Jerry Don Elders found guilty of capital murder in Johnson County woman’s death

A man in Johnson County was found guilty of capital murder on Thursday, three years after being accused of killing a 61-year-old woman and shooting a Burleson police officer.

Jerry Don Elders was apprehended in Gainesville on April 14, 2021, following an extensive manhunt initiated by the shooting of Burleson police officer Joshua Lott and the abduction and killing of Robin Waddell.

According to Burleson police reports from 2021, Elders, along with accomplices, shot Officer Lott during a pre-dawn traffic stop. Subsequently, they abandoned the vehicle and later forcibly took Waddell’s car outside a residence on the 8000 block of County Road 802.

At 8:44 a.m., Waddell arrived at the Joshua Police Department with gunshot wounds. Despite efforts, she succumbed to her injuries at Huguley Hospital South in Burleson.

Following the issuance of a Blue Alert for the officer’s shooting, Elders was sighted driving Waddell’s vehicle in Gainesville. After a brief pursuit, Cooke County Deputies successfully apprehended Elders.

With the capital murder conviction, Elders now faces the possibility of either receiving the death penalty or spending life in prison without parole.