Sept. 30, Chris Jenks, criminal justice professor at SMU Dedman School of law, for a piece framing the legal issues in the Amber Guyger murder trial. Published in Inside Sources: https://www.insidesources.com/in-guyger-case-remember-justice-is-a-process-not-a-desired-outcome/
On September 6, 2018, Amber Guyger entered Botham Jean’s fourth-floor Dallas apartment mistakenly believing it was hers, which was one floor below. Last Friday (Sept. 27, 2019), a little more than a year later, Guyger testified at her trial on murder charges that she thought Jean was burglarizing her apartment. According to Guyger, she pulled and aimed a handgun at Jean and yelled at him to show his hands. She testified that she feared for her life when Jean advanced so she fatally shot him in self-defense.
At the time of the shooting, Guyger was an off-duty Dallas police officer in uniform and armed, returning home after a long workday. Guyger is a white, 5 foot 3 inch, 130-pound woman. Jean was unarmed and eating ice cream in his living room. Jean was a 6 foot 1 inch, 247-pound African-American man.
With emotions and tensions high, and the case heading to jury deliberations, it behooves the community — in Dallas and around the country — to be prepared for the trial’s conclusion. There are a range of possible outcomes, including that the jury may find Guyger guilty, not guilty, or be unable to reach a verdict. . .
Continue reading “In Guyger Case, Remember: Justice Is a Process, Not a Desired Outcome”