Fort Worth man accused of killing Bedford store clerk faces death penalty if convicted

FORT WORTH — Jeff and Theodis Dodson entered D&S Food Mart in Bedford last year, walked around the store, then strolled up to the counter, one of the brothers carrying a can of beer, according to arrest warrant affidavits and store surveillance video.
One minute, clerk Gaurab Rajbanshi stood behind the counter, facing a cash register.

An image from the store surveillance camera then shows Rajbanshi gone.

Those were the last few minutes before Rajbanshi was shot in the face.

Prosecutors say Jeff Dodson fatally shot the 28-year-old college student from Nepal just after 4:30 p.m. on June 11, 2007.

Today, Jeff Dodson goes on trial for his life.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against the 39-year-old Fort Worth man.

Testimony is scheduled to begin today in Criminal District Court No. 1.

The clerk: Rajbanshi had worked at the store for two years. He had a bachelor’s degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The robbery: After Rajbanshi was shot, one of the Dodson brothers stood behind the counter and was either stomping Rajbanshi or kicking at the cash register, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

The other brother tugged on a cash register cord, trying to pull it away from the counter, the affidavit states. The images were captured on the store surveillance camera.

The arrests: Several people identified the brothers in the video surveillance footage that was released to the news media.

The brothers were arrested a few days after the holdup. A cousin, Fredrick Hughes, 39, who waited in a Suburban outside of the store, was also arrested and charged.

What’s happened to others arrested: Theodis Dodson, 41, pleaded guilty to capital murder in March and was sentenced to life in prison.

In July, a Tarrant County jury found Hughes not guilty of capital murder. Hughes’ attorneys had argued that he was in a Suburban outside of the store, but that he didn’t know his cousins’ plans.