It took about 24 hours for a jury to declare Amber Guyger guilty of murder in the death of her neighbor, Botham Jean, whose only mistake was to open the door of his apartment upon hearing her knocking.
Guyger, a former Dallas police officer, has always claimed that she mistook Jean’s apartment for hers. She also broke down in tears and apologized to the family.
After hearing the arguments from both sides, including emotional testimonies from the victim’s mother, Allison Jean, and his sister, Allisa Charles-Findley, the jury asked two crucial questions before making their decision.
To better understand the case, they asked for the definition of manslaughter, and they requested additional information on the legal castle doctrine, (which is the notion that a person has the right to use deadly force to protect his or her home).
S. Lee Merritt, an attorney for Jean’s family, said it was a significant victory for everyone involved and all black people in America. During the trial, many revelations were made about Guyger and her late 26-year-old neighbor.
Recent statements by the woman who killed Jean indicate that she was distracted by sexual text messages, and did not realize that she had entered the wrong home.
As a result, she believed that Jean was invading her own home, and shot him to death, thinking that she was firing in self-defense.
Many have condemned the tragic incident, calling former Officer Guyger incredibly irresponsible in the way she acted, and agreeing with the notion to have her removed from the force.
People close to the deceased have pointed out that he was a caring person who never got in anyone’s way, further adding to the tragic nature of his death.
Guyger was distracted by her partner in the force, who was subsequently investigated as well over a long phone conversation he had with the woman. He apparently could not recall precisely what the conversation was about.
However, Guyger stood by her position that the conversation was intimate, and the two were making plans to meet up later in the evening.
The woman, who had been initially charged with manslaughter, is expected to spend life behind bars. The verdict sparked a heated debate on social media.
One observer, who was agreeably surprised by the verdict, had this to say: “Imagine living in a world where a black man is not safe from the police even while eating ice cream inside his own home. A black judge sentenced her ??? she knew she was doomed. Local elections hire the people that rule and make important Legal decisions. Get out and vote pay attention to the candidates for Police Chief, district attorneys, etc.”
Another social media user had this reaction to the breaking news: “I bet she only gets probation; a justice system that was built for her skin color only will not put her in jail. My thing is this, even if she thought it was her apartment when she saw inside or he opened the door she didn’t see any of her belongings ? she clearly was high off something, or it’s something else to the story. Finally, Justice is served. It turns out Black people can actually get justice in the USKKK. What a surprise.”
This person opted to defend the killer: “Manslaughter for sure but not murder. It was a complete accident. She should be punished for it, but murder is premeditated. Sad that it happened to that man and his family is hurting.”
The sentencing phase will continue on Wednesday.
