Ex-Dallas officer Amber Guyger granted parole 7 years after murder of Botham Jean
DALLAS - Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger has been granted parole after serving seven years for the murder of Botham Jean in 2018.
She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
What's new:
Jean’s family confirmed the news of Guyger’s upcoming release on Thursday morning.
It’s not yet clear when she will be freed.
Big picture view:
In her trial, Guyger’s defense argued she mistakenly identified Jean as an intruder in her apartment after a long day at work with the Dallas Police Department.
In reality, she walked into her 26-year-old neighbor’s apartment thinking it was her own.
The case gained national attention and inspired a number of protests in Dallas.
Guyger was denied parole at her last hearing in 2024. She was scheduled for a new hearing on Oct. 10, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Statement from Civil Rights Attorney Lee Merritt on the Parole of Amber Guyger
We are deeply disappointed by the decision to grant parole to Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer convicted of murdering Botham Jean.
Botham Jean was in his own home, eating ice cream, when his life was taken. He did nothing wrong. He was a son, a brother, a friend, and a man of faith who served his church and his community. He should still be here.
Botham's family and the community strongly opposed this parole. They stood up again and again to ask that the full sentence be served. A 10-year sentence was already a fraction of what was lost. Releasing Ms. Guyger after seven years makes that loss feel even smaller in the eyes of the system. It is not.
The family still lives with this loss every day. Botham does not get to come home. His family does not get the years they should have had with him. No parole decision can return what was taken from them.
Justice cannot be selective. When a life is taken without cause, accountability has to mean something, for everyone. Today's decision tells grieving families that it can be cut short.
We stand with the Jean family. We will keep saying Botham's name, and we will keep working for a justice system that values every life it is asked to protect.
Botham Jean Shooting
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 5 years after Botham Jean's murder
Family and friends of a man shot and killed by a Dallas police officer on Sept. 6, 2018 encouraged people to spread acts of service and kindness in his honor.
The backstory:
On Sept. 6, 2018, Guyger returned to her home after a more than 13-hour shift and mistook Jean's apartment for her own. Both Guyger and Jean lived in the South Side Flats near Downtown Dallas, about two blocks from the Dallas Police Department. Guyger lived on the third floor, in apartment 1378. Jean lived on the fourth floor, in apartment 1478.
Guyger said she didn't notice she was on the fourth floor, or the red doormat outside of Jean's apartment door. She attempted to unlock the door and noticed it was ajar. She went into the apartment and found Jean and shot twice, believing he was a burglar inside her apartment.
She then called 911. Jean was taken to a nearby hospital where he died.
Guyger was arrested three days later. She was placed on paid administrative leave and was fired from the Dallas Police Department 18 days later.
In 2019, Guyger was convicted of murdering Jean and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
In Oct. 2024, she was denied parole after serving half of her sentence. She first became eligible for parole on Sept. 29, 2024. More than 6,000 people, including Jean's family and the Dallas County District Attorney, signed an online petition against Guyger's parole request.
The Trial
Guyger’s legal team argued a "mistake of fact" defense, maintaining that she genuinely—though mistakenly—believed she was inside her own apartment and that her life was in danger. They invoked the Castle Doctrine and self-defense principles.
Prosecutors countered that her mistake was unreasonable and driven by extreme carelessness and a failure of situational awareness. During the sentencing phase, they also introduced text messages and social media posts from Guyger that raised questions about her character and racial bias.
On October 1, 2019, a Dallas County jury rejected the lesser charge of manslaughter and found Guyger guilty of murder after roughly six hours of deliberations. She was the first Dallas police officer convicted of murder since 1973.
She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Botham Jean's family, lawyers speak after ruling: FULL
Botham Jean's parents and lawyers speak after a jury awarded them $98.6 million in the civil wrongful death suit against former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger. Guyger shot and killed Jean in his apartment in 2018. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his murder.
Guyger's defense subsequently filed appeals to overturn the conviction (which were upheld on appeal). Additionally, Botham Jean's family filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit, resulting in a November 2024 judgment finding Guyger liable and ordering her to pay $98.65 million to the family.
Botham Jean's family awarded nearly $100M in civil wrongful death case
The family was only seeking $54.4 million. They say any money they do collect will go to help others, like Botham would have wanted.
Who was Botham Jean?
According to court documents, Jean graduated from the top of his class in Castries, St. Lucia and came to the United States to attend Harding University in Arkansas.
The court documents show Jean's family says he was a rising star at one of the nation's leading professional services firms as an accountant. He was also a worship leader in the international Church of Christ, serving the Dallas West Church of Christ. His family says he hoped to one day return to the nation of Saint Lucia and run for the position of Prime Minister.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the family of Botham Jean and past news coverage.