![Testimony Begins In Deputy Shooting Trial](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2010/12/minnesota_news_blue.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Testimony Begins In Deputy Shooting Trial
CROOKSTON (AP) - Testimony begins in Polk County in the trial of a man accused of shooting a sheriff's deputy in 2009.
Thirty-four-year-old Thomas Fairbanks is accused of first-degree murder in the death of Mahomen County Deputy Chris Dewey. He was shot in the head and abdomen in February 2009 and died 18 months later as a result of his injuries.
An accomplice, Daniel Vernier, pleaded guilty for failing to aid Dewey after the shooting. Vernier is expected to testify against Fairbanks.
Vernier was arrested in St. Cloud earlier this month for allegedly assaulting the mother of his children.
Fairbanks faces life in prison if convicted. The trial is expected to last about three weeks.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
More From AM 1240 WJON
![Fairbanks Gets Life For Minnesota Deputy’s Murder](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2010/12/court-gavel.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Accomplice In Officer Christopher Dewey Shooting Arrested In St. Cloud](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2011/08/daniel_vernier_250x200.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Support And Unity: Sherburne County Leaders Condemn Violence In Political Disagreements](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2024/07/attachment-Trump-AssassinationAttempt-GettyImages.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Man’s Body Found After Jumping From Veterans Bridge](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2021/04/70240401_954648994892156_1160412640535642112_n-2.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Little Falls Man Hurt After Motorcycle Crash Friday](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2023/05/Mayo-Ambulance-2.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![See What Happens When The Sun Goes Down At Sleepover Safari](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2024/07/attachment-tiger.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Two Hurt in Stearns County Crash Near St. Rosa](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2024/07/attachment-Crash-with-Injuries.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Minnesota, 24 Other States Enter $82 Million Settlement with Abra and CEO Over Licensing Violations](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2024/07/attachment-rock-staar-NzIV4vOBA7s-unsplash.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![St. Ben’s, St. John’s Official Higher Ed Partners with MN United](http://townsquare.media/site/70/files/2019/11/soccer_ball_getty_Michael-Regan_Getty24.jpg?w=980&q=75)