Amber Guyger walked out of prison Friday after serving seven years of her 10-year murder sentence.
Guyger, 38, was released on parole from the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville, Texas, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The former Dallas police officer will complete the remainder of her sentence in the community under parole supervision.
Her release follows an Oct. 1 decision by the Texas parole board to grant her freedom, a reversal after she was denied parole in September 2024. The board’s approval came roughly two weeks before she left custody.
The Jean family had fought against her early release through their attorney. “We were opposed to her early release because we wanted her to at least do a maximum amount of time, the full 100%,” attorney Lee Merritt said on Friday. “But we realized that that was not always something that we were not guaranteed so it’s frustrating.”
Merritt added that the family’s deeper anger dated back to the original sentencing. “But for the family, the frustration came at the point where she was sentenced to [just] 10 years, not just the release today.”
When Guyger’s parole was granted earlier this month, the family issued a statement through Merritt that read: “Releasing Ms Guyger after seven years makes that loss feel even smaller in the eyes of the system. It is not smaller.”
The Dallas Police Department addressed the parole decision in an Oct. 1 statement. “The Dallas Police Department understands this decision may bring renewed attention and emotion surrounding the tragic death of Botham Jean,” the department said. “Our thoughts remain with the Jean family and all those impacted by his loss.”
Guyger’s legal team had prepared for her reentry. One of her trial attorneys, Robert L. Rogers, told WFAA-TV last month that she had secured housing and employment before leaving prison. “She’s been remorseful. She’s stayed remorseful. She’s still remorseful,” Rogers said.
The case stemmed from the night of Sept. 6, 2018, when Guyger returned to her apartment complex after a 15-hour shift. She lived one floor below Jean, a 26-year-old accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers who was watching television in his living room. Guyger parked on the wrong floor and entered Jean’s apartment, later testifying that she believed it was her own. She said the door pushed open when she tried her key, and that she fired her weapon after seeing Jean inside and fearing he was a burglar. She was off-duty but still in uniform at the time. Prosecutors confirmed to WFAA-TV that Jean was unarmed and in his own home.
Guyger, who had spent four years with the Dallas Police Department, was fired from the force following the shooting. A jury found her guilty of murder in October 2019 after deliberating for less than a day. The conviction made her one of the rare American police officers to be found guilty of murder for an on-duty or duty-adjacent killing.
Guyger is white; Jean was Black. The case intensified national debates about police use of force, racial bias in law enforcement, and the treatment of officers in the criminal justice system.
Guyger’s 10-year sentence had drawn criticism from protesters and legal observers who viewed it as lenient for a murder conviction. She became eligible for parole after serving a portion of her term under Texas law, which allows discretionary release based on factors including behavior, rehabilitation, and time served.