Aaron Dean defense attorney & former Fort Worth Councilman Jim Lane dies at 79
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) — Fort Worth leaders are remembering Aaron Dean defense attorney Jim Lane after reports about his death surfaced on Sunday.
Reports of Lane's death come a day before jury selection is set to begin in Dean's trial for the 2019 murder of Atatiana Jefferson.
Lane was a former Fort Worth City Councilman who unsuccessfully ran for mayor. He was elected to the board of the Tarrant Regional Water District in 2006 and was elected to serve as secretary from 2019 through next year.
Current Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker called Lane a "trailblazer" who served the city for decades.
Jim Lane was a trailblazer in countless ways, always carrying a fierce love for Fort Worth. We all owe Jim a debt of gratitude for his decades of service to our city. Sending prayers to his wife Janet and son Jake along with the entire family. https://t.co/Xdy81f6kpA
— Mayor Mattie Parker (@MayorMattie) November 27, 2022
Texas House Rep. Charlie Geren said in a tweet that Fort Worth "will miss [Lane]."
RIP Jim Lane Ft Worth will miss you
— Charlie Geren (@charliegeren) November 27, 2022
Outgoing Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said Lane's legacy as a "public servant who left Fort Worth and Tarrant County better than he found it."
I was sad to hear of Jim Lane’s passing this morning. He was a public servant who left Fort Worth and Tarrant County better than he found it. He will be missed but his legacy lives on. https://t.co/0ezCiwBe9Z
— Tarrant County Judge B. Glen Whitley (@judge_whitley) November 27, 2022