Accountability.
GATESVILLE, Texas — Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was released from prison on parole Oct. 16, about seven years into the 10-year sentence she received for the 2018 murder of Botham Jean, her upstairs neighbor, in his own apartment.
Guyger left the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville and will remain under parole supervision until her sentence ends in September 2029, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Her original release date had been in 2029.
Why the board approved parole
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles approved Guyger’s release on Oct. 1, seven years to the day after a Dallas County jury found her guilty of murder. She had been denied parole in 2024, after serving half of her sentence.
In explaining its decision, the board cited the absence of a documented pattern of violent or assaultive arrests or convictions, satisfactory adjustment while incarcerated, and her participation in and completion of programs meant to help her obtain and keep full-time employment.
Conditions of her release
Before leaving prison, Guyger was given her parole conditions and assigned a parole officer, and she was required to travel directly to her new residence and check in. Officials told CBS News Texas that her supervision includes regular check-ins, travel restrictions, home visits and employment requirements, and that she may not live in Dallas County, contact Jean’s family or Dallas police officers, or leave Texas without approval.
Like all Texas parolees, she is barred from possessing firearms and must follow the law and her conditions. A violation can lead to sanctions or to revocation, which would send her back to prison for the remainder of her sentence.
Reaction
Jean’s family opposed parole. Lee Merritt, an attorney who has represented the family, said he was “deeply disappointed” and that the family and community “strongly opposed this parole.” In a statement, the family asked for privacy.
Robert Rodgers, Guyger’s trial attorney, said she has a job and a place to live and remains remorseful. The Dallas Police Department said parole decisions are outside its authority, and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment.
Jean, a 26-year-old accountant from St. Lucia, was killed in September 2018 when Guyger, returning home from a shift, entered his apartment believing it was her own and shot him.