Amber Guyger released on parole after seven years for murder of Botham Jean

Left · 2Amber Guyger, 38, a former Dallas police officer, was released on parole from a Texas prison in Gatesville on Friday 16 October 2026, having served seven years of a 10-year sentence for murdering Botham Jean. 1 2 Left · 2Guyger shot Jean, 26, in his apartment on 6 September 2018. Guyger testified that she had parked on the wrong floor and mistakenly entered his apartment instead of her own, and that she shot him believing he was a burglar. 1 2 Left · 2Guyger was convicted of murder on 1 October 2019 and sentenced by a jury to 10 years. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles granted parole exactly seven years later, on 1 October 2026. Guyger had been denied parole in September 2024. 1 2

Left · 1The parole board said parole was approved because Guyger "maintained a satisfactory institutional adjustment", took part in programs meant to improve job prospects, and had no "documented pattern of violent or assaultive arrests/convictions". 2 Left · 1Guyger will remain under parole supervision until the sentence expires in 2029. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, conditions include regular check-ins, travel restrictions, home visits and employment requirements. Guyger may not live in Dallas County, contact Jean's family or Dallas police officers, or leave Texas without approval. 1 Left · 2Guyger's lawyer told local media this month that Guyger remains remorseful and has lined up housing and a job. CBS names the attorney as Robert Rodgers and NBC as Robert L. Rogers, and the two outlets differ on whether the lawyer spoke to CBS News Texas or to WFAA-TV. 1 2

Left · 2Jean's family, through the Botham Jean Foundation, asked for privacy to process the development and thanked supporters. Lee Merritt, an attorney who has represented the family, said he was "deeply disappointed" and that the family and community had strongly opposed parole. He said a 10-year sentence was "already a fraction of what was lost". 1 2 Left · 2The Dallas Police Department said parole decisions are outside its authority and that it had no role in this one. The Dallas County District Attorney's office declined to comment to CBS, and NBC said it had no comment on the parole; NBC added that the office had opposed release in 2024. 1 2 Left · 1The shooting sparked protests and renewed debate about racial bias and excessive force in policing, since Guyger is white and Jean was Black. Guyger was a four-year Dallas police veteran, in uniform but off duty, and was fired. At trial Guyger apologised and was hugged by Jean's younger brother, Brandt, who said he forgave Guyger. In 2021 the street where the shooting happened was renamed Botham Jean Boulevard. 2