Former Dallas police officer now eligible for parole for murder of Botham “Bo” Jean

Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer convicted of killing Botham “Bo” Jean, is now eligible for parole.

Guyger is serving a 10-year prison sentence for the tragic shooting in 2018 when she accidentally entered Jean's apartment, her upstairs neighbor in her apartment complex.

On September 6, 2018, after completing a 13-hour shift for police, Guyger mistakenly parked on the fourth floor instead of the third. She then entered Jean's apartment, believing it to be her own, as previously reported The Dallas Express.

When she saw Jean's silhouette, she reportedly thought he was an intruder and shot the 26-year-old preacher and accountant in the chest while he was eating ice cream on his couch.

On October 2, 2019, Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison with the possibility of parole for murder.

A panel of three state judges recently affirmed the conviction, saying the evidence presented at trial was sufficient to support the jury's decision. The incident, which sparked widespread protests in Dallas and garnered national attention, remains a central case in the ongoing debate over police accountability in America.

According to inmate records, Guyger is currently housed at the Patrick L. O'Daniel Unit in Gatesville, Texas. The Dallas County District Attorney's Office has already said it will challenge her possible release on parole. In order for Guyger to be eligible for early release, the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole must review her case and conduct while in prison before approving her parole application.

As already reported by DXIn 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected former Dallas police officer Guyger's appeal of her murder conviction for the killing of Jean.

Since the first trial, Guyger's defense team has attempted to challenge both the conviction and sentence. Guyger's lawyers claim that her actions were protected by the castle doctrine because Guyger allegedly believed she was in her own apartment.

In August 2021, a Texas appeals court upheld both the murder conviction and sentence. Subsequently, Guyger's attempt to appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal in March 2022 was unsuccessful. Her last chance to challenge the conviction and sentence resulted in her appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court failing.

Lee Merritt, Jean's family's attorney, called the original verdict “inadequate.”

Allison Jean, the victim's mother, also claimed that the case highlights corruption within the Dallas Police Department.

But in a touching moment, Brandt Jean, the victim's brother, hugged Guyger during his victim impact statement and expressed his forgiveness for her actions.

If the former Dallas officer is denied parole, Guyger's scheduled release date would be September 29, 2029.