West Texas man acquitted in fatal shooting of police officer

Man mistook officer for an intruder, attorneys told jury

MIDLAND, Texas – A West Texas man was acquitted of murder Wednesday in the 2019 fatal shooting of a police officer who was shot while checking a security alarm at the man’s home.

A Midland County jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before finding David Wilson not guilty of murder in the death of Midland police Officer Nathan Heidelberg.

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Wilson’s attorneys had told jurors that he didn’t know Heidelberg was a police officer, mistook him for an intruder and shot him in self-defense in the predawn hours of March 5, 2019.

Prosecutors offered evidence showing Heidelberg, a five-year police veteran, identified himself as a police officer while still outside the home's front door.

But defense attorneys noted that Wilson hid in a closet in fear of a burglar. They said a Texas Ranger and a police trainee with Heidelberg could not rule out the possibility that Wilson did not hear Heidelberg identify himself as an officer.

Wilson had initially been charged with second-degree manslaughter, but a Midland County grand jury upgraded the charge to murder.