On
this date, February 27, 2020, Brandon McCall, was sentenced to death for the
murder of Richardson Police Officer David Sherrard, who was killed in the line
of duty on February 7, 2018.
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A Collin County jury late Thursday sentenced to
death Brandon McCall, the man found guilty of capital murder in the shooting
death of Richardson police officer David Sherrard two years ago.
[PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/closing-arguments-underway-in-cop-killers-sentencing/2320574/] |
Jury Sentences Convicted Richardson Cop Killer to Die
Jury considered either life in prison or the death penalty in convicted murderer's case
By Frank Heinz February 28, 2020 at 7:27 am
The jury reached the decision shortly before 10 p.m. after more than eight hours of deliberations.
“This is for David Sherrard,” Judge John Roach said to McCall as he formally sentenced him.
The same jury found McCall guilty Feb. 19 in the Feb. 7, 2018 killing of 37-year-old David Sherrard, a 14-year veteran of the department who is survived by his wife and two daughters. McCall is also charged with the murder of Rene Gamez on the same day, a crime for which he will be tried at a later date.
McCall was given an option to speak during the sentencing hearing Thursday, but he declined.
After the sentencing, Sherrard's wife and police family spoke out.
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"I am very
grateful and feel very blessed that the jury decided to go with the death
penalty and I feel like justice for Dave has been done," his wife Nicole Sherrard said.
Richardson Police Chief Jim
Spivey agreed.
"I am so happy
that we're in Collin County and there are good people who are willing to hold
evil accountable," Spivey
said.
Collin County District Attorney
Greg Willis said the punishment sends a message.
"What they said by
their verdict is that police officers matter, that laws matter," Willis said.
Investigators said McCall shot
Gamez, who McCall was staying with at the time, inside Gamez's apartment and
then shot Sherrard twice as he responded to the "shots fired" call.
Sherrard was shot twice in what a prosecutor described in court Tuesday as an
ambush.
Editor's note: A previous version
of this story identified the jury as being from Dallas County. The story has
been corrected to show the jury is from Collin County.
INTERNET
SOURCE: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/closing-arguments-underway-in-cop-killers-sentencing/2320574/
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A Collin County jury late Thursday sentenced to
death Brandon McCall (left), the man found guilty of capital murder in the
shooting death of Richardson police officer David Sherrard (right) two years
ago.
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Man convicted of killing Richardson officer sentenced to
death
McKINNEY, Texas - A
Collin County jury sentenced Brandon McCall, who was convicted of murdering two
people, including a Richardson police officer, to death.
The jury
reached the decision after deliberating for more than eight hours on Thursday.
McCall
was convicted of capital murder for killing Richardson PD Officer David
Sherrard, along his friend, Rene Gamez.
The jury
began deliberating just before 1:30 p.m., and reached the verdict just before
10 p.m.
Since
McCall was convicted of capital murder, the jury only had two options: life in
prison or death.
On
Thursday morning the jury of nine men and three women heard testimony from one
final defense witness, Frank Aubuchon. He’s a retired prison administrator who
testified about the daily life of a prison inmate serving a life sentence
without parole.
During
closing arguments, the state said McCall was a “calculated cop killer” and a
man who has nothing to live for. Prosecutors said that makes him the most kind
of dangerous man there is, even in prison. Prosecutors told the jury McCall
continues to pose a future risk to society, including prison guards, and
therefore should get the death penalty.
The
defense said the state did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that McCall
poses a future risk and pointed out that McCall has never assaulted anyone
while in jail awaiting trial.
The
defense team cautioned the jury from imposing revenge over justice and asked
the jury to impose a life sentence without possibly of parole.
INTERNET
SOURCE: https://www.fox4news.com/news/man-convicted-of-killing-richardson-officer-sentenced-to-death
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Police Officer David Charles Sherrard
(October 9, 1980 to February 7, 2018)
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Man
sentenced to death for killing Richardson officer
Chloe
Bennett, cbennett@starlocalmedia.com
Convicted murderer Brandon McCall was sentenced to
death by a Collin County jury in McKinney last night.
McCall was convicted of capital murder last week
for the murder of Richardson Police Officer David Sherrard and McCall's
roommate Rene Gamez II in 2018.
Jurors came to the decision after deliberating over
questions regarding the public’s safety. Depending on the questions, McCall
could have received life without parole instead of the death penalty.
“Justice was done yesterday, and this
verdict sends a strong message that cop killers must face the consequences of
their actions,” Collin County Criminal District Attorney Greg Willis said.
“We lost the very best kind of man – Dave
Sherrard – the kind of man who radiated love and courage in the service of others.
I hope the Sherrard family, the Richardson Police Department, and all his
brothers and sisters in blue can find some solace in the jury’s verdict," Willis said.
Richardson police were called to an apartment
complex in February of 2018 after McCall shot Gamez in the leg. Sherrard was
shot upon entry into the building.
This is Collin County’s first death sentence since
2009. McCall joins over 200 people on death row in Texas.
“I’d like to thank the Plano Police
Department for their thorough and diligent investigation. That, combined with
my team’s 24/7 dedication these last two years, were critical to securing
justice in this case,” Willis said.
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