Amber Guyger found guilty of murder

[George II]

Source: CNN

A jury has found former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger guilty of murder after less than 24 hours of deliberation.

Guyger was indicted last year after fatally shooting her unarmed neighbor, Botham Jean, in his apartment, which she said she mistook as hers.

Jurors were given the option of finding Guyger guilty of the lesser offense of manslaughter. With the murder conviction, Guyger, 31, now faces up to life in prison.

The verdict follows a case that has captured national attention and sparked outrage.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/amber-guyger-botham-jean-verdict/index.html?adkey=bn

[no_hypocrisy]

1. YES!

Castle Doctrine, my ass!

[dalton99a]

13. +1. Jurors were probably thinking: "So anyone can go into my house and shoot me dead?"

[TeamPooka]

74. no kidding. The defense probably offended everyone on the jury with that shit.

Stand your ground in my HOUSE? Fuck you!
Also the idea that a cop can shoot anyone anywhere and get away with it was probably repugnant too.

[hlthe2b]

14. I am very surprised. I thought they'd at least go for manslaughter, but this sends a MESSAGE!

[onetexan]

17. the victim's family's lawyer said the jury saw that she saw a black man and shot

without reason and without provocation. This is just a sad, horrible mess with lives broken on both sides.

[Cha]

106. Well said, onetexan. :(

Botham Jean

[NurseJackie]

85. "This verdict is for Trayvon Martin," he said, "it's for Michael Brown, it's for Sandra Bland...

Crump said the verdict wasn’t just for Jean and his family.

“This verdict is for Trayvon Martin," he said, "it’s for Michael Brown, it’s for Sandra Bland, it’s for Tamir Rice, it’s for Eric Garner, it’s for Antwon Rose, it’s for Jemel Roberson, for EJ Bradford, for Stephon Clark, for Jeffrey Dennis, Genevieve Dawes, for Pamela Turner.”

[Cha]

107. Wow.. Good on Crump..

[redstatebluegirl]

2. There is some justice in the world.

Police are like doctors, they don't police their own very well. In this case there was justice.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. Just saw the WaPo breaking

[irisblue]

4. Good

[cstanleytech]

6. 100% agree. nt

[PJMcK]

31. Yep (n/t)

[myohmy2]

110. +1

...now let's see what the sentence will be...

...

[cstanleytech]

5. I am actually shocked that they convicted her of murder.

Not that I feel any sympathy for her rather I felt sure they would refuse to do that and go for manslaughter instead as it seems police officers often do not get convicted even for cases that look like they should be.

[irisblue]

8. Me too

That 'Castle Doctrine' in someones elses' "Castle" sucked bilge water.

[liberalhistorian]

47. Indeed, I wasn't surprised

at the smug entitlement of her defense asserting that .What DID shock and anger me was the judge actually allowing it, when the victim was the one who was in his own apartment and SHE was the invader. I'm really glad the jury was able to see through that bullshit.

[pazzyanne]

70. I was pleasantly surprised that she was convicted.

I had trouble answering my door for a while after this happened. Nice to see justice done.

[onetexan]

99. agree, the castle doctrine does not apply in this case and should not have been allowed as a defense

[dewsgirl]

11. Me too.

[exboyfil]

12. The Defense strategy was to take Manslaughter off the table

by specifying she intended to shoot Jean. Their argument was that it was a lawful action prompted by a mistake of fact (not her apartment).

Glad to see the conviction. Her getting home cooking from the Texas Rangers, the deletion of the text messages, and her utter lack of sympathy for the victim immediately following the shooting told me she deserved more than manslaughter. She didn't even view Jean as human as far as I am concerned.

It helped that Jean was a saint. It shouldn't, but it did. They did try to smear him though.

[PoliticAverse]

53. Calculated gamble that they lost. n/t

[Texin]

23. I wouldn't say shocked myself, because being a woman sometimes ends in harsher treatment by juries.

I think that keeping the trial in the same venue as the tragedy had a much larger role in getting this conviction. If they had allowed the case to be transferred to a more rural (read: white) area, the outcome might have been different.

