Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger has been granted parole after serving seven years of her 10-year sentence for the 2018 murder of her neighbor, Botham Jean, with Jean's family confirming the news of her upcoming release. It is not yet clear exactly when she will be freed.
According to FOX 4, Guyger was denied parole at her last hearing in 2024 before this latest decision. The case has drawn national attention since the night Guyger, a former Dallas police officer, shot and killed the 26-year-old accountant inside his own apartment.
A Deadly Mistake Inside Botham Jean's Own Home
Guyger fatally shot Jean on September 6, 2018, after walking into his apartment believing it was her own, as reported by NBC 5. Jean, unarmed, was sitting at home eating ice cream when Guyger entered. Her defense argued at trial that she mistakenly identified him as an intruder in what she thought was her own unit, located one floor below his in the same complex.
Guyger was ultimately sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder, and Texas' highest criminal court later upheld both her conviction and her sentence, the same NBC 5 report noted. The shooting ignited widespread outrage and, as FOX 4 reported, inspired a number of protests in Dallas in the years that followed.
Thousands Objected to Her Release
Opposition to Guyger's parole was not limited to Jean's family. Botham Jean's family, the Dallas County district attorney's office, and more than 6,300 people who signed an online petition all protested her parole, according to the same NBC 5 report. That same account noted Guyger had become eligible for parole after serving half of her sentence at a Gatesville prison.
Conflicting Signals Over the Release Timeline
The timing and even the outcome of Guyger's parole status remain murky across available records. FOX 4 reported that Guyger was scheduled for a new parole hearing on October 10, 2026, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, while CourtTV reported her next review was noted for October 20, 2026 — a discrepancy that has not been reconciled in available reporting.
Adding to the confusion, a TDCJ parole-review record states: “NEXT REVIEW (10/2026)- Deny favorable parole action and set for next review,” seemingly at odds with FOX 4's report that parole had been granted. That record also lists a projected release date of September 29, 2029, and a parole eligibility date of September 29, 2024. Whether the October hearing took place, was postponed, or was superseded by a separate decision has not been established, and the discrepancy between TDCJ's record and FOX 4's reporting remains unresolved in available accounts.
