A US former police officer who shot dead her neighbour has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for murder.
Amber Guyger, 31, argued she killed Botham Jean, 26, after mistakenly thinking she was in her own flat and that he was an intruder.
After the sentence was delivered Botham Jean’s 18-year-old brother Brandt Jean addressed Amber Guyger from the witness stand giving an emotional victim impact statement. Speaking directly to Guyger, Brandt Jean said, “I love you like anyone else.”
Brant Jean’s victim impact statement was both emotional and forgiving. As his impact statement ended he pleaded with the judge to be allowed to give Amber Guyger a hug. The judge allowed the request.
After the sentencing ended Judge Kemp left her chair and came to where the victims family were sat in the court. After speaking together, they too hugged.
The Judge then went to where Amber Guyger was sitting and while speaking to her it is believed that she gave Guyger a bible.
The scenes left those in court and media commentators from the numerous news channels broadcasting the sentencing, including those at World Justice News, emotionally stunned having never seen such scenes ever before in court. The scenes were very moving.
The sentence by a jury was less than the 28 years prosecutors had sought. She faced up to 99 years in prison.
Guyger’s lawyers had argued she was distracted by sexually suggestive texts with another police officer and had just completed a nearly 14 hour shift when she made “a series of horrible mistakes” on the night of 6 September 2018.
Prosecutors accused her of bursting into Jean’s apartment “commando-style” and firing at him while he was eating a bowl of ice cream on his sofa.
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