[MarcA]

28. Agreed. Wonder what degree of murder if any and

the definitions of murder and manslaughter in Texas law. Murder is usually
thought of, at least in popular culture, as a planned and executed killing.

[cannabis_flower]

37. First degree murder

She can get from 5 years up to life. I believe life is a minimum of 30 years in prison. This is one level below capital murder for which the sentence would be life without parole or the death penalty.

[MarcA]

42. Thank you for the clarification. n/t

[LeftInTX]

89. Wow!!! I thought it would be second degree

Haven't been following this because the verdicts are always depressing.

[imavoter]

90. texas doesn't have murder one and two

it's Capital murder or murder.

Capital murder in Texas is death penalty. This was never an option.
The option was murder or a lesser charge.

Murder in Texas is sort of Murder 2nd degree

[LeftInTX]

92. I had no idea!!!

I've lived in Texas for 40 years!!

[imavoter]

94. neither did I

but a friend's wife is a lawyer
and I have another friend who is a lawyer
and they were both explaining.

I was watching the punishment phase today, and the state has text messages of her saying bad things about blacks.
It wasn't allowed in the trial, but is allowed in punishment phase.
This does not look good for her.


WFAA has live footage somewhere if you want to google it, as does most of the other local media outlets.
Guyger was taken into custody and punishment phase continues tomorrow.

[PoliticAverse]

69. Texas law on Homicides...

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.19.htm#19.02

[cstanleytech]

83. I checked wiki and it says she could get as little as 5 years if I am reading it correctly which

would be a huge miscarriage of justice as she deserves at least 15 at a minimum in my opinion.

[MarcA]

87. Thank you for posting this. n/t

[George II]

51. My thinking was that they'd convict her for manslaughter too, not murder.

All that sobbing that "I'm going to live with this for the rest of my life", at least she still has the rest of her life to live.

[Kittycow]

73. I just watched the prosecution closing argument

on YouTube. That guy is really sharp-minded. I'm so happy that they didn't overcharge her which seems to often get the culprit off.

Now we wait for the jury to decide her punishment.

[whopis01]

111. What more could they have charged her with?

You said you were happy they didn’t overcharge her. What could they have charged her with beyond murder?

[LeftInTX]

91. I thought it would be manslaughter

(I wasn't following this case or the charges because the verdicts always depress me)

Looking that the Texas statutes just posted, I guess manslaughter would be the expected verdict. (If she truly mistook the apartment and I believe she did, but she was also in "cop mode" and she also saw, "black guy" and didn't think about the possibility that she was in the wrong apartment. I wonder if she would have realized she was in the wrong apartment if she saw a white guy?)

[qazplm135]

7. clearly they didn't believe her

and when you testify as an accused you often are in an all or nothing scenario...they either believe you and go light or acquit, or they don't and you get hammered. There's no middle ground usually.

[liberalhistorian]

49. At least that magic

police officer fairy dust didn't work this time with this jury.

[flibbitygiblets]

68. Only white MEN are still guaranteed that privilege, sad to observe.

At least we're starting to see some police being held accountable for killing unarmed POC. I hope the message is heard and makes a difference.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

105. Well, she did herself NO favors when she complained on the stand

that SHE has to live with this everyday. I almost fell off the chair.

WHAT ARROGANCE !!

[liberalhistorian]

119. Whoa, she actually said that

during her own testimony? What arrogant stupidity!

[Haggis for Breakfast]

125. Yes, she did.

While on the stand. It's a part of her testimony. If there's a transcript, you can read it. But I saw it in a video of her testimony.

[The Mouth]

9. Good.

I hope it's life with no possibility of parole.

[cannabis_flower]

41. It won't be

Sentence can be between 5 years and life. Life without parole is only for capital murder which can also get the death penalty.

[The Mouth]

58. Personally, I think 'intent" is bullshit.

If you screw up and someone dies, you get out when they come back to life.

