Former Dallas Officer Amber Guyger Is Granted Parole

Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer convicted of murdering Botham Jean after entering his apartment in 2018, has been granted parole after serving about seven years of a 10-year sentence, Texas officials said Thursday. Her release date has not been set.

Guyger, 38, was convicted on Oct. 1, 2019, of killing Jean, her 26-year-old neighbor. She said she had parked on the wrong floor of their apartment building’s garage, entered his home believing it was her own and shot him because she thought he was an intruder. Jean was unarmed and eating ice cream in his living room, authorities said.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles said it approved Guyger’s release because her record showed no documented pattern of violent or assaultive arrests or convictions. It also cited her satisfactory adjustment in prison and completion of programs intended to improve her prospects for stable employment. A Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesperson told CBS News that the agency did not yet have an official release date.

Guyger first became eligible for parole on Sept. 29, 2024, according to NBC News. The board denied her first request the following month and scheduled another review for around October 2026.

Jean’s family asked for privacy as they processed the decision. In a statement to CBS News Texas, the family thanked those who continue to “say Botham’s name, honor his life, and carry his memory forward.” Jean would have turned 35 on Tuesday.

Lee Merritt, an attorney for the family, said they were “deeply disappointed.” The family and community had opposed parole and asked that Guyger serve her full sentence, he said.

“A 10-year sentence was already a fraction of what was lost,” Merritt said. “Releasing Ms. Guyger after seven years makes that loss feel even smaller in the eyes of the system. It is not.”

The Dallas Police Department said its thoughts remained with Jean’s family and others affected by his death. Parole decisions are the board’s responsibility, the department said, and it had “no role in this decision.” The Dallas County District Attorney’s office declined to comment to CBS News Texas.

At Guyger’s trial, prosecutors sought a sentence of at least 28 years, NBC News reported. They said Jean had been watching television and eating vanilla ice cream shortly before 10 p.m. when Guyger entered and shot him. Guyger testified that she opened his door with her electronic key fob and drew her service weapon immediately after going inside.

Questions about race arose during the trial. According to NBC News, prosecutors presented racist text messages Guyger had sent that were unrelated to Jean or his killing. During her sentencing, Jean’s brother Brandt told Guyger he forgave her.

Jean grew up in Saint Lucia, graduated from Harding University in Arkansas in 2016 and was working as an accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas when he was killed, NBC News reported. In March 2026, his family filed a civil lawsuit seeking nearly $100 million from the city of Dallas, according to CBS News. The suit alleges the city used overtime to cover staffing gaps, contributing to fatigue and stress; Guyger had finished a nearly 14-hour shift the night she killed Jean.