The civil trial for former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger who was convicted of shooting and killing Botham Jean in his own apartment begins on Monday morning.
It’s been more than six years since Botham Jean was shot and killed in his Dallas apartment.
Guyger, 36, had just gotten off work and was still in her Dallas police uniform when she headed home to her apartment in the South Side Flats, an apartment building located two blocks from Dallas police headquarters on the street now named after the victim.
As Guyger opened the door to what she thought was her apartment, she saw a man inside and shot him. Guyger lived one floor below Botham Jean and, at her trial, testified she mistook his apartment for hers and fired in self-defense.
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A jury convicted Guyger of murder and sentenced her to 10 years in prison.
Guyger was eligible for parole in October — on what would have been Jean’s 33rd birthday — after serving half of her sentence in a Gatesville prison. Jean’s family, the Dallas County district attorney’s office, and more than 6,300 people who signed an online petition protested Guyger’s parole. Her parole was ultimately denied.
Jean's family filed a civil lawsuit against Guyger and the City of Dallas, but the City has since been dropped from the suit.
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The suit alleges that Guyger's use of deadly force was not reasonable or justified, but it does not list any requests for specific damages or compensation.
Guyger will not be present in the courtroom during the three-day hearing. As of the last filing of paperwork, Guyger is listed as representing herself.
