Judge Allows Cop to Use ‘Castle Doctrine’ Defense in Trial for Mistaken Apartment Killing

Civilly who's responsible solely Her or will the police department be sued she just came off a 14 hour shift . She will end up getting a lesser degree manslaughter charge and then it's all about the money .

a reply to: Xcalibur254

She was just found guilty.

A Dallas jury has found former police Officer Amber Guyger guilty of murder for fatally shooting a neighbor who lived in the apartment directly above hers last year.

NPR

Just breaking about 30 minutes ago. Guyger was found guilty of murder. The maximum sentence she can receive is Life.

Amber Guyger found guilty of murder at trial in fatal shooting of neighbor Botham Jean

a reply to: Liquesence

That's going to be appealed and lowered . I bet the whole thing gets overturned .

This is very f'd up..too bad the guy who got slaughtered didn't shoot her first. I also wonder if the prosecution purposely overcharged her, so she will end up free? It definitely happens with LE.

(edit)
Woah!..guilty! I must say I'm surprised.

a reply to: vonclod

It wasn’t an over-charge at all. Her actions weren’t reckless, which is a key element of manslaughter. Her actions fit a murder charge.

More specifically, they fit somewhere between manslaughter and murder.

a reply to: Shamrock6

I believe her she was sexting paying attention to her phone and not where she was going The conviction wont stick .

a reply to: Shamrock6

My thoughts exactly. It was an accidental, intentional, killing. In the end I think a murder charge with a lighter sentence is more appropriate than a manslaughter charge.

a reply to: Gargoyle91

I believe her too.

She intended to kill Jean when she pulled her piece and shot him. That’s why it’s a murder conviction.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Agreed. The penalty for murder in Texas is as little as five years. She certainly isn’t going to cop a life sentence on this one. I think it’ll be fairly light.

seems justice has prevailed
huzzah

The jury got it right.

Manslaughter my azz. She didn't accidentally shot him. She very intentionally shot him, in his own home and she was trespassing, at the very least.

She didn't notice the missing door mat, the missing flower pot, both things she had outside her apartment....

The situation and the factors surrounding this murder are unfortunate, but it was still blatantly murder.

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
Just breaking about 30 minutes ago. Guyger was found guilty of murder. The maximum sentence she can receive is Life.

Amber Guyger found guilty of murder at trial in fatal shooting of neighbor Botham Jean

Good news.

Glad to see a murderer out of uniform and in prison.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

I can't help but wonder what the discussion would be if the tables were turned, and the victim shot the cop.

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: Xcalibur254

I can't say for sure what would or would not have been allowed by a judge if this had been done by a person that wasn't a cop.
But it is ridiculous that she is allowed to use the Castle Doctrine as a defense when it was NOT HER HOME!
She entered another persons home and shot and killed them.

Maybe she was confused and entered the wrong apartment by mistake, but I think there is something fishy here. The apartment that she entered was on a different floor of the building than where her apartment is located, iirc. If she was not under the influence of some mind altering substance, I don't understand how this could have happened.

I don't buy for a second that this was a mistake. I think she was either drunk or on drugs, or intended to kill the guy for whatever reason. I would guess the "woopsie" castle doctrine defense was then utilized by her lawyers as the best chance to defend their client who knowingly murdered a man in cold blood. (Allegedly applies above, for legal purposes lol)

I'd be really curious to know if a tox screen was run on her, or to know why she chose to kill him, but we'll probably never know.

She was just handed a 10-year sentence.

Courts Amber Guyger sentenced to 10 years in prison for murder of Botham Jean

A Dallas County jury sentenced Amber Guyger to 10 years in prison after convicting her of murdering her upstairs neighbor Botham Jean in his apartment last year.

a reply to: Liquesence

That’s more than I thought she’d get. Hopefully it survives the inevitable appeal and sticks.

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: Liquesence

That’s more than I thought she’d get. Hopefully it survives the inevitable appeal and sticks.

What do you think is the likelihood of appeal and/or reduction?

I read earlier serve 5 at most before parole, but I do not know the Texas legal system (and am frankly too tired to look).

a reply to: Liquesence

10 YEARS!? 10 GOD DAMNED YEARS?

Where's the 20 to life everyone else is serving for the same crime?

'Better than nothing' isn't good enough.

originally posted by: projectvxn
a reply to: Liquesence

10 YEARS!? 10 GOD DAMNED YEARS?

Where's the 20 to life everyone else is serving for the same crime?

'Better than nothing' isn't good enough.

I don't disagree.

Or for the greater sentences for even less crime (where no one was actually, you know, killed), others have received.

Remember, though, apparently the *jury* gave this sentence.