Amber Guyger Granted Parole After 7 Years in Botham Jean Murder Case
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 1
Amber Guyger Granted Parole After 7 Years in Botham Jean Murder Case
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 1
Summary
A Texas parole panel approved release for Amber Guyger, the former Dallas officer serving a 10-year murder sentence for fatally shooting Botham Jean in his apartment in 2018.
The board said the 38-year-old had maintained a satisfactory institutional record and completed a treatment plan aimed at improving her chances of holding full-time work.
Guyger became eligible for parole in September 2024, was denied after a review the next month, and won approval in a new review this month; her release date was not immediately clear.
Lee Merritt, who represented Jean’s family during the trial, and the Next Generation Action Network condemned the decision, saying it deepened a loss they argue was never matched by the original 10-year sentence.
Jean, 26, was unarmed and watching TV when Guyger entered the apartment above her own and shot him, a killing that drew national attention and intensified debate over race and police accountability.