Amber Guyger sentenced to 10 years in prison in fatal shooting of Botham Jean

Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a jury on Wednesday for last year’s fatal shooting of Botham Jean in his apartment.

Guyger, who was found guilty by the same panel one day earlier, was facing anywhere from five years to life behind bars.

The 31-year-old Guyger has repeatedly claimed that she believed she was in her own home in the Dallas apartment complex when she killed Jean on Sept. 6, 2018. She had mistakenly parked on the wrong floor.
 

Close friend Alexis Stossel testified during the sentencing phase on Wednesday that Jean “was a natural leader.”

“People gravitated toward him,” she said.

Stossel marveled at his sense of humor, adding that Jean always insisted that she refer to him as “my black friend Botham” when posting photos on social media.

Jean’s mother Allison Jean said in court Tuesday that her son’s 28th birthday would have been Sunday.

“My life has not been the same,” she told the jury. “It’s just been like a roller coaster. I can’t sleep, I cannot eat. It’s just been the most terrible time for me.”

Jean had been eating a bowl of vanilla ice cream in his living room when he was killed by Guyger, who said she had just worked a long shift.

Read More (...)