Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was released from jail on Thursday after serving seven years of her 10-year sentence for murdering Botham Jean inside his Dallas apartment in 2018.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed to FOX 4 that Guyger left the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville before 10 a.m.
Amber’s release followed a parole approval by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on October 1.
The board cited her satisfactory conduct in prison, participation in rehabilitation programmes and the absence of a documented pattern of violent or assaultive arrests or convictions.
Guyger was denied early release in October 2024, prompting major public opposition. Over 6,000 people, including Jean’s family and the Dallas County district attorney, signed a petition opposing her parole.
Prison consultant Bruce Cameron described the release as consistent with standard parole procedures, mentioning Guyger had completed required programmes.
Attorney Anthony Farmer stated parole decisions consider an inmate’s assessment alongside the severity of the offence.
"After that assessment, they make a determination, combined with the offense severity, whether this individual should be allowed back into society."
"They did that assessment, and they determined that she was a candidate," Farmer added.
Jean’s family said the past eight years had been traumatic and painful, adding that his death had left them “forever dismembered.”
Lee Merritt, who represented Jean’s family until 2022, criticised the decision, stating Guyger’s release made the loss feel smaller in the eyes of the justice system.
He argued that accountability should apply equally when a life is taken without any prominent cause.
On September 6, 2018, Guyger returned home after a lengthy shift and mistakenly entered Jean’s fourth-floor apartment, believing it was her own. She stated she mistook him for a burglar and shot him. Jean, 26, later passed away in hospital.
A Dallas County jury convicted Guyger of murder in 2019 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison.
In 2021, Texas passed Bo’s Law, named after Jean, needing police officers to keep body cameras recording throughout probes.
