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Testimony ends for trial in death of teen

Thu, 07/26/2018 - 1:56 pm

The mother of Trey Pruitt, the Jacksboro teen who died of overdose Jan. 16, 2017, is on trial this week for her role in his death.

At the start of the trial, 271st Judicial District Assistant DA Jay Lapham said the defendant, Christy Pruitt, is charged with delivery of a controlled substance to her son, a minor. If she is found guilty, the punishment can be enhanced if the jury finds the substance caused Trey Pruitt’s death.

The court summoned more than 300 potential jurors for 9 a.m. Tuesday though not all showed up. The attorneys made their selections and a jury was seated by 3:30 p.m. 

Lapham began his case with an opening statement and said Christy Pruitt was a mother who would rather be her son’s friend.

“She was the mom that wanted to be the buddy. She didn’t want to be the parent, but the friend and the friend to all of Trey’s friends,” Lapham said.

He said on the night of January 15, 2017, Trey called his mom and said he wanted his grandfather’s pills. Jackie Dixon who had passed away from ALS in 2015 had been prescribed end-of-life comfort medications including morphine.

“She told him where they were,” Lapham said.

In his opening statement, defense attorney Bob Estrada said Trey did not communicate morphine to Christy Pruitt.

“This is not a direct evidence case ... this is a circumstantial evidence case,” Estrada said.

The jury has heard evidence from witness called by the prosecution which were Trey's friend, Zach Hamm, paramedic Will Mangum, Jack County Sheriff's Lt. Micheal Francis, 271st District DA investigator Jack McGuinn, DPS forensic scientist Jacklyn Lochridge, Trey's father David Pruitt, Christy Pruitt's sister Jennifer Jordan, her daughter Jordan Pruitt, medical examiner Dr. Emily Cohen.

The defense called on Christy Pruitt who testified on her own behalf. Both the state and defense rested at 10:58 a.m. Thursday. Court was to reconvene at 1 p.m. with the court's charge. Following the reading of the charge, the attorneys for each will give their closing statements and the case will be given to the jury for deliberation.

For more information on the first two days of the trial, see the July 27 edition of the Jacksboro Herald-Gazette on newstands now. To find the outcome, check www.jacksboronewspapers.com for updates.