On Wednesday, former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was sentenced to serve ten years in prison for the fatal 2018 killing of an innocent man she shot when she mistakenly entered his apartment, believing it was her own.
On September 6, 2018, Guyger, who had just finished a thirteen-hour shift, entered the Dallas, Texas apartment of Botham Jean, believing it was her own. Thinking he was a burglar, she shot and killed him. On October 1, 2019, she was found guilty of murder. The next day, Judge Tammy Kemp read the jury’s decision of a sentence of ten years in prison.
RELATED STORY:
Initially, family members of the victim broke down in tears, shaking their heads as if in disbelief of the jury’s decision. The family had hoped for a much harsher punishment of Guyger.
But then, in a remarkable act of kindness, love, and forgiveness, Botham Jean’s brother, Brandt, took the witness stand and spoke directly to Guyger, saying:
“I know if you go to God and ask him, he will forgive you. I love you just like anyone else and I’m not going to hope you rot and die. I personally want the best for you. I wasn’t going to say this in front of my family, I don’t even want you to go to jail. I want the best for you because I know that’s exactly what Botham would want for you. Give your life to Christ. I think giving your life to Christ is the best thing Botham would want for you.”1
RELATED STORY:
RELATED STORY:
Brandt Jean then turned to Judge Kemp and asked her if he could please hug Guyger. The judge granted his request, and he stepped from the witness stand and met Guyger in front of the judge’s bench. Guyger broke down in tears as she and Brandt embraced several times.
Brandt wasn’t the only one who sought to comfort Guyger.
In another unexpected moment, Judge Tammy Kemp, who gained national attention for her stern courtroom style, also embraced Guyger. She even went to her chamber and brought out her personal Bible to give to Guyger, saying:
“You can have mine. I have three or four more at home. This is the one I use every day. This is your job for the next month. It says right here. John 3:16. And this is where you start. ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life…'”1
RELATED STORY:
Jean’s mother, Allison talked to reporters after the sentencing and said that while the death of her son “changed my life, changed my family’s life,”1 she will accept the jury’s decision and attempt to move on. She commented about her hope for Guyger’s time in prison, saying:
“That 10 years in prison is 10 years for her reflection and for her to change her life.”1
