Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer who shot and killed Botham Jean after thinking he was an intruder when she mistakenly entered his apartment, was found GUILTY of murder on Tuesday.
She now faces life in prison.
via NBC:
Guyger, who has been out on a $300,000 bond, faces a maximum of life in prison. She was not immediately taken into custody and is awaiting sentencing scheduled for later Tuesday afternoon.
There was an audible cry in the courtroom as state District Judge Tammy Kemp read the jury’s decision.
The jury was tasked with deciding whether or not Guyger, 31, acted reasonably when she used deadly force, and if the prosecution had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that she intentionally killed Jean or if a lesser charge of manslaughter, which involves reckless conduct, was warranted.
Deliberations began Monday afternoon after a weeklong trial, which included the playing of the 911 call that Guyger made after shooting Jean and dramatic bodycam video from officers who responded to the scene.
Guyger was off-duty but in uniform when she shot twice at Jean on Sept. 6, 2018, just before 10 p.m., striking him in the chest. She had worked a 13-1/2-hour shift on the Dallas Police Department’s crime response team that day and parked on the fourth floor of the complex’s garage.
She lived on the third floor, and Jean, a 26-year-old accountant and native of the island nation of St. Lucia, lived directly above her. The two did not know each other.
Prosecutors said Jean was watching television and eating ice cream in his living room when Guyger burst inside, likely scaring him. The trajectory of the bullet showed that he was either getting up from his couch or cowering when Guyger fired her service weapon, they added.
Justice.
