Dallas former police officer, Amber Guyger, who was convicted in 2018 for killing a worship leader Botham Jean, has been granted parole after serving about seven years of a 10-year of her prison sentence.
According to the record, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles approved Guyger’s release on Thursday, 1st Of October, 2026. The decision finally came two years after the board ones rejected her first request for parole in 2024. Officials have not yet announced the exact date she will be released from the prison.
Guyger was reportedly convicted of murder in 2019 after fatally shooting harmless Jean inside his Dallas apartment. At the time these events occur, Guyger was returning home from work while still wearing her police uniform. She entered Jean’s apartment, which was directly above her own, mistakenly believing she was entering her residence.
Guyger testified that she believed Jean was an intruder when she encountered him inside the apartment and fired her service weapon. Jean, 26, was an accountant and a Christian worship leader originally from St. Lucia. He was at home when he was shot.
A jury therefore sentenced Guyger to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors had sought for a 28-year sentence, while the offense carried a possible punishment ranging from several years in prison to life.
In explaining its 2026 parole decision, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles cited several factors. The board said Guyger’s record did not show a documented pattern of violent or assaultive arrests or convictions. It also said she had maintained satisfactory behavior while incarcerated and had completed programs included in her individual treatment plan.
According to the board, those programs were intended to improve her ability to obtain and maintain stable full-time employment after release.
Jean’s family opposed Guyger’s parole. Their attorney, civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt, said the family was deeply disappointed and had repeatedly asked that Guyger serve the full sentence. He emphasized the continuing loss experienced by Jean’s relatives.
The case has continued to generate legal and public attention years after the shooting. In 2024, a civil jury ordered Guyger to pay Jean’s family nearly $100 million in damages following a separate civil proceeding.
Jean’s family also filed a lawsuit against the City of Dallas in March 2026, seeking nearly $100 million and alleging that staffing and overtime practices contributed to the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The Dallas Police Department said it had no role in the parole decision, which is handled by the state parole board. The department acknowledged that the decision could bring renewed attention and emotion for Jean’s family and others affected by his death.
Guyger’s parole marks a new chapter in a case that began with a mistaken entry into Jean’s home and ultimately resulted in a murder conviction, a 10-year prison sentence, civil litigation and years of continued public discussion.
