The Second District Court of Appeals in Fort Worth, Texas acquitted former mortuary owner Dondre Johnson, whose mortuary was discovered to house eight corpses in a deplorable condition, of felony theft charges.
The court understood that Johnson acted in an “unconscionable behavior” when it came to his activities at the funeral home when he provided families with the ashes of people who were not their loved ones, but ultimately said that the case was not about that matter, and that the felony charges were about theft and fraud.
In the opinion of the majority of the jury in mind, the court penned that there had been “no indication of deception other than the fact that we can assume the family members expected the funeral home to do its job in a workmanlike and timely manner, and it did not do so. But there is no evidence of an intent never to perform the services.”
Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson will now deliberate whether to escalate the case to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
At Law Offices of Mark T. Lassiter, we know what it takes to effectively represent people in their criminal cases. If you have been charged with a crime in Dallas or other areas in Texas, hire our attorneys today by calling our offices at (214) 845-7007.
