TEMPLE, Texas —
Former McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna, now a defense attorney in Waco, spoke to 6 News Tuesday about the grand jury process and what will happen next in the Michael Dean case.
“The grand jury will typically receive (the) evidence and will listen to what the witnesses say. If any are called, they) will probably review the footage from the dashcam as well as the bodycam. If that is provided, (they) will listen to the district attorney's office as they present that case,” Reyna said. “Then once that's done, everyone except grand jury members is told to leave the room. Those 12 men and women will deliberate and decide what to do. They will probably be given certain specific charges -- one he was arrested on as well as other charges that this could fall under."
A Grand Jury will make the decision on whether to indict after they hear the evidence.
“You gotta be careful to rush to judgment on anything, mainly because we have to view this from the standpoint of the officer. I know the district attorney's office understands that, and then our citizens will understand that '' Reyna said. “What happened is bad and a tragedy. There's no doubt about that. Oftentimes we'll say in criminal law that every crime is a tragedy, but not every tragedy is a crime.”
Reyna said that it will be the Grand Jury’s call to indict Carmen DeCruz on murder, second-degree murder, criminally negligent homicide, or to not indict.
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