Why "intent" or psychological state has anything to do with jurisprudence is strictly Christian/Buddhist psychobabble that one's state of mind matters.

All of these different types of "murder", and "manslaughter"... silly.

A person's dead by the results of your actions, why should it make a difference if you simply weren't paying attention or if you'd planned it for a decade.

She should never see the outside of a jail cell, just like the drunk that hit my roomate, I don't give a damn about anyone's excuse for anything.

Sorry, just venting.

[bucolic_frolic]

65. I believe French law has a long history of special circumstances

for "crimes of passion". So when you come home and find your wife in bed with her boyfriend, it's a crime of passion, and I guess they got a bit lighter on you. So at least in that instance, intent does matter, to the French. And why shouldn't intent matter to some extent? Premeditation is a sign of cunning and evil, conspiracy too. Intent is known at that point. But if it happens because of circumstances, as one thing leads to another, it's not premeditated. I know, I hear you, someone's still dead. Courts in some ways try to fit the punishment to the crime, but it's rarely a perfect fit.

[forgotmylogin]

67. I know, right?

A defense of "I didn't know what I was doing based on faulty situational awareness" is no defense. It means you're a dangerous person. And a police officer should be a person who falls back on training reflex. If that reflex is "shoot without assessing the situation" at BARE MINIMUM that person should not be licensed to carry a weapon, nor be a police officer, nor be around people where she might decide she doesn't know quite where she is and cause injury or death to bystanders based on a faulty snap judgment.

[LeftInTX]

93. Absolutely

[stopdiggin]

71. next time vent something halfway intelligent

Why "intent" or psychological state has anything to do with jurisprudence

Oh, I don't know -- maybe something like -- JUSTICE?
So -- in your world, a child (or one with child like capacity) who accidentally causes the death of a playmate -- should be hanged .. stoned to death .. imprisoned for the rest of their life?
I don't think (sincerely hope!) you really believe that.

[Jedi Guy]

21. Her remarks about living with the situation stood out to me, too.

It was literally all about her, and not a thought spared for the man she killed and the family he left behind. She also didn't attempt to save Mr. Jean, and instead went immediately into damage control mode. The deleted texts also surely didn't help her credibility.

I'm surprised she didn't opt for a bench trial. I'm also curious if her attorney tried to get her a plea bargain. I couldn't find any news reports saying so, so I guess if they tried it the DA declined.

I don't believe she intended to kill Mr. Jean when she got to the building, but neither did she accept any responsibility for what she did, or show any remorse for anyone but herself.

I hope his family can at least feel some measure of peace at justice being done.

[LeftInTX]

95. I kinda think her attorneys didn't try for a plea deal

Prosecutors don't like to try these cases and would probably jump at the chance.

Also her attorneys were probably counting on the "fool proof, police don't get convicted" strategy.

[obamanut2012]

116. She didn't want a plea bargain

[George II]

25. At least she has an opportunity to live the rest of her life, unlike her victim.

[TexasBushwhacker]

81. I could tell when she pretended to cry

She was screwing her face up, but my guess is her cheeks were dry. I noticed the same kind of response when I watched an interview with Juanita Broadrick talking about her alleged rape by Bill Clinton.

[deurbano]

15. Accountability.. imagine that. That's encouraging! (For once).

[Seedersandleechers]

16. Just verdict.

I've had neighbors come into my apartment drunk not realizing it wasn't their place and they didn't shoot me. I just showed them where they needed to go.

[onetexan]

18. this police lady wasn't drunk. She was busy sexting with a coworker.

[Texin]

24. I think they were arguing, or there had been a quarrel earlier in evening.

She was clearly distracted. There were obvious visual clues that might have tipped her to the fact she was entering the wrong apartment. That red half-circle doormat in front of Jean's door should have been her first clue. It would not have escaped my notice. Seeing that, I would have turned around looked behind me toward the floor marker by the elevator, but she was not in-the-minute, so to speak. The poor man was sitting on the sofa eating a bowl of ice cream for goodness sake. She entered that apartment with her gun drawn and and her finger on the trigger and shot first.

