U.S. Supreme Court denies final appeal for former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The United States Supreme Court has denied former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger her final appeal.
In Sept. 2019, Guyger was sentenced to a 10-year prison sentence for fatally shooting her neighbor, Botham Jean in his apartment.
In August 2021, a Texas appeals court upheld Guyger's murder conviction.
The Nov. 7, 2022 ruling comes in a case, which drew national attention due to the strange circumstances of Jean's murder at The South Side Flats.
Guyger, returning home from a long shift, mistook Jean's apartment for her own, which was on the floor directly below his. Finding the door ajar, she entered and shot the 26-year-old accountant as he sat eating ice cream on his couch, later testifying that she thought he was a burglar. Guyger was later fired from the Dallas Police Department.
Jean — who went by "Bo" — sang in a church choir in Dallas, grew up in a devout family on the island nation of St. Lucia and was a beloved friend to many. After sentencing, his brother, Brandt Jean embraced Guyger in court and told her his older brother would have wanted her to turn her life over to Christ. He said if she asked God for forgiveness, she would get it.
In 2021, State Rep. Carl Sherman, of DeSoto, authored The Botham Jean Act in response to Jean's murder.
During the 87th Texas Legislative Session, the bill passed both chambers at the Texas Capitol with bipartisan support in late May of that year.
The new law, also known as Bo's Law was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott and passed into law.
Prior to the signing of Bo's Law, a new Dallas street was named in Jean's honor. Botham Jean Boulevard covers a stretch of South Lamar Street from Interstate-30 to South Central Expressway.
Guyger is up for parole in 2024.