Former Balch Springs Police Officer Roy Oliver Denied An Appeal In Murder Of 15-Year-Old Jordan Edwards

An appeal filed by an ex-Balch Springs police officer found guilty of murder, has been denied. Thus, he will have to serve out the rest of his time.

Oliver was given 15 years in prison, and it was ruled that he must pay a $10,000 fine.

A Balch Springs internal affairs detective told Oliver that he would be terminated. This would happen if he didn’t give a statement, following the shooting.

However, the Garrity v. New Jersey case, in 1967, is where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the matter. This said that statements of police officers given under the threat of firing violated the officer’s right against self-incrimination.

During the trial, Oliver’s attorneys argued that the state must prove that a Garrity statement wasn’t considered by the prosecution. The trial court wasn’t in agreeance and neither was the court of appeals.

In 2020, Oliver filed a petition for a discretionary review which was granted. It added that his statement was done involuntarily. A review was done of the parties’ briefs and court documents. The court unanimously decided that their decision to grant a review was “improvident” and dismissed Oliver’s appeal.