A jury in Dallas has found 31-year-old former Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger guilty of murder.
Guyger was on trial for the 2018 shooting death of her neighbor Botham Jean.
The jury was given three options from Judge Tammy Kemp: finding Guyger guilty verdict for murder, guilty of manslaughter or not guilty verdict.
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Guyger, 31, testified Friday that she mistook Jean’s fourth-floor apartment for her own, one floor below Jean’s. Guyger, who was off duty but still in uniform, said she thought he was a burglar. Guyger had just completed a nearly 14-hour work shift. She tested negative for drugs and alcohol.
Jean was sitting on his couch eating vanilla ice cream topped with crumbled chocolate chip cookies and watching TV when Guyger mistakenly walked into his apartment. His laptop was open and on. It appears he had airpods in his ears. He was dressed comfy, in shorts and a T-shirt.
Jean’s final moments
Guyger parked on the fourth floor the night Jean died and walked to his fourth-floor apartment, which was directly a floor above her own.
Several residents of the South Side Flats, where Guyger and Jean lived, have testified that they’ve also parked on the wrong floor of the parking garage and even walked to the wrong apartment door.
Jurors were shown dozens of crime scene photos of Jean’s and Guyger’s apartments. They also watched videos showing the walk from the parking garage through the apartment hallways for both the third and fourth floors.
There was a bright red doormat outside Jean’s apartment. His apartment was the only one with such a noticeable doormat on the third or fourth floor.
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. The door wasn’t fully closed and latched the night of the shooting.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys have different theories about where Jean was when he was shot. Prosecutors say he was still sitting on the couch when Guyger shot him. Defense attorneys say Jean was walking or lunging toward her when she pulled the trigger.
Prosecution focused on Guyger’s response
An arrest warrant for Guyger said she performed first aid on Jean, but evidence presented during the trial has not shown that to be the case.
Guyger was outside Jean’s apartment when the first officers arrived, body-camera footage showed. There was no blood found on Guyger’s uniform, which was collected after the shooting.
Guyger texted her partner twice while she was on the phone with 911. Court testimony revealed Guyger and her partner, Martin Rivera, had previously been in an intimate relationship. They had been sending steamy text messages to each other throughout the afternoon and evening.
While on the phone with 911, Guyger texted Rivera, “I need you…hurru up” and “I [expletive] up.”
Guyger’s testimony about the shooting
Guyger was the first witness called to the stand by the defense last week. Guyger became emotional several times on the stand as she was questioned about her actions before and after she fatally wounded Botham Jean inside his apartment.
“I feel like a piece of crap,” she testified. “I hate that I have to live with this every single day, and I ask God for forgiveness and hate myself every single day.”
While Guyger said she was shocked after realizing she was in the wrong apartment and had just shot “an innocent man,” the prosecution questioned why she didn’t call for backup from the start when she heard movement inside the unit.
The prosecution also alleged Guyger seemed more focused on herself than Jean, pointing out that she didn’t properly administer CPR and sent messages to her former police partner before officers arrived on the scene.
“All this talk about a sad mistake, when the rubber meets the road, you intended to kill Mr. Jean,” prosecutor Jason Hermus said.
“He [Jean] was the threat, yes, sir,” she replied of what she thought at the time of the shooting.
“You intended to kill Mr. Jean,” Hermus asked.
“I did,” she testified.
What the jury is considering
The jury will consider whether to convict Guyger of murder or manslaughter. Part of the deliberations will be to determine whether Guyger reasonably thought she was inside her own apartment at the time of the shooting and whether a reasonable person in her position would have shot Jean in self-defense, as she alleges.
If convicted of murder, Guyger faces up to life in prison.
The former officer was initially taken into custody on a manslaughter charge but was later indicted on a murder charge.
The murder indictment says Guyger intentionally shot Jean, causing his death. A manslaughter charge would mean Guyger acted recklessly.
Murder carries a sentence of up to life in prison. Manslaughter, which is a second-degree felony, carries a sentencing range of two to 20 years. If Guyger is convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to less than 10 years in prison, she could receive probation.
There is a precedent in police shootings to include a lesser charge of manslaughter.
Texas Tribune contributed to this story
Photo: Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, left, shot and killed Botham Shem Jean in his apartment. Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office via REUTERS: Guyger/Facebook: Botham Shem Jean
