Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer convicted of murdering Botham Jean in 2018, was released from the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville on Friday after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles granted her parole.
According to WBAP.com, the board approved the parole after a “thorough review and consideration of a plethora of information,” noting that Guyger’s record shows no documented pattern of violent or assaultive arrests or convictions, that she has maintained a satisfactory institutional adjustment, and that she completed programs designed to enhance her chances of obtaining and maintaining full‑time stable employment.
JingleTree.com reported that Guyger, 38, served seven years of the 10‑year sentence imposed in October 2019 for the murder of Botham Jean. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said she will spend the remainder of her sentence in the community under parole supervision.
Robert L. Rogers, one of Guyger’s attorneys during the trial, told WFAA‑TV that Guyger has a place to live and work upon release and added, “She’s been remorseful. She’s stayed remorseful. She’s still remorseful.” Rogers could not be reached for further comment.
The shooting occurred on Sept. 6, 2018, when Botham Jean, 26, was watching television and eating ice cream in his Dallas apartment. Prosecutors said Guyger, who was off‑duty but in uniform, mistakenly entered Jean’s apartment, believed he was an intruder, and shot him. Guyger testified that she had parked on the wrong floor and that the door opened when she tried to use her key. She was fired by the Dallas Police Department on Sept. 24, 2018, days after the incident.
Jean’s family, represented by attorney Lee Merritt, expressed disappointment with the parole decision. Merritt said the original sentence was “already a fraction of what was lost” and that releasing Guyger after seven years “makes that loss feel even smaller in the eyes of the system. It is not smaller.” The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, which opposed the parole in 2024, declined to comment on the latest decision.
Botham Jean, originally from St. Lucia, worked as an accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas. In 2021, the street where the shooting occurred, home to Dallas police headquarters, was renamed Botham Jean Boulevard. After the parole news broke, the Botham Jean Foundation requested privacy for the family.
What’s next: Guyger will be supervised by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice while she seeks employment. The parole board will review her compliance periodically, and any violation could result in a return to prison.
Sources: wbap.com, jingletree.com
