The former Dallas police officer who was convicted of murdering Botham Jean after entering his apartment and shooting him in 2018 was released from prison Friday morning after spending seven years in prison. Amber Guyger, 38, regained her freedom a little more than two weeks after the Texas Pardon and Parole Board approved her release, despite opposition from Jean’s family. The former officer was sentenced to 10 years in prison following her murder conviction on October 1, 2019. Her parole was approved exactly seven years after that verdict. The case against Guyger gained national attention after she shot and killed Jean, 26, inside her own Dallas apartment in September 2018. During her trial, Guyger maintained that she had accidentally parked on the fourth floor of the garage of the apartment complex where she and Jean lived. Jean’s apartment was located one floor above hers. Guyger testified that he believed he was entering his own residence when he entered Jean’s apartment. According to his story, he tried to open the door with the key when it opened. Amber Guyger testifies in court in September 2019. Photograph: Tom Fox/AP She claimed she mistook Jean for a robber and fired her gun because she feared for her life. Jean had been eating ice cream and watching television in his apartment when Guyger entered and shot him dead. Guyger was arrested three days after the fatal shooting and was subsequently fired from the Dallas Police Department before standing trial. A jury found her guilty of murder. He faced a possible sentence of life in prison. Jurors ultimately gave him a 10-year prison sentence. Prosecutors had pushed for a minimum of 28 years, choosing that number to represent the age Jean would have reached at that time. Guyger first applied for parole in 2024. But the parole board denied his request. When he became eligible to apply again, the board changed course and granted him parole, allowing him to complete the remainder of his sentence under supervision. Following the decision granting him parole, Jean’s family issued a statement to CBS News Texas expressing their continued grief and requesting privacy. “Two days ago, Botham Jean’s family fondly remembered their son and brother and celebrated his life on what would have been his birthday,” it said. “Today, it was reported that Amber Guyger will be released on parole and will serve the remainder of her sentence under supervision. Botham Jean’s family respectfully requests privacy at this time as they process this development and continue to navigate their grief.” “While Guyger’s release on Friday marks the end of her time in custody following the 2018 murder, she remains subject to supervision for the remainder of her sentence.
