Ex-Dallas police officer convicted of killing black neighbor granted early parole | Dallas

A former Dallas police officer convicted of killing her black neighbor after entering his apartment thinking it was hers was granted early parole Thursday after serving seven years of her 10-year sentence.

Amber Guyger, 38, white, was convicted of the murder of Botham Jean, 26, an accountant from St. Lucia. Jean was eating ice cream and watching TV when Guyger mistakenly entered his home and shot him on September 6, 2018.

Guyger was arrested three days after the shooting and fired before her murder trial. She faced life in prison or just two years. Prosecutors had initially asked the jury for a minimum sentence of 28 years, a symbolic reference to Jean’s age at the time. Guyger was ultimately sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The Texas Pardons and Parole Board denied Guyger’s initial request for parole in 2024, but approved her case despite objections from Jean’s family the first time she was eligible to apply again.

The shooting attracted widespread national attention due to the unusual circumstances and escalating racial tensions, part of a series of shootings in the United States against black men by white police officers. Jean’s mother, Allison, reflected a few days after his death: “If it was a white man, would it have been different? Would she have reacted differently?”

Guyger’s sentencing hearing also included stunning courtroom scenes when, after sentencing, Jean’s younger brother, Brandt, offered forgiveness to Guyger. “I forgive you, and I know that if you go to God and ask, He will forgive you. I speak for myself, not for my family, but I love you like anyone else,” Brandt told Guyger. He then asked the judge for permission to hug Guyger and the two kissed for about a minute.

The black judge, Tammy Kemp, also hugged Guyger, to whom she gave a Bible after the trial ended. Kemp said Guyger asked her if she thought God would forgive her, to which Kemp responded, “Yes, God can forgive you and he has.” She dismissed the criticism, saying after the trial: “I couldn’t refuse this woman a hug.” »

At trial, Guyger testified that after a long shift and still in uniform, she went to Jean’s apartment — which was on the fourth floor, directly above hers on the third — and found the door unlocked. She said she mistook the apartment for her own and thought Jean was an intruder when she pulled out her service weapon and entered.

Jean’s family’s attorney, civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, said in a statement that the family was “deeply disappointed by the decision.”

“A 10-year sentence is already a fraction of what was lost,” Merritt said. “Ms. Guyger’s release after seven years makes this loss even smaller in the eyes of the system. It is not. The family still lives with this loss every day.”

In 2024, a jury ordered Guyger to pay Jean’s family nearly $100 million in damages in a federal civil lawsuit. The jury found that she used excessive force and violated Jean’s constitutional rights when she shot him.

In granting Guyger’s parole Thursday, the board said the panel conducted “a thorough review and review of a plethora of information.” Her record did not include a documented pattern of violent arrests or convictions and she had “maintained satisfactory institutional adjustment” and followed the programs in her treatment plan in prison to obtain and maintain employment upon her release, he added.

It is unclear when Guyger will be released. The board said the state prison system would determine that timeline.

Dallas police said in a statement to NBC News Dallas-Fort Worth that the department had no role in Guyger’s parole application or the decision to release her.

“The Dallas Police Department understands that this decision may cause renewed attention and emotion surrounding the tragic death of Botham Jean. Our hearts go out to the Jean family and all those affected by his loss,” the department said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report