From the BBC:
“Amber Guyger: US ex-cop
sentenced to 10 years for murder”
A US former police officer who
shot dead her neighbour inside his own apartment in Dallas has been sentenced
to 10 years in prison for murder. Amber Guyger, 31, argued she killed Botham
Jean, 26, after mistakenly thinking she was in her own flat and that he was an
intruder. In an emotional testimony,
Jean's brother Brandt said he "loved [Guyger] as a person" before
giving her a hug. The jury's sentence was less than the 28 years prosecutors
had sought. A four-year police veteran, Guyger did not testify in the
sentencing hearing, which included emotional testimony from Jean's relatives
and friends. His father, Bertrum, cried as he described the pain following the
murder. "How could we lose Botham - such a sweet boy? He tried his best to
live a good honest life. He loved God. He loved everyone," he told the
jury. Following the announcement of the sentence, Brandt said he wanted to
speak directly to Guyger, and told her: "If you truly are sorry, I know I
can speak for myself, I forgive you." He added: "I don't even want
you to go to jail... I love you as a person. I don't wish anything bad on
you" After being allowed to hug her, they held each other in a long
embrace. The sentence, reached after an hour of deliberation, was decided by
the same 12-member jury that had also found her guilty. She faced up to 99
years in prison. Guyger's lawyers had argued she was distracted by sexually
suggestive texts with another police officer and had just completed a nearly 14
hour shift when she made "a series of horrible mistakes" on the night
of 6 September 2018. Prosecutors accused her of bursting into Jean's apartment
"commando-style" and firing at him while he was eating a bowl of ice
cream on his sofa. Guyger had testified
that she found the door unlocked, and noticed it open slightly when she pushed
her key into what she said she thought was her apartment.
^ I think she should have gotten the
28 years, but the 10 years does send a strong message that no one is above the
law - especially when it comes to murder. ^
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49914974
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