Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer convicted of murdering Botham Jean inside his own apartment in 2018, is scheduled to walk free on Friday October 16 after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles approved her early release.
Guyger had been serving a 10-year sentence handed down in October 2019. Her release comes nearly three years before that sentence was set to expire, and follows a failed parole attempt in 2024 when thousands of people and Jean’s own family successfully pushed back against her release.
The parole board cited several factors in approving her release this time, including her lack of a documented history of violent behavior, satisfactory conduct while incarcerated, and completion of programs designed to support stable employment upon release.
The case drew national attention after Guyger entered Jean’s apartment on September 6 2018, claiming she mistakenly believed it was her own unit one floor below. She shot and killed Jean, a 26-year-old accountant from St. Lucia, as he sat inside eating ice cream. Guyger testified she fired in self-defense, believing an intruder was in her home.
In a separate civil trial following her criminal conviction, a jury found Guyger liable for Jean’s death and ordered her to pay $98.6 million in damages to his family. Guyger did not appear at that trial and had no legal representation, with her criminal defense attorney stating she lacked the funds to hire civil counsel.
Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, who represents the Jean family, sharply criticized the parole decision. He said that Botham Jean was an innocent man in his own home and that a 10-year sentence was already a fraction of what was lost. He called the early release a message to grieving families that accountability can be cut short.
The Dallas Police Department released a statement acknowledging the public emotion surrounding the decision while noting that parole matters fall entirely under the authority of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and not the department itself.
The street running alongside Dallas Police Department headquarters was renamed Botham Jean Boulevard in honor of the victim, a lasting tribute to a man described by those who knew him as a devoted churchgoer and community member.
Jean’s family opposed the release both in 2024 and again this year, joining thousands of others who signed petitions urging the board to require Guyger to serve her full sentence. Their grief and opposition were not enough to prevent Friday’s release.