A day in the life: Taylor County District Attorney's Office investigator
Editor's note: This the sixth story in the Abilene Reporter News series, "A Day in the Life," in which we shadow local law enforcement, public figures and other people of note to catch a glimpse of all that they do for the community every day.
The sun was shining brightly in the Taylor County Courthouse parking lot. There had been a freak hail storm the day before, but on March 1, there wasn't a cloud in sight.
LaMeka Lowe, who previously had custody of 22-month-old Dairess Fuller Jr. before he died at the hands of his mother, Teliea Thomas, bravely stood amidst a group of law enforcement officers, prosecutors, detectives and District Attorney's Office Investigator Tommy Pope.
The group had gathered for a balloon release in honor of Fuller, called "Junior" by his family, after his mother was sentenced to life in prison for her role in his death from malnutrition.
Lowe said, with tears in her eyes, how thankful she was for each and every member of the group and all they had done to bring Fuller justice — and also for being there for her family in their time of need.
Pope stood at the edge of the semicircle and cupped his hands over his eyes — maybe to cover a tear or shield his eyes from the sun, but one will never know.
Pope had been stoic and strong for Lowe's family throughout the trial and sentencing hearing. He stood tall outside the courthouse, holding a special blue, shiny balloon in Fuller's honor.
The group waited on Assistant DA Dan Joiner to release the balloons. As Joiner walked out, the entire group broke out in claps and cheers because he had secured a life sentence for Thomas.
Now, it was time. Lowe spoke of happier times with Fuller and the only birthday she had celebrated with him. It had been "Baby Shark"-themed. He had been happy, chubby and thriving.
Lowe released the yellow, smiling Baby Shark balloon as the attorneys, detectives, investigators and other officers released theirs.
The Baby Shark balloon smiled down on the crowd while everyone silently watched the balloons float peacefully over the courthouse. One blue balloon hung off to the side.
"That's junior's," Lowe said. "Now, he's at peace."
Pope waited for some of the crowd to clear before embracing Lowe tightly. She whispered words of thanks. Pope had been there through it all to figuratively and literally hold the family's hand throughout the trial.
Lowe thanked him again and headed to her car with what looked like a sense of relief. Pope slowly walked back toward the courthouse and on to his next trial.
He would hold the next victim's family's hands once again, ensuring they know how important they are and how much he feels their pain.
'You catch more flies with honey'
Tommy Pope has been a DA's investigator for over six years, but he has spent a lifetime in law enforcement.
Why was he inspired to go into a career in law enforcement? "It sounded exciting," he said.
And exciting it has been. Pope has spent the majority of his career in investigations. He got his start, however, on patrol with the Abilene Police Department.
He worked there over 24 years, shifting from patrol to the SWAT team to criminal investigations, ending with nine years working narcotics.
When Pope recalled his time with APD, there was a twinkle in his eye. He talked of the fun he had "working informants, kicking in doors, executing search warrants."
It was an exciting point in his career.
But he also said he never fully turned off the job. His phone would ring into the night with calls from local informants.
When he retired in 2009 from APD, he headed up the investigative unit at the Taylor County Sheriff's Office before reaching his final destination: working as a DA's Office investigator.
It was a natural progression from street days to testimony in court to a desk in the courthouse, he said.
While he doesn't "chase bad guys anymore," he now sees the other side of justice.
Pope said so-called bad guys are really just "human beings who've made mistakes, have addictions, have mental issues." He lives by the phrase, "You catch more flies with honey."
It is easy to see his empathy for both the accused and the victims, so much so that some suspects will only speak with Pope. They feel treated with dignity when in his presence.
'One of the worst'
For nearly 30 years, Pope didn't really see the results of his hard work in law enforcement.
While he helped put away criminals, he said unless he testified in court, he didn't see what happened next. He does now in his job with the DA's Office.
"It's exciting to see bad people get put in prison," Pope said.
That statement held true for him March 1 when Pope saw Thomas receive a life sentence for starving her child to death. While normally, Pope is an investigator in the misdemeanor courts, he was assigned this felony case to work.
It was easy to see the close relationship Pope developed with Fuller's family members mourning the loss of their "son." They had received custody of him when he was just months old.
Throughout the sentencing hearing, Pope sat stoically in the back of the courtroom but was visibly upset for Lowe when the court proceedings were delayed at first that day.
"I hate that she's having to wait," Pope said.
Lowe had driven from Austin to testify in the sentencing hearing against Thomas, her half-sister. Lowe previously had custody of Fuller until Thomas took him back to Abilene where he died from malnutrition.
One could see the empathy and pain Pope felt when he watched Lowe see the pictures for the first time of Fuller after he had died.
Pope said the child "was thriving and chubby with a big head of hair" when he was in Lowe's care.
As the sentencing continued, Pope said this case "was one of the worst" he had ever seen. He noted that a responding APD officer was sent home from the scene after encountering the dead toddler.
While audience members in the courtroom cried silent tears, Pope remained stoic as if he had to be strong for the young victim's family.
He did, however, allow a smile to cross his face as 350th District Judge Thomas Wheeler declared that Thomas would spend life in prison.
More: Retired lead investigator from Jennifer Servo cold case murder speaks out
More: 'She deserves justice': Retired cold case detective speaks out on Jennifer Servo case
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: A day in the life: Taylor County DA's Office Investigator
