Dallas County murder suspect arrested in 2015 still has not faced trial

DALLAS COUNTY, Texas - A man arrested in 2015 for the murder of a woman in 2014 has still not gone to trial.

The victim's son contacted FOX 4 with his frustration, amid a revolving door of lawyers and 20 rescheduled court dates.

In July 2014, 71-year-old Janet Vanderslice was found dead in her Garland home.

Janet Vanderslice

She was discovered by her son, David, who went to check on her when calls were not answered or returned.

"I unlocked the door, went into the house, looked around and that's when I went into the kitchen and that's when I saw her lying on the floor," recalled David Vanderslice.

In April 2015, Garland Police arrested David Wade McDermett.

David McDermett

One month later, a grand jury indicted him for the murder.

McDermett had been in jail for nearly a year with no movement on his case. In 2016, he asked for a bond reduction.

In January 2017, his court-appointed lawyer withdrew from the case to take a job in the District Attorney's office. The District Attorney at the time recused the office from prosecuting the case because McDermett's former lawyer now worked for the state.

A special prosecutor was appointed but withdrew. Along the way, other court-appointed attorneys withdrew as well.

"They had to give him a replacement defense attorney which, you know, kept setting the trial back," said Vanderslice. 

David Vanderslice

That same year, McDermett was let out of jail on a personal recognizance bond and placed on an ankle monitor.

Vanderslice says he learned that monitor was removed after roughly two months.

"They let him remove his monitor and just be a free man," he said.

The trial has been reset numerous times as court-appointed defense lawyers and special prosecutors changed. Vanderslice kept count.

In 2019, Judge Carter Thompson, who FOX 4 tried to reach, but was told is out of town this week, appointed the current special prosecutor, but then COVID hit and shut down the courts.

"It's been over ten years since she was murdered and justice needs to happen," said Vanderslice. "I understand you have COVID, ten years is ten years. Okay, we had lots of cases pre-COVID that have been resolved."

This case does not belong to Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot because the DA's Office recused itself back in 2017 before Creuzot was elected.

John Creuzot

"A case ten years ago should have gone to trial and the person who causes a case to go to trial is the trial judge. Whoever runs that court, that's part of their court management responsibility, get cases to trial," said Creuzot who has also served as a state district judge.

David Wade McDermett is scheduled to go to trial in January 2025 for the murder of Janet Vanderslice.

Her son is hoping justice won't be delayed again.

"I want justice in front of a jury, you know, 12 members of a jury. I might not like the outcome or the decision, but at least my mother will get her day in court," said Vanderslice.

None of the current lawyers involved that we were able to reach, either court-appointed or special prosecutors, wanted to go on camera.

The new trial date is January 27, 2025.

It is certainly not the first trial date, but we will be watching to see if the case goes forward.