Jordan Edwards murder: Case explored as Texas high court rejects convicted ex-cop Roy Oliver’s appeal

A former Balich Springs police officer, Roy Oliver's appeal was denied by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He was convicted of the murder of a Black man in 2017.

Ex-cop Roy Oliver was convicted nearly four years ago of killing 15-year-old Jordan Edwards by shooting into a 2004 Chevrolet Impala carrying teenagers as they were leaving a private party.

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Details about the scene that led to the killing of a teen by ex-cop Roy Oliver

Reports suggest that Roy Oliver and his partner Tyler Gross were sent to handle a party-related noise problem, where unconnected gunshots were heard a short while after the authorities arrived. First-year high school student Edwards and his classmates were terrified and attempted to flee. Subsequently, Oliver shot their vehicle's in the rear five times with a gun.

According to ABC News, the first police narrative of the events surrounding the shooting falsely claimed the car, an Impala, aggressively backed towards the other officer. However, the car was seen accelerating away from the police in the video footage.

Reports suggest that Tyler Gross would go on to testify that he never believed that his life was in danger. Roy Oliver was subsequently dismissed. He was charged with murder and tried by Faith Johnson, the district attorney for Dallas County at the time.

In August 2018, he was deemed guilty by ten women and two men. Oliver was accused of murder but found not guilty of two lesser charges of aggravated assault by a public official with a deadly weapon.

During the court proceedings, Oliver's own half-sister, Wendy Oliver, gave a moving testimony in opposition to the judge showing mercy to the prisoner.

She said in a statement:

"I came here to do something right for Jordan Edwards. It ate me up. Jordan didn't do anything to be shot."

The offender ultimately received a 15-year prison term and a $100,000 fine. Although the relatives of the victim had hoped for a longer sentence, they embraced the verdict as a delivery of justice.

The defendant argued that his right against self-incrimination had been violated because, under penalty of losing his employment, he had agreed to speak with an internal affairs investigator.

The Texas court initially heard Oliver's appeal but changed its mind, concluding that, strictly speaking, the court should not have even taken Oliver's appeal into consideration in the first place. Additionally, the claims were also denied because former officer Roy Oliver failed to establish that the evidence used against him in court was tainted by any of his protected declarations.

A three-judge panel of Texas' 5th Court of Appeals in Dallas ruled in August,

"Oliver made no showing that any witness was exposed to his Written or Recorded statements, either directly or through any law enforcement official. Thus, no evidence offered at the grand jury proceedings or at trial can be traced directly or derivatively to those statements."

According to state prison records, Oliver has been incarcerated for more than two years and won't be eligible for parole until 2026.