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.

The Board of Pardons and Paroles said she has had no documented pattern of violence or assaultive arrests/convictions while incarcerated. She has also maintained satisfactory institutional adjustment and her participation in and completion of programs and activities in the individual treatment plan.

Her defense attorneys and those who work in the criminal justice space said the case is pretty much standard operating procedure for most in the Texas prison system.

What they're saying:

Several criminal justice experts helped to put Guyger's release into perspective.

"Not very unusual. After half the time on a 3G offense like murder, the inmate is eligible for parole. So that means five years in this instance. After five years she was eligible. It's my understanding that she came up once before and was denied," said Anthony Farmer, an attorney who is not involved in the case.

"She was considered a model inmate by the system and here we are seven on 10. And quite honestly, people might not like it, but that's kind of a fair ratio of time served on the 10," added Bruce Cameron, a prison consultant.

The other side:

Attorney Lee Merrett released a statement on behalf of himself and Jean's family. He argued a 10-year sentence was already a fraction of what was lost and releasing Guyger after seven years makes that loss feel even smaller in the eyes of the system.

"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," Merrett said. "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."

The Next Generation Action Network also said it was outraged by the decision.

"Amber Guyger has been granted the opportunity to return home. Botham Jean will never have that opportunity. That is the devastating reality his family must live with forever," said Dominique Alexander, the civil rights organization's founder and president. "We are outraged because this decision reflects the two systems of justice that Black communities know all too well: one that extends mercy to those who take our lives, and another that too often denies our people protection, dignity, and accountability. Texas has repeatedly failed to protect Black lives, and today’s decision deepens that failure." 

What's next:

The parole board said in a statement that Guyger was approved for parole on Oct. 1.

Before she is released, she will receive the conditions of her parole and will be assigned a parole officer that she must report to.

Botham Jean Shooting

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. 

Amber Guyger's 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.

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.

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.