Constable speaks out after man acquitted for her son's murder

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas - A jury recently acquitted a man accused of killing the son of Travis County Pct. 1 Constable Tonya Nixon, who is speaking out after the verdict.

52-year-old Stacey Easley was found not guilty of murder. He was indicted for the death of 29-year-old Johnny Edmondson last year.

Authorities say Edmondson was killed on April 18, 2023, at an apartment on the 8300 block of I-35.

"It was a blow. It was tough, it was like reliving it all over again," Nixon said. "I'm just going to be real. I'm in law enforcement. I'm not an attorney, but I've been in law enforcement 20 years. The state, the DA, they did a great job with what they had to work with, but I also have to commend the defense attorney, Leslie Booker. She defended her client. In a case like this, there is no room for any doubt."

According to the arrest affidavit, a woman told police Edmondson was her child's father. She had also recently dated Easley. She told officers Easley was going to drop off some furniture at her new apartment but came at an unexpected time, and Edmondson was there. 

The paperwork says Easley got upset with the woman, and Edmondson went outside, but Easley followed him, and they had an argument. Edmondson went back inside, and Easley was accused of shooting him. 

"The past year has been up and down, it's like one minute I'm good and some minutes I just shut down, especially in the evenings and nights. I've had a good support system though," Nixon said. "Life will never be the same. Never."

Nixon describes her son as "very energetic" and "he would light up the room."

She says she misses "his personality. He said mama, because he was a mama's boy." 

"He didn't live the perfect life. He lived a lifestyle that most would frown upon. He was a convicted felon, sure enough, and he had served time. I served his time with him every time he did, but he was a very affectionate person. When he was sober, he was very affectionate, had an affectionate smile, very caring, very memorable," she said. "He didn't deserve to be killed like that. Nobody deserves that no matter what lifestyle they live."

Leslie Andrews Booker, Easley's defense attorney, says her client has always maintained his innocence. 

"We were relieved, and we were happy that justice was served for Mr. Easley. He had been in the jail for almost a year pending these charges. He was very emotional," she said. "He just continues to thank God for blessing him and seeing the truth. He expresses his condolences to Ms. Nixon. Very sorry that this happened to her son, but he is not responsible."

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She says there were problems with the witness's account.

"One of the issues that we dealt with was the star witness or the state's eyewitness, who was not credible by any means. We were able to cross-examine her on her whereabouts that night, who she spoke with that night, where she went afterwards," she said. "I think she lacked credibility. There were some holes in her version of what took place. Obviously, the citizens of Travis County agreed with Mr. Easley, and he is innocent of these charges, as he stated since day one."

Nixon says she only has partial closure.

"Yes and no, yes, because, you know, the trial is over. I don't have to go to trial again. No, because I never will really know what happened. Based off what I saw in the trial, I still believe that that individual did it," she said.

Booker says with a "not guilty" verdict, investigators could keep looking into the incident, but that's only on a case-by-case basis.