The court is debating the “risk of future violence” for a man convicted of murdering a Panola County deputy

LONGVIEW, Texas (KLTV) – It's the fourth full day in the punishment phase of the trial of Gregory Newson, who was convicted of the 2019 murder of Panola County Deputy Chris Dickerson.

The only witness on Friday was Dr. Sarah West of the defense, a psychiatrist who interviewed Newson. She testified that he posed a “low risk of future violence to the community at large.”

The state called West's report “garbage in, garbage out” and said Newson was the primary source of information in the document.

Prosecutors pointed to Newson's prison record, including a transfer to a maximum-security prison in the 1990s. He was transferred due to several disciplinary issues.

One of the reasons for West's conclusion was that Newson would not have access to guns in prison. The state submitted prison records showing Newson had a homemade knife in his cell in 1998.

Due to scheduling conflicts with experts, the jury is off on Monday. The trial continues on Tuesday.

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