A federal civil case involving the murder of Botham Jean in 2018 resulted in a jury in Dallas County ordering former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger to pay a total of $98.65 million in compensatory damages.
The year 2018 saw Guyger take Jean’s life by shooting him at his apartment in Dallas. As a result of her conviction for his murder, she is currently serving a term of ten years in jail.
It was during her trial in 2019 that she stated that she had mistaken Jean for an intruder who was present in her flat.
As she testified in her trial in 2019, she stated that she had mistaken Jean’s apartment for her own and was able to enter the unit due to a door lock that was not functioning properly. She resided in an apartment that was located above Jean.
A federal civil rights case was brought by Jean’s family in the United States District Court in the year 2018.
The city of Dallas was initially named as a defendant in the complaint, which argued that the city did not provide Guyger with proper training; however, the city was eventually removed off the list of defendants.
The family of Jean and her attorneys have expressed their belief that “justice was served” following the announcement of the decision.
On Wednesday, Jean’s father, Bertram, expressed his emotions by saying, “I am still heartbroken over the loss of my son.” In spite of everything, justice was carried out today, and we are extremely grateful for it. We hope that this will serve as a lesson for those in authority.
Allison, Botham’s mother, stated that the verdict that was handed down today is a representation of what the jury considered to be the value that Botham gave to this world.
Due to the fact that I am aware of how valuable he was to me, I am unable to express my feelings in monetary terms; but, it does convey a message to the world that his life was important.
“This verdict tells us that his light still shines down on us in America, and in St. Lucia, and all over the world,” Attorney Ben Crump said. “This verdict is a very significant event.”
Guyger had been representing herself in the civil case at the beginning of the proceedings; however, she ultimately decided not to participate in the civil trial or to have an attorney present.
In light of the fact that Guyger’s request to be released on parole was recently denied by the parole board, the civil trial has been initiated.
During the year 2021, the Botham Jean Act was passed into law, which mandated that law enforcement officers must wear body cameras and keep them turned on during the entirety of any open investigations that include them.