On Monday, a Denton County jury sentenced Alec Adamson to four years in prison for shooting and killing 19-year-old David Pleasant in Little Elm in 2023.
Adamson, 19, was originally charged with first-degree murder but was convicted of lesser offenses such as aggravated assault.
A lesser-included offense implies that the jury found Adamson guilty of a crime but not of murder, as charged at trial. Juries may examine lesser-included charges if they believe the evidence did not fully support the offense as charged, but also did not support a not-guilty decision.
Adamson was suspected of murdering Pleasant during a cocaine deal outside a park in Little Elm.
Adamson risked two to twenty years in prison. The jury deliberated for almost 3 1/2 hours before issuing the punishment.
Adamson also received almost two years and one month of jail credit toward his sentence for his stay in the Denton County Jail while awaiting trial.
As a result, he has served more than half of his sentence and is immediately eligible for release.
The Pleasant family informed the Denton Record-Chronicle on Friday that they had no specific sentencing in mind. The family stated that they do not expect Adamson to spend his whole life in prison, but would prefer that he do longer time than the two years he has already served.
State prosecutors Paul Hiemke and Lauren Marshall urged the jury to inflict the maximum sentence of 20 years in jail.
Following the punishment verdict, David Pleasant’s mother, Aisha Pleasant, delivered an impassioned victim impact statement and confronted Adamson personally.
Aisha Pleasant stated before to the trial that she was unsure how she would feel about seeing Adamson. “Surprisingly,” she added, “I didn’t hate you.”
She informed Adamson about an incident at school in which another student hit her son because he believed David Pleasant was “messing” with his girlfriend. She stated that her son declined to seek charges against the other pupil.
She explained that she is repeating that story because she believes David Pleasant would have forgiven Adamson for killing him.
Aisha Pleasant stated that she will forgive him eventually, but nothing about the situation makes sense to her right now.
She left the courtroom in tears.
Following the trial, Sarah Roland, one of Adamson’s defense attorneys, told the Record-Chronicle that the jury’s conviction verdict was clearly a compromise. Roland claimed that the jury’s decision to convict him of aggravated assault could only make sense in this context.
Roland explained that in order for the jury to convict him of aggravated assault, they must also consider the gunshot was unreasonable. If the jury did not feel there was a justifiable motive for the shooting, Roland stated, the crime would be murder.
Roland saw that some people leaned guilty while others leaned not guilty, and after 13 hours of deliberation, they reached an agreement. The same may be argued for the sentence, Roland stated.
Hiemke deferred comments on the trial to First Assistant District Attorney Jamie Beck.
Beck also stated that the conviction makes no sense to her.
“If this was a crime, and if there was no defense, then this is a murder,” Beck told reporters.
According to Beck, the District Attorney’s Office and the Pleasant family are upset with both verdicts.
Adamson had already been given the opportunity to change his life, according to Beck, when his friend Mason Schiller died from a fentanyl overdose. Beck stated that he has already had more possibilities than most young people and comes from a sensitive, loving household.
Instead, Beck claimed, Adamson continued acts that resulted in the death of another young person.
Beck expressed concern about the message it sends to other young males in the neighborhood.
“We’re not happy,” Beck stated. “We do not believe this is what society wants. This is not the message we want to send to our young guys at such a vulnerable age: gun violence is acceptable. A four-year sentence basically states that.”
What the jury heard
While state law restricts what information is permitted during the guilty-not-guilty phase of a trial, the sentencing phase allows the jury to learn about Adamson and his family, as well as David Pleasant and his family’s lives outside of the shooting.
David’s mother, Aisha Pleasant, was the lone character witness who testified about him.
She testified that her son was an excellent student who was well-liked by many classmates and teachers at Lone Star High School.
Aisha told the jury, in tears, how her son’s death had upended her life.
She can no longer celebrate her birthday in February because the month acts as a reminder of her loss. She expressed her desire for holidays to “hurry up and pass” because they aren’t the same without her son.
People have told her that it will improve over time, but she is still waiting.
Roland questioned Aisha during cross examination about her son’s incarceration in July 2021. Roland produced proof that David Pleasant had been charged with two misdemeanor vehicle burglaries.
David Pleasant was not convicted because he was enrolled in a pre-trial diversion program. According to Denton County’s website, this program is primarily reserved for low-risk, first-time offenders charged with nonviolent misdemeanors.
Prosecutors also presented evidence of drugs seized from Adamson’s bedroom closet on February 3, 2023. The type and quantity of drugs would constitute two first-degree felonies. Adamson, authorities said, was also illegally in possession of a handgun at the time.
The jury also heard testimony that Adamson was cited in September 2022 for minor in possession of alcohol and tobacco.
Prosecutors also provided two phone conversations Adamson made from jail in the days following his arrest. Prosecutors argued that Adamson was unremorseful, pointing out to the jury that he was laughing about his pals getting high and appeared to be only concerned with his public image.
Roland said that the calls demonstrated that he was trying to ensure that his mother and girlfriend received assistance while he was in jail. Adamson requested his buddies to feed his mother and be present for his fiancée on Valentine’s Day.
Roland further claimed that prosecutors had two and a half years and hundreds of taped jail calls to come up with something more incriminating. Instead, Roland maintained that her client had demonstrated the ability to be a useful member of society.
In Adamson’s defense, Roland called multiple witnesses to testify to his character, his adherence to court orders, and his actions since the shooting.
Adamson was arrested on February 3, 2023, and spent two years in the Denton County Jail awaiting trial.
Adamson received his General Equivalency Degree in April 2023.
His father, Shannon Adamson, stated that they couldn’t afford bail for his $250,000 bond until two years later, when a family friend offered to pay half.
Alec Adamson has worked since he was 15, according to Shannon Adamson, and has occasionally worked two part-time jobs while attending school. She told the jury that her son understands the financial hardship this has placed on their virtually bankrupt family and is attempting to repay them.
The jury heard testimony from bond firm personnel who stated that Alec Adamson has met all of the bond’s requirements, including GPS tracking and random drug testing.
The jury heard that Adamson had sought and kept consistent employment since his release on March 21.
Adamson’s boss, Arma Abbas, who runs BBA Luxury Weddings in Dallas, also testified. She stated that he has worked for her since late March, working six- to eighteen-hour stints. He works in a supervisory capacity, handling inventories and contractor scheduling, among other things, she claimed.
Abbas described him as an honest, communicative, and dependable employee who gets along well with others.
According to his boss, Adamson was forthright about the accusations leveled against him. She asked him a lot of questions, and he answered all of them, and he appeared “extremely remorseful.”
Adamson manages a large amount of money and equipment at her company, according to Abbas. So she claimed she asked him some pretty difficult questions. She testified that she absolutely trusts him.
Following his release, Adamson began attending Lewisville Lighthouse Church. Senior Pastor Richard Brunson, who also works with Kairos Prison Ministry, stated that Adamson strolled into the church one day in May and was welcomed with open arms.
Brunson stated that Adamson is involved in the church and often offers his time to perform in the band and work church events. The pastor stated that he believes Adamson is sincere in his church involvement.
Brunson stated that he baptized Adamson in July after he exhibited adequate devotion to the religion, grasp of the doctrine, and other proof of his relationship with God.
Despite Adamson’s felony conviction on Friday, Brunson expressed no apologies. His church prayed for the Adamson family over the weekend.
