Amber Guyger granted parole seven years after murder conviction in Botham Jean’s killing
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The former Dallas police officer was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a jury convicted her of murdering Jean in his apartment.
Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger has been granted parole. The parole came seven years after she was convicted of murdering her neighbor, Botham Jean, inside his Dallas apartment.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles confirmed the decision Thursday, according to reporting by FOX 4 and The Dallas Morning News. Jean’s family confirmed Guyger’s upcoming release, although a specific release date had not yet been announced.
Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a Dallas County jury convicted her of murder in 2019. On Sept. 6, 2018, Guyger returned home after a more than 13-hour shift with the Dallas Police Department. She mistakenly went to the fourth floor of the South Side Flats complex, entered Jean’s apartment believing it was her own and shot the 26-year-old accountant.
Jean was inside his apartment when he was killed. Guyger’s defense argued at trial that she mistakenly believed she was entering her own home and thought Jean was an intruder. Prosecutors argued that her mistake was unreasonable.
The jury ultimately rejected a manslaughter verdict and convicted her of murder. Guyger became eligible for parole in September 2024 but was denied release that year. More than 6,000 people had signed a petition opposing her release at the time, according to FOX 4’s previous coverage