[Blue_Tires]

33. We don't know that because she was never tested that night

and the cops let her have three full days to get her story straight and get whatever out of her system before she turned herself in...

[onetexan]

46. According to the article i read, facts were that Guyger had just finished a 13.5-hour shift, so most

likely she wasn't drinking. She was still in her uniform. Her lawyers had argued that she was exhausted from the long shift, but the fact she was sexting threw that out the window. I do think the jury convicted because she she stated on the stand that she shot to kill. She was way too eager to pull the trigger.

Agree that the Dallas PD botched the proper handling of this case. It was very badly handled. Dallas is a hotbed of police brutality and poor race relations. I do hope the contentious climate will improve going forward.

[PoliticAverse]

52. I would consider that the reason she ultimately got convicted was what she did/didn't do after

she shot him.

[onetexan]

56. i think what she did/didn't do after she shot contributed to, but wasn't the main reason

her stating she shot to kill showed clear intent.

[LeftInTX]

102. She may have freaked out afterward

I think she was distracted, went to wrong apt, but that all went out the window when she saw a black guy. She suddenly thought, "black guy" "intruder".

After she shot him, she realized she wasn't in her apt. She realized what she had done and police mode went out the window.

[obamanut2012]

117. This -- called her partner/booty call first, then 911

Sobbing about how her job was over. She never tried to save him -- and, he was alive when the EMTs got there. She also lied on the stand about trying to stem blood "with one hand," but she had zero blood on her.

[PoliticAverse]

35. That (and this case) is a reminder why it's a good idea to lock your door even if you are in

a 'safe' neighborhood.

[Scalded Nun]

38. Unfortunately, with police everywhere now, and with pretty much free reign

there are no 'safe' neighborhoods.

And if you call them, for whatever reason, be prepared for someone to die.

[LeftInTX]

103. I got the impression the door had issues

He may have tried to close it completely, but couldn't. I've got a door like that, it's frustrating.

[PoliticAverse]

112. Looking further into this I found...

Door was unlocked but defective

Guyger's keys were in Jean's door when the first officers arrived. The doors at the apartments take an electronic lock, which turns like a normal key.

Jean hadn't locked his door when he returned home from running an errand. Crime scene photos show the strike plate, which is where the door latches closed, was slightly warped.

The door wasn't fully closed and latched the night of the shooting. Typically, the doors at the South Side Flats should fully close automatically, because of the way they are weighted.

Texas Ranger David Armstrong, the lead investigator on the case, testified that he tested the closing of Jean's door several times. It didn't consistently slam shut each time, he said.

( From: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/special-reports/botham-jean/what-learned-in-the-amber-guyger-murder-trial/287-08dc486a-3dee-4f3e-ab51-ed4eb61f3387 )

[sinkingfeeling]

19. That's the correct verdict.

[Voltaire2]

20. surprising, but the right verdict.

[imavoter]

26. It's awful, but it's the right call. I'm watching local, live tv

I'm in the Dallas area, and watching live coverage
right now.

Dominique Alexander, a local minister and activist was crying, surprised at the verdict. This is not a direct quote, but he said finally we have justice in the city of Dallas.

[yaesu]

27. Some of those police departments pile overtime on officers instead of hiring for staff shortages

Many officers take advantage of working long hours for very rewarding overtime pay, some making 6 digit salaries a year. I'm wondering if this played into it, over worked, not thinking right.

[TheRealNorth]

60. Police love the OT to inflate their pensions too

[flying_wahini]

29. I'm glad. Her story stunk big time from day one. You KNOW when you are in your home.

I live nearby and have followed this story closely and GLAD it’s over.

I feel like she was tired from working a double and his game was on too loud for her to sleep.
She went up to complain and things escalated and she shot him in cold blood.

[imavoter]

45. She did park on his floor though

I think she just fucking shot first, with an ask questions later attitude

I'm local too.

Did you know her former partner shot and killed someone in 2007? Weird.

