s taken from them.

Justice cannot be selective. When a life is taken without cause, accountability has to mean something, for everyone. Today's decision tells grieving families that it can be cut short.

We stand with the Jean family. We will keep saying Botham's name, and we will keep working for a justice system that values every life it is asked to protect.

Botham Jean Shooting

The backstory:

On Sept. 6, 2018, Guyger returned to her home after a more than 13-hour shift and mistook Jean's apartment for her own. Both Guyger and Jean lived in the South Side Flats near Downtown Dallas, about two blocks from the Dallas Police Department. Guyger lived on the third floor, in apartment 1378. Jean lived on the fourth floor, in apartment 1478.

Guyger said she didn't notice she was on the fourth floor, or the red doormat outside of Jean's apartment door. She attempted to unlock the door and noticed it was ajar. She went into the apartment and found Jean and shot twice, believing he was a burglar inside her apartment.

She then called 911. Jean was taken to a nearby hospital where he died.

Guyger was arrested three days later. She was placed on paid administrative leave and was fired from the Dallas Police Department 18 days later.

In 2019, Guyger was convicted of murdering Jean and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In Oct. 2024, she was denied parole after serving half of her sentence. She first became eligible for parole on Sept. 29, 2024. More than 6,000 people, including Jean's family and the Dallas County District Attorney, signed an online petition against Guyger's parole request.

The Trial

Guyger's legal team argued a  mistake of fact  defense, maintaining that she genuinely-though mistakenly-believed she was inside her own apartment and that her life was in danger. They invoked the Castle Doctrine and self-defense principles.

Prosecutors countered that her mistake was unreasonable and driven by extreme carelessness and a failure of situational awareness. During the sentencing phase, they also introduced text messages and social media posts from Guyger that raised questions about her character and racial bias.

On October 1, 2019, a Dallas County jury rejected the lesser charge of manslaughter and found Guyger guilty of murder after roughly six hours of deliberations. She was the first Dallas police officer convicted of murder since 1973.

She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Guyger's defense subsequently filed appeals to overturn the conviction (which were upheld on appeal). Additionally, Botham Jean's family filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit, resulting in a November 2024 judgment finding Guyger liable and ordering her to pay $98.65 million to the family.

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Who was Botham Jean?

According to court documents, Jean graduated from the top of his class in Castries, St. Lucia and came to the United States to attend Harding University in Arkansas.

The court documents show Jean's family says he was a rising star at one of the nation's leading professional services firms as an accountant. He was also a worship leader in the international Church of Christ, serving the Dallas West Church of Christ. His family says he hoped to one day return to the nation of Saint Lucia and run for the position of Prime Minister.