DALLAS, TEXAS — Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, who was convicted of murdering 26-year-old Botham Jean inside his own apartment in 2018.
She has been granted parole after serving approximately seven years of a 10-year prison sentence.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles approved Guyger’s parole on October 1, 2026, despite opposition from Jean’s family.
Guyger was convicted of murder in 2019 after a jury found her guilty of fatally shooting Jean, who was inside his Dallas apartment on September 6, 2018.
She said she entered the wrong apartment
Guyger testified that after working a lengthy shift, she returned to the apartment complex where she lived.
Guyger lived on the third floor, while Jean lived directly above her on the fourth floor.
According to her account, Guyger mistakenly believed she was entering her own apartment.
She entered Jean’s apartment and encountered him inside.
She testified that she believed he was an intruder and fired her weapon.
Jean was fatally wounded.
He was 26 years old.
Guyger was arrested three days after the shooting and was subsequently fired from the Dallas Police Department.
A 10-year sentence
In October 2019, Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison for Jean’s murder.
Prosecutors had sought a substantially longer sentence, while Guyger faced a possible sentence ranging from years in prison to life imprisonment.
Her first parole request was denied in 2024.
She became eligible for another parole consideration, and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles ultimately approved her release this month.
The parole board cited several factors, including that Guyger’s record did not show a documented pattern of violent or assaultive arrests or convictions.
The board also said she had maintained satisfactory institutional behavior and had participated in and completed programs intended to improve her ability to obtain and maintain employment after release.
The exact date of Guyger’s release has not yet been announced.
Texas prison officials will determine the release timeline and parole conditions.
Jean’s family opposed the release
Botham Jean’s family opposed Guyger’s parole.
Family attorney Lee Merritt said the family had repeatedly asked that Guyger serve the full 10-year sentence and argued that the sentence itself was already a fraction of what was lost.
The family’s attorneys subsequently asked for privacy as they process the parole decision.
A candlelight vigil was held outside Dallas police headquarters following the parole decision to honor Jean and remember his life.
Jean’s legacy
Botham Jean was originally from St. Lucia and was 26 when he was killed.
He was an accountant and was active in his church, where he served as a worship leader.
His family described him as a promising young professional who hoped to eventually return to St. Lucia and serve his country.
The case became one of the most closely watched police-misconduct and racial-justice cases in the country.
The legal battle did not end with Guyger’s criminal conviction.
In 2024, a jury ordered Guyger to pay Jean’s family approximately $98.65 million in damages in a civil case related to his death.
Guyger’s parole has reignited national discussion about sentencing, parole eligibility, police accountability and how the justice system handles cases involving law-enforcement officers.
For the Jean family, however, the decision is about more than a sentence or parole date.
It represents another painful chapter in the loss of a son, brother, friend and young man whose life ended inside his own home.
Botham Jean was 26 years old.
