Defense Attorney: Don't Punish Grandmother for Trying to Save Heroin Baby

SAN ANGELO, TX – Defense Attorney Thomas Jackson presented his opening statement to the jury Monday in the Cristin Bradley case asking the jury not to punish the woman who sought out help for the 2-month-old Brixlee Lee.

The trial began on July 24 but was dismissed for the weekend. Because of witness scheduling issues, prosecutor Allison Palmer agreed to allow Jackson to give his opening statement and present his first witnesses.

The change happened sooner than expected, as the state still has witnesses lined up, but due to scheduling issues, the defense sought to bring two defense witnesses to the stand. Both sides agreed, and Jackson began his statement.

He started by thanking the jury members for their time and for not "shutting off" during such difficult testimony. He went on to tell the jury to look past the surface level of the case and delve deeper into Bradley's role.

"I regret what happened to the baby," said Jackson. "I go to sleep thinking about the baby. Then I started thinking why? I am trying to find out with y'all why?"

He went on to tell the jury how he believes the baby died, blaming it on the syphilis that the child got at birth, the sepsis that happened very quickly, and pneumonia he claimed the baby contracted from COVID-19.

He finished by asking the jury to keep in mind that Bradley is not the child's mother, nor the individual who likely exposed the baby to drugs. Instead, Bradley was the one who wanted to and did get the baby help. He finished by saying this trial is about thanking those who tried to save the baby, including the doctors, nurses, and Bradley.

We will have more on the trial later.