a roll of paper,” Lewis said. “He charged out, somehow got a procession of the security control officer's flashlight and keys, attempting to find his way out of the facility. He was later confronted and restrained by staff.”
The jury was shown the incident video that shows staff chasing the minor down hallways in the detention. According to prosecutors, the attempted escape delayed the judicial proceedings.
The mother of the victim killed in the high school shooting spoke to the jury about who her son was.
“He was a laid-back kid,” Ra’Shawn Jacob said. “He loved to hang out with his family and friends. If you talked to him, the first thing is that he’ll smile and laugh because that’s the type of person he was.”
Jacob said she, as well as her family, is still mourning the loss of Ja’Shawn Portier.
He didn’t bother anyone, and for this to happen is crazy to me. Unbelievable,” Jacob said. “I’m technically still trying to wrap my mind around this, and I’m stuck in this nightmare.”
The prosecution rested just before 12:00 p.m. Wednesday. The defense picked up later in the afternoon with Dr. Daniel Krall, a senior psychologist with the Texas Juvenile Department, and Dr. Stephen Thorne, a licensed psychologist who testified about the juvenile brain.
The day ended after the defendant's great aunt, Carolyn, shared about their family dynamic.
“He isn’t a fighter. He’s a good kid. He’s a quiet kid,” Carolyn said.
Judge Alex Kim said more witnesses will be called to the stand on Thursday. The jury was asked to return to the Tarrant Juvenile Courthouse at 8:30 a.m.
