Amber Guyger's Murder Trial

On September 6, 2018, Botham Jean, an African American man from St. Lucia, was tragically killed by white police officer Amber Guyger. A year later, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison. On the surface, this may seem like a regular murder case, but after digging deeper, I can assure you there is so much more to uncover. 

Amber Guyger is a 31-year-old woman from Dallas, Texas who had been in the police force for five years. She lived one floor below Jean, who was a 26-year-old accountant. After a long shift at work, Guyger came home to what she thought was a burglar in her apartment, and in a fit of what a judge would later consider “sudden passion,” she shot Jean in the chest while she was still in her police uniform. Guyger claims that she feared for her safety. As it turned out, Guyger had accidentally entered the wrong apartment. She immediately called 911, and the Dallas Fire Rescue took Jean to the hospital, where he later died.

Guyger was required to submit to drug and alcohol tests, but there were no substances in her system. She later was placed on administrative leave from the police force. On September 9, 2018, she was arrested for manslaughter, and although she faced up to twenty-eight years in prison, she was only sentenced to 10 years and is eligible for parole in five years. Botham’s mother, Allison Jean, responded to this by saying, “my son’s life was much more valuable than 10 years.”

The next topic that came into question was racism. Guyger’s text messages were used as evidence from the prosecution that she is racist, as her texts with her married work partner (who she was having an affair with), state that she is “not racist, but just [has] a different way of working, and it shows.” Other quotes found on her social media include: “Stay low, go fast; kill first, die last; one shot, one kill; no luck, all skill,” and “people are so ungrateful...no one ever thanks me for having the patience not to kill them.”

Almost everyone in Jean’s immediate family testified before the court and said how tragic this experience has been for them. The only exception was his brother, Brandt Jean, who stated that everyone makes mistakes and that he forgives Guyger. On top of this, he got up and gave her a hug, making Guyger very emotional.

After the verdict was reached, the judge handed Guyger a bible and told her that she should “start [there],” and gave her a hug as well. 

By Sophia Sanders