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==Aftermath==
==Aftermath==


On October 5, 2019 at 10:40 pm, prosecution witness and Jean's across-the-hall neighbor, Joshua Brown, was ambushed in an apartment complex parking lot and shot twice. He was pronounced dead at [[Parkland Memorial Hospital]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/10/05/joshua-brown-killed-dallas-atera-apartments-witness-amber-guyger-trial/|title=Joshua Brown, Prosecution Witness In Amber Guyger Murder Trial, Fatally Shot At Dallas Apartment Complex|date=2019-10-05|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-06}}</ref> Despite social media rumors that Brown was killed at the same apartment where Guyger shot Jean, it was revealed that Brown was in fact killed at a different apartment complex located about 12 miles from Jean and Guyger's old complex.<ref>https://heavy.com/news/2019/10/joshua-brown-south-side-flats/</ref>
On October 5, 2019 at 10:40 pm, prosecution witness and Jean's across-the-hall neighbor, Joshua Brown, was ambushed in an apartment complex parking lot and shot twice. He was pronounced dead at [[Parkland Memorial Hospital]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/10/05/joshua-brown-killed-dallas-atera-apartments-witness-amber-guyger-trial/|title=Joshua Brown, Prosecution Witness In Amber Guyger Murder Trial, Fatally Shot At Dallas Apartment Complex|date=2019-10-05|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-06}}</ref> Despite social media rumors that Brown was killed at the same apartment where Guyger shot Jean, it was revealed that Brown was in fact killed at a different apartment complex located about 5 miles from Jean and Guyger's old complex and that he had some point had moved out of that complex and took up residence in the complex where he was killed.<ref>https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/10/6/20901317/amber-guyger-botham-jean-witness-joshua-brown</ref><ref>https://heavy.com/news/2019/10/joshua-brown-south-side-flats/</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 18:01, 6 October 2019

Murder of Botham Jean
Dallas is located in Texas
Dallas
Dallas
Dallas (Texas)
Dallas is located in the United States
Dallas
Dallas
Dallas (the United States)
DateSeptember 6, 2018 (2018-09-06)
LocationDallas, Texas, United States
ParticipantsAmber Guyger
DeathsBotham Jean
VerdictGuilty

On September 6, 2018, off-duty Dallas Police Department patrol officer Amber Guyger entered the Dallas, Texas, apartment of Botham Jean and shot and killed him. Guyger said that she had entered the apartment believing it was her own and that she shot Jean believing he was a burglar.[1][2] On October 1, 2019, Guyger was found guilty of murder.[3] The next day, she received a sentence of ten years in prison.[4]

Shooting

Guyger's apartment was on the third floor, directly below Jean's apartment on the fourth, in an apartment building with mostly identical floor plans on each level.[5] After Guyger shot Jean, she called 9-1-1. Jean was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died from his wound. The Texas Rangers investigated the shooting, which led to Guyger's arrest three days later.[6]

The Dallas Police Department placed Guyger on administrative leave after the shooting. The department fired her on September 24, 2018.[7]

Victim

Botham Jean, a 26-year-old black man, was a Harding University alumnus and an accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Jean was born in Saint Lucia.[8]: 1 [9]

Following the shooting, an attorney representing Jean's family accused the Dallas police department of smearing Jean's reputation.[10] The lawyers also disputed the account of the incident that Guyger told officials, which was recorded in the arrest warrant affidavit, and asserted that two independent witnesses had come forward to give recollections that conflicted with Guyger's account.[11]

Perpetrator

Amber Rene Guyger (born August 9, 1988)[12] was 30 years old at the time of the shooting. She had been on the Dallas police force for nearly five years. She is white.

Trial

Amber Guyger
Born (1988-08-09) August 9, 1988 (age 35)
Dallas, Texas United States
OccupationFormer police officer
EmployerDallas Police Department
Criminal statusImprisoned
MotiveMistaken identity
Conviction(s)Murder
Criminal penalty10 years in prison
(5 years non-parole)
Details
DateSeptember 6, 2018
KilledBotham Jean
WeaponHandgun

On November 30, 2018, Guyger was indicted on murder charges by a Dallas County grand jury.[13]

On September 22, 2019, the day before the trial began, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot took part in an interview regarding the trial in spite of a gag order issued by Judge Tammy Kemp in January of that year. After questioning jurors, who reported that they had not seen the interview or other media coverage of the trial, Kemp denied the defense's motion for a mistrial, and sequestered the jury.[14]

According to NPR, "Under Texas law, convicting a defendant of murder requires proving someone intentionally killed another person, as opposed to manslaughter, in which prosecutors have to show someone was killed because of recklessness."[15]

