Emotions run high in and outside of courtroom after Amber Guyger sentenced to 10 years for Botham Jean's murder
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
(CNN)Inside the courtroom, many observers cried as Botham Jean's brother forgave and hugged former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, who had been convicted of murder in Jean's death. Outside, protesters denounced the 10-year sentence Guyger got as too lenient.
The conclusion of the trial mirrored the gamut of emotions displayed during the week-long proceedings, with Jean's parents taking the stand with poignant testimony about their son, Guyger saying she wished she were the one who was shot and prosecutors describing the former cop as negligent in missing myriad signs that would have tipped her off that she was on the wrong floor, in the wrong apartment.
Jurors convicted Guyger on Tuesday for murder in the fatal shooting of Jean. Wednesday, after hours of moving victim impact statements, the same panel sentenced her to 10 years in prison . She'll be eligible for parole in five years.
After the conclusion of a case that has become part of the national conversation around policing and violence against people of color, a group demonstrated in the streets of Dallas against a sentence they saw as too light.
NAACP President Aubrey Hooper said in a statement that the organization saw the sentence as inadequate, but prayed that Jean's family could find some closure with the conviction.
The trial brought several moments of pain before the powerful example of forgiveness. A video of Jean's final moments , as first responders worked to revive him from gunshot wounds, was shown while his family was in the courtroom. They left sobbing, and Judge Tammy Kemp said she hadn't considered the hurt it would cause his loved ones.
Then, Guyger took the stand to describe through tears the night she said she entered Jean's apartment thinking it was her own and shot the man she thought was an intruder. She said she wished she had been the one killed instead.
Botham Jean's younger brother Brandt Jean hugs convicted murderer and former Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger.
At the sentencing hearing, Jean's brother, 18-year-old Brandt, asked the judge for permission to hug his brother's killer.
"I don't even want you to go to jail," he told Guyger. "I want the best for you. Because I know that's exactly Botham would want you to do."
Thursday, Jean's father, Bertrum, told CNN that while he wishes Guyger's sentence would have been stiffer, he accepts the jury's decision.
"I felt the same way as Brandt. I wish I could've extended that same courtesy," he said. "That's what Christ would want us to do. ... If you will not forgive, neither will your Father forgive you. I don't want to see her rot in hell. I don't want to see her rot in prison. I hope this will help her to change and recognize the damage, the hurt that our family's going through. So I wish her well and I will pray for her family and pray for her as well."
Wednesday was a difficult day from beginning to end as family and friends sought to shine a light on a life that was lost and another that was destroyed. Jean's best friend described him as her "absolute person" and his father openly wept on the witness stand, talking about the loss of his son. Speaking on Guyger's behalf, a fellow officer listed her acts of selflessness and a former cocaine addict attributed her recovery to Guyger.
'What's really in her heart'
In closing arguments, prosecutors and the defense split on whether this was a case of a woman with prejudice or a public servant who made a terrible mistake.
Prosecutors introduced Guyger's controversial text messages and Pinterest activity.
"They show what's really in her heart," one prosecutor told the jury. She argued the texts illustrated how Guyger was "mocking" the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. while lamenting how long she had to work a MLK Day parade.
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A very strong young man.
Courtroom shenanigans.
I'm sorry, but that's dumb. I guess the prosecutor is going for some kind of poetic justice? But it doesn't make any sense. It's arbitrary. A fair sentence proposal would have been based on similar defendants in similar circumstances combined with a consideration of any specific characteristics unique to this crime and individual and the goals of the sentence. Linking the sentence to the victim's age just makes a game out of what should be a serious deliberation.
Using the logic underpinning this ridiculous recommendation, if he had been 50 she should have been sentenced to 50 years. Conversely, if he had been only 5 years old (which would be arguably even more tragic), she should have only been sentenced to 5 years. Dumb dumb dumb.
If the brother wants to hug her, that's fine. He wouldn't be the first family of a victim to show compassion or forgiveness for a defendant.
But this is weird:
Judge hugs Amber Guyger, gives her a Bible after murder conviction, causing stir
So then the judge hugged her, too. What the hell is she doing?