Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer convicted of murdering her neighbor Botham Jean, was released from a Texas prison on Friday, October 16, 2026.
Guyger, 38, left the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville shortly after 10 a. m.
after serving seven years of a 10-year sentence, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed her release on parole, allowing her to serve the remainder of her sentence under community supervision.
Parole Decision and Conditions
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles approved her release earlier in October, citing satisfactory conduct in prison and participation in rehabilitation programs.
The board also noted the absence of a documented pattern of violent or assaultive arrests or convictions. Her first parole request was denied in September 2024.
Under the terms of her release, Guyger must comply with supervision requirements until her sentence expires in September 2029, according to The Dallas Morning News.
CBS News Texas reported that restrictions include regular check-ins, employment requirements, travel limitations, and home visits.
She is also prohibited from living in Dallas County, contacting Jean's family or Dallas police officers, and leaving Texas without authorization.
Robert Rodgers, Guyger's former trial attorney, said she had prepared for life outside prison by arranging housing and employment.
He told CBS News Texas that she remained remorseful and had participated in programs during her incarceration.
"She's still very remorseful, but she's spent that time working on programs and rehabilitating and making sure that she can be ...
a productive member of society," Rodgers said.
Jean's family asked for privacy following the parole announcement, which came shortly after relatives commemorated what would have been his birthday.
In a statement reported by CBS News Texas, the family thanked supporters who continued to honor his memory while acknowledging their ongoing grief.
Lee Merritt, an attorney who represented Jean's family, criticized the decision, saying relatives and community members had repeatedly opposed early release and wanted Guyger to serve the full sentence.
"Botham's family and the community strongly opposed this parole. They stood up again and again to ask that the full sentence be served.
A 10-year sentence was already a fraction of what was lost.
Releasing Ms. Guyger after seven years makes that loss feel even smaller in the eyes of the system.
It is not," Merritt said in a statement reported by CBS News Texas.
The Dallas Police Department acknowledged the renewed emotional impact of the case but emphasized that it had no authority over the parole decision.
"The Dallas Police Department understands this decision may bring renewed attention and emotion surrounding the tragic death of Botham Jean.
Our thoughts remain with the Jean family and all those impacted by his loss.
Parole decisions are made by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and are outside the authority of the Dallas Police Department and we had no role in this decision," the department said in a statement to CBS News Texas.
Background of the Case
Jean, a 26-year-old accountant originally from St. Lucia, was watching television and eating ice cream in his apartment on September 6, 2018, when Guyger entered and shot him.
According to trial testimony reported by NBC News and The Dallas Morning News, Guyger had finished her shift and was still wearing her police uniform when she returned to the apartment complex.
Guyger testified that she mistakenly entered Jean's apartment, believing it was her own, and thought he was an intruder.
She lived one floor below Jean and claimed she fired because she feared for her life.
She was subsequently fired from the Dallas Police Department, and her attempts to overturn her conviction were unsuccessful.
The killing drew widespread attention and sparked protests and renewed debate about racial justice and police accountability. Jean was Black, while Guyger is white.
During the criminal trial, Guyger apologized, and Jean's younger brother, Brandt Jean, publicly forgave her.
In a separate civil case, a federal jury in 2024 found Guyger liable for Jean's death and ordered her to pay his family $98.6 million in damages, according to NBC 5 DFW.
The city of Dallas was initially named in the lawsuit but was later removed.
In 2021, a section of the street near Dallas police headquarters was renamed Botham Jean Boulevard in his honor.
The case also prompted the passage of the Botham Jean Act, also known as Bo's Law, which requires officers to keep body cameras activated throughout their participation in an investigation, according to The Dallas Morning News.