The prosecutors alleged criminal intent for two reasons: one, the distraction that caused her to drive to the wrong floor and go to the wrong apartment was not caused by tiredness after working a 13.5 hour shift, but rather caused by the conversation she had immediately prior with her lover trying to arrange a meeting that night, and secondly that she did not follow standard police protocol of not entering a building with a potential burglar inside and instead calling for backup from the police station, which was two blocks away. [15]: 1 

On October 1, 2019, Guyger was found guilty of murder.[3] The jury deliberated for six hours to reach the verdict of murder.[15] The jurors also considered the lesser charge of manslaughter.[15]

Guyger is the first Dallas police officer to be convicted of murder since the 1973 murder of Santos Rodriguez.[15]

On October 2, 2019, Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison after the jury deliberated for an hour.[4] During the sentencing hearing, Jean's mother Allison provided emotional testimony and some of Guyger's text messages and social media posts that were "racist and offensive" were shared.[16] Jean's younger brother Brandt forgave and hugged Guyger during her sentencing. Jean's father Bertrum also stated that he forgave Guyger but had wanted a stiffer sentence. The trial judge Tammy Kemp, who is also African American, drew controversy when she embraced Guyger and handed her a Bible; with the Freedom from Religion Foundation criticizing her for alleged proselytizing.[17][18][19][20]

Aftermath

On October 5, 2019 at 10:40 pm, prosecution witness and Jean's across-the-hall neighbor, Joshua Brown, was ambushed in an apartment complex parking lot and shot twice. He was pronounced dead at Parkland Memorial Hospital.[21] Despite social media rumors that Brown was killed at the same apartment where Guyger shot Jean, it was revealed that Brown was in fact killed at a different apartment complex located about 5 miles from Jean and Guyger's old complex and that he had some point had moved out of that complex and took up residence in the complex where he was killed.[22][23]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dallas officer goes home to wrong apartment, kills man inside". Fox 4. September 7, 2018.
  2. ^ Manna, Nichole (September 13, 2018). "Dallas police officer's arrest affidavit contradicts search warrant for victim's apartment". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Amber Guyger found guilty of murder at trial in fatal shooting of neighbor Botham Jean". NBC News.
  4. ^ a b News, A. B. C. "Victim's brother hugs ex-cop after sentencing in wrong-apartment murder". ABC News. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ Ortiz, Erik (October 1, 2019). "Amber Guyger Found Guilty of Murder at Trial in Fatal Shooting of Neighbor Botham Jean". NBC News. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  6. ^ Emily, Jennifer (September 14, 2018). "Evidence Released in Botham Jean Slaying Prompts Allegations of 'Smear Campaign'". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  7. ^ "Dallas Officer Fired for Killing Innocent Man in His Own Apartment". BBC News. September 24, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  8. ^ Emily, Jennifer; Smith, LaVendrick; Branham, Dana (2019-10-01). "Amber Guyger convicted of murder for killing Botham Jean; sentencing phase to continue Wednesday". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 2019-10-02. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  9. ^ "Jurors in Amber Guyger's murder trial watch officers' desperate efforts to revive Botham Jean". Dallas News. September 24, 2019.
  10. ^ "Dallas police accused of smearing man killed by cop in his own apartment". Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  11. ^ "Victim's family disputes official account of the moments before Amber Guyger shot Botham Jean". Dallas News. 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  12. ^ McBride, Jessica (September 8, 2018). "Amber Guyger: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".
  13. ^ "Sources: Fired cop Amber Guyger indicted on a murder charge in Botham Jean killing". WFAA. 2018-11-30. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  14. ^ "Sources: Dallas County DA spoke about Amber Guyger case on eve of murder trial — much to judge's dismay". Dallas News. 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  15. ^ a b c d e Allyn, Bobby (2019-10-01). "Ex-Dallas Officer Who Killed Man In His Own Apartment Is Found Guilty Of Murder". NPR. Archived from the original on 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  16. ^ "Amber Guyger sentenced to 10 years for murdering neighbor in his apartment". NBC News.
  17. ^ Simon, Darran (3 October 2019). "Botham Jean's brother hugs the former police officer who killed him". CNN. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  18. ^ Knowles, Hannah (4 October 2019). "Amber Guyger was hugged by her victim's brother and a judge, igniting a debate about forgiveness and race". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  19. ^ Pengelly, Martin (4 October 2019). "Botham Jean's father: I forgive Amber Guyger but I wanted stiffer sentence". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  20. ^ Chappell, Bill; Gonzales, Richard (3 October 2019). "Brandt Jean's Act Of Grace Toward His Brother's Killer Sparks A Debate Over Forgiving". National Public Radio. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Joshua Brown, Prosecution Witness In Amber Guyger Murder Trial, Fatally Shot At Dallas Apartment Complex". 2019-10-05. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  22. ^ https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/10/6/20901317/amber-guyger-botham-jean-witness-joshua-brown
  23. ^ https://heavy.com/news/2019/10/joshua-brown-south-side-flats/

External links

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