A former Dallas police officer was granted parole on Thursday just under seven years after she was convicted of murdering her neighbor in a 2018 shooting.Amber Guyger, 38, was granted parole by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, the board said in a statement.In 2019, Guyger was convicted of murdering 26-year-old Black man Botham Jean.
Guyger told authorities that she shot Jean after mistakenly walking into his apartment, believing it to be her own, according to officials.She told authorities she believed Jean was an intruder.
Jean was eating ice cream in his living room and not armed, according to authorities.The former police officer was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crime.Prosecutors asked jurors to sentence Guyger to at least 28 years.
The Texas board said that Guyger was granted parole because she did not have a documented pattern of violent arrests, she “maintained a satisfactory institutional adjustment” and completed programs “that should enhance chances to obtain and maintain full-time stable employment” during her imprisonment.Guyger initially became eligible for parole on September 29, 2024.
Her initial review occurred on October 10, 2024, and resulted in a parole denial with her next review being scheduled on or about October 2026.During her trial, questions were raised about the role race may have played in the killing.Prosecutors revealed racist text messages the former police officer sent, unrelated to Jean or his killing.
One of the texts was about the Martin Luther King Jr.parade in Dallas in 2018.“When does this end lol,” an officer wrote to Guyger.“When MLK is dead … oh wait …,” she joked.Two days before Guyger killed Jean, she texted someone who had just adopted a German Shepherd.The dog’s owner wrote that the dog “may be racist.”Guyger replied: “It’s okay ...
I’m the same.”A demonstrator with a photo of Botham Jean during a protest against police killings in Revere, Mass., in 2020.Erin Clark...