[PoliticAverse]

55. Unlikely based on that she apparently did park on the wrong floor and after the shooting

actually texted "I fucked up.”

[argyl]

30. A year ago a Dallas County jury convicted a Balch Springs cop of murder.

In the killing of a 15 y.o. African American kid. White cop got 15 years. It should have been more but he was on the job so that may have been a factor.

Ms. Guyger should receive a goodly number of years to atone for the murder of Mr. Jean.

Dallas County jurors are taking police shootings of civilians quite seriously.

[imavoter]

32. She heard something before opening the door.

And she had just had deescaltion training.

She should have stepped back and called for help per her training.
And then she wound have fucking seen the red ass rug under her fucking feet.

Also she and her partner deleted text messages to each other. Tampering with evidence.

No one should be shot while eating a bowl of ice cream.

[PoliticAverse]

43. Deleting text messages for good is hard and doing so just makes you look guilty. n/t

[imavoter]

48. Especially texting while he lay dying. N/t

[imavoter]

127. well, they can be retrieved, even after deleted...

because the prosecution had a bunch of text messages that they had recovered.
They weren't allowed in trial, but they were allowed in the punishment phase.
A bunch of texts making fun of MLK being dead and joking about being racist. ick.

[rocktivity]

62. It's never been clear to me HOW she opened the door

if she didn't live there. And it certainly wasn't clear to be if someone was SUPPOSED to be her apartment. I think they had some sort of relationship and she went there on purpose. Nonetheless, I would have been happy enough with manslaughter -- WAS there a plea deal offer?


rocktivity

[imavoter]

75. There was either an issue with his lock or

It was not latched properly or was not latched securely,
According to testimony.

I'd have to check news articles if there was a plea deal.
I think most thought she would walk. It's a shock but relief to local social justice advocates.

I don't believe they were having a relationship. There's no evidence of that. She shot first, ask questions later...

Her former partner shot and killed someone in 2007. Pretty weird.

[rocktivity]

84. I'm talking about ANY kind of relationship or contact

Did one of them ever complain about the other making too much noise, for instance?

And did she try to unlock her door but couldn't, or unlock it but couldn't get past the latch?

And my biggest question: DID SHE LIVE ALONE -- that is, was someone SUPPOSED to be in the apartment? If not, why did she expect to be let in, and why not call for backup?


rocktivity

[imavoter]

88. if you want to go back and look at testimony, there's discussion about the latch etc.

No, there is no evidence that they knew each other. That's pretty uniformly understood locally.
The door was either ajar or not latched properly.

She lived alone. She wasn't fucking paying attention and...shot without asking any questions.
Edit: or she's lying about what happened, but I tend to believe somehow she was on the wrong floor because she did park on the wrong floor. It should be noted that Bo's sister doesn't believe he would have been in the dark, because he didn't like the dark. But only Amber knows. And Bo's dead. Either way, the jury make the right choice, imo.

Per her training, she should have fallen back and called for help. This is the crux of the issue, and why she's convicted.
Her whoops defense is not valid. The bullet traveled in a downward angle projection and he was already crouched or stooping when she shot him.
He was on his couch eating a bowl of fucking ice cream.

I'm watching the punishment phase live now on-line now.

[imavoter]

126. that's why she's in jail

it wasn't her lock, that's why her key didn't work.
It supposedly wasn't latched properly. She testified that she could hear sound from outside the door.
She could and should have called.

Seems like she pretty much opened the door and went boom. surprised him while he was eating ice cream on his couch.
The bullet traveled in a downward trajectory so he was stooping or crouching when she shot him through the heart.
He wasn't really all that close to her, either.

No, they didn't know each other.

I do believe she was on the wrong floor, as she did park her car on that floor.
She was really out of it to not see that red rug of his...but this is why you call for back up.

[PoliticAverse]

113. Apparently the door hadn't closed properly...

See: https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2375512

[obamanut2012]

118. I also do not believe she heard "movements"

He was sitting down eating ice cream when she shot him, and he was found barely alive still sitting on the couch, bleeding out, which she was on the phone crying about losing her job. So, no sounds.

