Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer convicted of fatally shooting her neighbor inside his apartment in September 2018, walked out of prison on Friday morning after serving seven years behind bars. Guyger, now 38, left the facility in Gatesville just over two weeks after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles granted her parole.
The high-profile case began on the night of September 6, 2018, when Guyger shot and killed Botham Jean in his own home. At her trial, the former officer testified that she had mistakenly parked on the fourth floor of the shared apartment building parking garage, entered Jean’s apartment believing it was her own, and shot him under the mistaken belief that he was an intruder.
A Dallas jury convicted Guyger of murder on October 1, 2019, sentencing her to 10 years in prison. Her release comes exactly seven years after that sentencing date.
Attorney Robert Rodgers told reporters earlier this month that his client continues to feel deep regret over the incident. He noted that Guyger spent her time in custody participating in rehabilitation programs and preparing to re-enter society, adding that she has already secured both housing and employment.
Because she is being released early, Guyger will remain under strict parole supervision until her original sentence expires in 2029. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the terms of her release mandate regular check-ins, home visits, employment compliance, and travel restrictions. Furthermore, she is barred from living in Dallas County, leaving the state of Texas without explicit approval, or attempting to contact members of the Jean family or officers from the Dallas Police Department.
The parole decision has drawn sharp criticism from advocates and representatives for the victim’s family. Lee Merritt, an attorney who previously represented Botham Jean’s relatives, voiced strong opposition to the early release.
“Botham’s family and the community strongly opposed this parole,” Merritt said in a statement. “They stood up again and again to ask that the full sentence be served. A 10-year sentence was already a fraction of what was lost. Releasing Ms. Guyger after seven years makes that loss feel even smaller in the eyes of the system.”
The announcement of Guyger’s release coincided closely with what would have been Botham Jean’s birthday, a milestone his family observed privately two days prior. In a public statement, the Jean family requested privacy as they process the development, while expressing deep appreciation for the ongoing support and remembrance from well-wishers.
Local authorities addressed the administrative separation between police functions and parole determinations. The Dallas Police Department issued a statement acknowledging that the release could stir renewed grief and emotion, but emphasized that parole decisions rest entirely with the state board and fell outside the department’s purview. The Dallas County District Attorney’s office declined to comment on the release.
