Former Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger was denied parole on Oct. 10 for fatally shooting her neighbor, Botham Jean, in 2018 as he was sitting in his apartment eating ice cream.
After advocating against her release, Alison Jean, Botham’s mother, is finally breathing a sigh of relief, but this won’t be the last battle in the fight to keep her son’s killer in prison. Supporters of the slain accountant will face this again when Guyger next becomes eligible for parole in 2026.
“My family feels a sense of relief having gone through the process and made a strong petition for denial,” Alison told CBS affiliate KTVT. “So news coming in that the board considered our petition is a sense of elation, a sense of relief.”
“She needs to serve her entire 10-year term, which is well below a sentence that one receives for murder. Murder of an innocent man in the comfort of his home, doing nothing wrong,” Alison told CBS News Texas before the decision.
In a strange coincidence, the day Guyger was up for parole would have been her son’s 33rd birthday.
Guyger, who lived a floor above Jean in a Dallas apartment building, claimed in her defense that she came home exhausted from a long work day and mistook his apartment for her own. His front door was reportedly ajar, and she opened fire on the innocent 26-year-old, thinking he was an intruder.
In 2019, she was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years behind bars, but she has been trying to overturn the conviction ever since, exhausting all of her appeal options. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review her case in 2022.
Guyger’s request for parole last month, halfway through her sentence, ignited a firestorm of outrage. A petition organized by Jean’s supporters garnered more than 6,000 signatures urging the courts to block her release.
“Allowing Amber Guyger to be released early would not only be a disservice to Botham Jean’s memory but also to the principles of justice and accountability,” stated the petition.
“We believe that Amber Guyger should serve her full sentence as a reflection of the gravity of her actions and to uphold the integrity of our justice system,” it continued.
During their deliberations, the Texas Parole Board interviewed Jean’s family on Oct. 7, and his sister, Allisa Charles-Findley, was pleased with their speedy denial.
“I wasn’t expecting a response so quickly,” she told ABC affiliate WFAA. “We were interviewed on Monday by the parole commissioner — the lead commissioner. It feels like a load lifted.”
“So we have another two years of peace before we have to go through that again,” she continued. “I will sleep so much better.”
Social media is lighting up with support for the decision. “Good! 5 years is not nearly enough for killing #BothamJean in his own home. Don’t forget those text messages either…” posted a person on X, referring to racist text exchanges that emerged during the trial. In one, Guyger mocked Black officers, and in another exchange, she made offensive remarks about Martin Luther King Jr., poking holes in her defense claim that she was “not about hate,” reported CNN.
“Who doesn’t know exactly where they live? Come on. She deserves to stay in jail,” said another on X, echoing many comments. “Good, lock that thug away and throw away the key,” another social media user wrote.
At the hearing, Jean’s grieving mother thanked everyone who sent emails and letters to the parole board opposing Guyger’s release, reported WFAA, and the family’s legal team released the following statement via WFAA:
“The family of Botham Jean is relieved by today’s decision to deny parole to former Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger. This is one very important component of justice for them for the senseless death of their brother and son while he was unarmed and minding his own business in his own home.”
Guyger will continue to serve her prison sentence at a state prison in Gatesville, Texas. If denied parole in two years, she’ll be released on Sept. 29, 2029.