[WestLosAngelesGal]

34. Justice was served.

The jury did their duty.

That she felt more sorry for herself than the vic came off pretty clear.

[SKKY]

36. Some people just aren't cut out for this type of work...

...the problem with Police work is that you usually only learn that fact when someone dies needlessly. Tragic.

[cyndensco]

39. FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!

[IronLionZion]

40. Castle doctrine doesn't work when you go into someone else's castle

and murder them.

[liberalhistorian]

44. Oh, thank God!!

Given the difficulty of securing convictions in such cases and the judge's permitting the defense to use the ridiculous "Castle Defense" (never mind that she was NOT in her own damn apartment and if anyone should have been able to use that defense it was the victim, who was minding his own damn business in his own damn apartment), I was really worried that she'd join a LONG line of white police officer murderers who'd be let off the hook by a badge-sniffing racist jury.

I know it won't bring their son/brother back, but I hope this gives the family at least SOME feeling of relief that justice has been served. And FUCK Amber Guyger and all of her boot-licking ammosexual supporters. Maybe this will be the beginning of a turning point in obtaining justice in these cases.

[zentrum]

50. His door had a RED doormat.

Hers did not.

Hello?

[Pisces]

54. Of course they do the right thing when the cop is female!

[NurseJackie]

57. Catch-me-up: Was she an "ex-cop" at the time of the shooting?

Catch-me-up: Was she an "ex-cop" at the time of the shooting? Or was she a cop (then) and subsequently terminated (now) thus explaining why she's only referred to as an ex-cop?

[rocktivity]

63. I believe she was fired afterward

though I can't swear to it in court!


rocktivity

[NurseJackie]

64. Thanks.

[Amimnoch]

72. She was a cop at the time.

Off duty. She got terminated after the shooting. She had just finished a 13 hour shift. She lived on the 3rd floor of a complex, he lived on the 4th right above her. If her accounting does have any truth to it, it's just a horrible situation all around. There were more than enough things "different", like the red welcome mat that the prosecution showed in front of his door. Having done 13 hour hard shifts in the past, I can somewhat empathize with how out of it she may have actually been, and I'm willing to believe it may have been an actual accident, but in this case Justice is done.

[NurseJackie]

79. Thank you.

[imavoter]

76. She was in uniform, just off duty. literally drove across the street to come home

The main Dallas police station is across the street


She was fired 2 weeks? (I'd have to look it up) later

[NurseJackie]

80. Thank you.

[BluNoMatterHu]

59. I live in Dallas...

And this was definitely the right verdict, imo. This poor man was eating ice cream on his couch when she decided to come in, promptly assume he was an intruder and shot to kill. So sad for him and his family.

[bucolic_frolic]

61. Whatever

If she erred, she still did the deed. If she was incompetent, she still did the deed. It's sad for her, but the man is dead.

I don't want LE to be hesitant in defending their lives or the public's, but they have to sort out situations a bit better.

[iluvtennis]

66. Guilty was the correct verdict. I watched the entire trial. Guyger had options when she heard

Last edited Tue Oct 1, 2019, 07:55 PM - Edit history (1)

"movement" behind the door of what she believed was her apartment. She chose to push the slightly ajar door fully open and shoot Botham Jean. She had the option to seek cover in the hallway (there were big thick fire doors adjacent to the apartment entrance) and call police station for backup -- in the trial, the DA provided officer testimony that this was an option from the Dallas PD official policy book.

[imavoter]

78. +1 -- this n/t

[Blue_Tires]

114. It was also telling that she provided no CPR or even attempted to revive him

and when the other cops showed up it was literally the first thing they tried to do

[iluvtennis]

115. Exactly.

[beachbumbob]

77. It was murder, saying oops I thought I was in my house ain't gonna

work. Even in Texas

[Croney]

82. Is there an automatic appeal?

[onetexan]

98. i heard a on Dallas news channel there is.

