WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Testimony is finally underway Thursday, August 10, 2023, in a capital murder trial after an 11-woman and one-man jury was seated Wednesday after three days.
Zaeveion Denson is the first of the four defendants to go to trial for the shooting of Carolyn High in an alleged robbery in 2020.
One of the codefendants, Shaundre Ransom, was called to the stand Thursday morning. Another of the codefendants may testify in this trial, with prosecutors saying Denson was the one who fired the fatal shot.
Prosecutors filed notice that depending on their truthfulness in testifying, consideration will be given concerning eligibility for parole and sentencing when their cases come up.
Ransom testified that the night of the murder he and the other three had gone to an apartment on Professional to steal a gun, but were unsuccessful. They then went to a bar to look for a victim to rob. They said a man came out and they were going to follow him when they saw a woman come out and decided to rob her instead, by following her and taking her purse. He said they followed her to her home on Cumberland and one of the defendants gave a gun to Denson. After High got out of her car and apparently got her purse out of the trunk, they tried to grab her purse but she resisted and was shot and the defendants took the purse and fled.
Prosecutors said the robbers threw the purse into a dumpster and then went to an apartment at Sun Valley Apartments. High’s purse was later found in the possession of a man who apparently found it, and then tried to burn it.
Prosecutors told jurors the four defendants wanted money to buy marijuana. A friend of High also testified High had been at Texas Nite Life that night dancing. High’s body was found later that morning in her driveway by her daughter.
Jury selection was delayed Wednesday when one member of the panel failed to show and police later sent out a missing persons advisory. He was later determined to have been arrested and in jail in Lawton on charges of engaging in lewdness or prostitution. Whether he will face sanctions from the judge is undetermined.
The trial went into recess Thursday morning and will resume at 1:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
This is a developing story. Stick with Texoma’s Homepage for updates as more information becomes available. All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
