Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer convicted of murdering Botham Jean in his own apartment in 2018, is now eligible for parole, six years after the shooting. Guyger’s case, which drew national attention and sparked widespread protests, will go before a parole board on Monday, September 30, the day Jean would have turned 33. Jean’s family, still grappling with the loss, has expressed strong opposition to Guyger’s potential release. “She needs to serve her entire 10-year term,” Allison Jean, Botham’s mother, said. “She caused tremendous pain to my family. Murder of an innocent man in the comfort of his home deserves full justice.”

Guyger, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder, has previously appealed her conviction but lost that appeal two years ago. The shooting occurred after Guyger mistakenly entered Jean’s apartment, believing it was her own, and fatally shot him. At the time, she was off-duty, and her body camera was not recording. As the parole hearing approaches, both support and opposition letters will be considered by the parole board. According to Zerita Hall, a former parole officer and professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, the views of the victim’s family could play a significant role in the board’s decision.

The case remains a deeply emotional one for both the Jean family and the Dallas community. Guyger’s attorneys have yet to comment on her eligibility for parole. Meanwhile, Jean’s family continues to advocate for Guyger to serve her full sentence, emphasizing the severity of her crime. “She murdered an innocent man in his own home,” Allison Jean reiterated, underscoring the pain the family continues to endure and their belief that justice has not yet been fully served.