[TexasBushwhacker]

123. There are only automatic appeals for death penalty cases n/t

[Raine]

86. WOW

I didn't think they would but ... GOOD!

[Neema]

96. GOOD. She's a cop, she should have had enough situational awareness due to her training

to realize her mistake before she killed someone. I am surprised it wasn't manslaughter, but so glad it was a conviction.

[Nitram]

97. That's a relief. It should have been a no-brainer, but it seldom is.

[onetexan]

100. anyone know what the ethnic makeup of the jury was? WFAA said it was 8 women 4 men

but did not mention their ethnicity.

Edit: Sorry folks i just found it: 5 black jurors, 5 Hispanic/Asian, 2 white (2 black & 2 white alternates).

Source: https://newsone.com/3887754/amber-guyger-jury-racial-makeup/

[avebury]

101. I asked that on another thread and was

told 5 blacks, 5 Hispanic/Asian and 2 White.

[Cha]

108. wow.. thanks, onetexan.

[LenaBaby61]

104. Amber Guyger found guilty of murder.

FINALLY.

SOME JUSTICE!!

[marble falls]

109. I wonder if she were a male if she'd been found guilty. I'd like to believe "he" would have been ...

the judge does seem hard nosed, I think she's facing some serious time.

[JonLP24]

121. The judge offered her a bible

There was an unusual amount of sympathy for her.

[marble falls]

122. That struck me, too.

[OnlinePoker]

124. Even during the victim impact statements, she was hugged by the victim's brother. n/t

[imavoter]

128. she was fucking careless and deserves her sentence.

I'm no bible thumper, but I've seen the power of the spirit in action.

I don't think it was sympathy.
The brother of Botham Jean, on the stand for the victim impact statment, chose to love Guyger, instead of condemn her...
you know, the loving part of Christianity that so many people miss out on.
I think it so moved the Judge, that she wanted to practice love in action (faith without works is dead).
Amber was open to it, and even all the lawyers said they had never seen anything like that in all of their careers.
No one had a dry eye. Not in the court room, not the commentators...any one who watched it live like I did. I was in tears, and I felt the
spirit of love and forgiveness.
It was a holy moment in the most unlikely of places. But that's what real love they neighbor is.
Brandt Jean is only 18 and so wise. I won't forget that moment for a long while.

And as an aside, this doesn't mean that she doesn't need to go to jail. She does.
But God can love her from prison. And I hope that Guyger spends the next 5-10 years and take the grace that was offered to her.
Dallas, as a city, has a lot of work to do, but it's a start. She's the 3rd Dallas County, (first for the city in 45 years) officer to go to jail for shooting and killing someone in the last year or so. Things are changing. Just need more. Dallas has a good set of community activists.
The other parts of town, well, they still need more prayer. But it's a start.

That's my 2 cents.

[JonLP24]

129. I never been in a murder trial but I never seen a judge do that before

Usually judges don't seem to care why a defendant is in the courtroom. Prosecutors, judges, and defense attorneys seem to get along more with each other than the defendant who is just part of the job for them. Yes they can be fair & compassionate but I never seen it like this.

Judges have been known to reduce sentences in killer cop sentences so I guess this isn't as bad as that.

[imavoter]

130. the defence had left it up to the jury

and the defense had to decide that before hand. That's not decided after judgement.

so the judge had no say in how long her sentence would be.

Guyger can have the next 5-10 years to contemplate on her actions.

Everything was already done. It was a heart felt moment. I think that's ok.

[JonLP24]

131. I know

I didn't say she reduced her sentence. I'm saying it isn't as bad as reducing a cop's sentence which is known to happen a lot.

I was just saying it was unusual. I have seen people charged with far less serious crimes not receive any hugs from the judge.

[PoliticAverse]

120. Followup: Amber Guyger sentenced to 10 years for murdering neighbor Botham Jean

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/amber-guyger-sentencing-resumes-after-murder-conviction-death-botham-jean-n1061146