Tyler man accused of violent 2023 murder will go to trial in 2026

Published 1:26 pm Thursday, January 9, 2025

A man accused of murdering a young Tyler woman in September 2023 will go to trial next year, a Smith County court ruled Thursday.

Jamaurea Jermaine Britton, of Tyler, is charged with capital murder in the death of 18-year-old Dejah Hood.

A status hearing was held Thursday in the county’s 114th District Court for Britton, who appeared in front of the judge. Court officials then set his trial date for Oct. 5, 2026.

Documents show Britton admitted to police he beat Hood with a hammer, strangled and stabbed her before throwing her body into a ravine behind the Hollytree Apartments.

The state is seeking the death penalty for Britton if he is found guilty.

An arrest affidavit states Britton told police “fit of rage” overcame him and led him to kill Hood. He became enraged after she playfully tugged his ear, reminding him of an ex-girlfriend, he told police. The murder was violent, according to documents detailing the crime.

Hood was remembered by her friends as a happy woman with great energy.

“She was a person that you wanted to be around. She’s one of those types of people when you first meet her, it’s like you know her already,” Maurese Johnson said in a previous interview with the Tyler Morning Telegraph. “She was different.”

Hood was a 2023 Tyler High graduate and a talented hair stylist. She wanted to attend college and leave Tyler to pursue her dreams, her friends said.

Britton’s next scheduled court appearance is currently Sept. 25, 2026 for a pre-trial hearing.