Finish It!

No parole for killer cop.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has denied Amber Guyger parole. The former Dallas Police officer convicted of murdering Botham Jean after wrongly entered his apartment was sentenced to 10 years for negligent homicide.

Guyger shows remorse but the parole board looked at the facts.

She did not check the floor she ended on because she was on the phone not paying attention.

She failed to render aid to Jean.

She mislead the investigators on why entered the apartment room.

She failed to disclose an improper relationship with a senior officer.

Her family tried to bury evidence of apparent bias.

Guyger was eligible for parole this month and thanks to social media and a fickle junk food media, the pressure was definitely on to keep her in the iron college.

She got off lucky. Had she been a Black man, a Hispanic man or a woman of color who isn't Asian American, she would have gotten LIFE.

On November 30, 2018, Guyger was indicted on murder charges by a Dallas County grand jury. On September 22, 2019, the day before the trial began, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot took part in an interview regarding the trial in spite of a gag order issued by Judge Tammy Kemp in January of that year. After questioning jurors, who reported that they had not seen the interview or other media coverage of the trial, Kemp denied the defense's motion for a mistrial, and sequestered the jury.

Manslaughter charges would have merely required proof of recklessness, while murder charges require proof that the defendant intended to kill. The prosecutors alleged criminal intent for two reasons: firstly, they said her arrival at the wrong apartment (on the wrong floor) was not caused by tiredness, but rather caused by the conversation she had immediately prior with her lover trying to arrange a meeting that night, and secondly that she did not follow standard police protocol of not entering a building with a potential burglar inside and instead calling for backup from the police station, which was only two blocks away.

We will not rest. Justice for Botham Jean.

On October 1, 2019, Guyger was found guilty of murder. The jury deliberated for six hours to reach the verdict of murder. The jurors also considered the lesser charge of manslaughter. She was the first Dallas police officer to be convicted of murder since the 1973 murder of Santos Rodriguez.

On October 2, 2019, Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison after the jury deliberated for an hour. During the sentencing hearing, Jean's mother Allison provided emotional testimony and some of Guyger's text messages and social media posts that were "racist and offensive" were shared. Jean's younger brother Brandt forgave and hugged Guyger during her sentencing. Jean's father Bertrum also stated that he forgave Guyger but had wanted a stiffer sentence. 

Guyger's legal bills were paid by the Dallas Police Association, a union which serves Dallas police officers.

On October 16, 2019, Guyger's attorneys filed a notice of appeal requesting a new trial. On August 7, 2020, Guyger's attorneys filed an appeal, alleging that insufficient evidence existed to convict her of murder. The appeal sought either an acquittal, or a reduction in charge to criminally negligent homicide with a new hearing for sentencing on the reduced charge. On August 5, 2021, the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas upheld Guyger's murder conviction, unanimously holding that the jury verdict was reasonable and Guyger's own testimony supported the murder charge. On November 17 of that year, the court withdrew its previous opinion, but again upheld her murder conviction using similar reasoning, stating that her defense that she had unknowingly entered the wrong apartment did not justify the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide. Her appeal to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the court of last resort for criminal cases in the state, was denied.

Guyger is currently imprisoned in the Patrick O'Daniel Unit (formerly the Mountain View Unit). She was eligible for release in September 2024, after serving half her sentence, although her full sentence runs until September 2029. Guyger was denied parole in October 2024. She will be eligible for release again in 2026.