Amber Guyger granted parole after seven years for killing Botham Jean

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles granted parole on Thursday 1 October 2026 to Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer convicted of murdering Botham Jean, just under seven years after the conviction. 1 2 The board gave three reasons: the record shows no documented pattern of violent or assaultive arrests or convictions, Guyger maintained a satisfactory institutional adjustment, and Guyger completed programmes in the treatment plan that should help in obtaining and keeping full-time stable employment. 1 2 The board did not say when Guyger would be released, and a Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesperson said the agency has no official release date yet. 1

Guyger shot Jean, a 26-year-old Black accountant, in Jean's Dallas apartment in 2018. Guyger said they had mistakenly gone to Jean's apartment believing it to be their own and thought Jean was an intruder; NBC reported, citing authorities, that Jean was eating ice cream in the living room and was unarmed. 1 2 Guyger was found guilty on 1 October 2019 and sentenced to 10 years, when the range was five years to life; NBC reported that prosecutors had asked jurors for at least 28 years. 1 2 Guyger became eligible for parole on 29 September 2024. A first review on 10 October 2024 ended in denial, with the next review set for around October 2026. 2

Lee Merritt, an attorney for Jean's family, said the family was disappointed, that they had strongly opposed parole and asked for the full sentence to be served, and that a 10-year sentence was already a fraction of what was lost. 1 2 In a separate statement the family asked for privacy, said Guyger will serve the rest of the sentence under supervision, and thanked supporters. 1 2 The Dallas Police Department said parole decisions are outside its authority and that it had no role in this one, while the Dallas County District Attorney's office declined to comment to CBS. 1 2

Coverage also recalled that Jean's brother, Brandt Jean, forgave Guyger at the 2019 sentencing, and that prosecutors at trial presented racist text messages Guyger had sent, unrelated to Jean; questions about race's role were raised during the trial. 2 In March 2026 Jean's family filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Dallas seeking nearly $100 million, alleging the city covered up staffing gaps with overtime, causing officer fatigue; Guyger had clocked out of a nearly 14-hour shift the night of the killing. 1