On Nov. 20, 2024, jurors awarded Botham Jean’s family nearly $100 million in a wrongful death lawsuit against former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger.
The 12-member jury, which was evenly composed of men and women, found Guyger guilty of using excessive force when she fatally shot the 26-year-old accountant in his apartment on Sept. 6, 2018 and ordered her to pay the Jean family $98.6 million. The verdict includes $60 million in punitive damages and $38.6 million in compensatory damages, which is nearly double the amount the family’s attorneys sought, reports Fox 4 News.
As UPTOWN reported, Guyger was initially put on administrative leave and ultimately terminated by the Dallas Police Department following an investigation into Jean’s death. Guyger, who was 30 at the time, claims she mistook Jean’s apartment for her own and mistook him for an intruder. The then-30-year-old shot and killed Jean as he was on his couch eating ice cream. The body camera Guyger wore did not record the incident because she was off-duty.
Guyger chose not to attend the wrongful death trial and is currently serving a 10-year sentence for murder at Gatesville Correctional Facility in Texas. She appealed her conviction and lost two years ago. She became eligible for parole on Sept. 29, 2024.
Attorneys for the Jean family, which includes civil rights attorney Ben Crump, released the following statement after the verdict, reports CBS News:
“This verdict stands as a powerful testament to Botham’s life and the profound injustice of his death. On September 6, 2018, Botham was doing nothing more than sitting in his own home, eating ice cream, when Amber Guyger – an off-duty officer – wrongly entered his apartment and fatally shot him. This case laid bare critical issues of racial bias and police accountability that cannot be ignored. Today’s verdict sends a clear message that law enforcement officers who commit crimes cannot be insulated from the consequences of their actions.”
The attorneys insist that the Jean family brought the wrongful death suit to ensure that Guyger would never profit financially from murdering Botham Jean, reports CBS News. They also say the Jean family likely won’t receive any of the $98.6 million verdict. The Jean family’s lawyers are also exploring legal options to hold the city of Dallas responsible for Botham Jean’s killing.
