Murder in Your Own Home Verdict

Diamond Sappington | Posted on October 12, 2019

Photo courtesy of cnn.com

Home is a place where many of us go to unwind and be at peace after dealing with the unpredictable outside world. It’s the one place where an individual should feel and be the safest. On September 6, 2018, this wasn’t the case for Botham Jean, a 26 year- old African American accountant. He was allegedly fatally shot in his own home by a white Dallas Police officer, Amber Guyger. Amber allegedly claimed that she believed the apartment to be hers and she thought Botham was a burglar which is why she shot him.

Questions & Confusion

On November 30,2018, Amber Guyger was indicted on murder charges. The trial lasted a little less than a month before she was found guilty of murder. On October 2, she was sentenced to only 10 years in prison. If the tables were turned, I don’t think Botham would’ve have only gotten 10 years.

There are so many alarmingly questions that need to be answered here. First of off, why didn’t Amber follow police protocol? She had been with the Dallas police department for 5 years so it’s pretty evident that she knew what to do. She testified during trial that she noticed that the apartment door was ajar and she thought a burglar was inside. Nonetheless, she still entered the apartment instead of calling back up from the police station that was only two blocks away.

Why would you enter an apartment where the door has already been jammed and you think you might be in danger? Wouldn’t you go get help first? Since she was in her housing complex, I’m sure she was off-duty, so why would you take the law into your own hands? Before you entered the apartment, did you hear any suspicious noises or movement while you were outside the door? You said it was dark, but did you think to turn on the light and see what was going on before you started shooting?

These are all the questions that the public may never get an answer to but at this point does it even matter because Botham is gone forever and will never get a chance to continue his life while Amber will be out in less than 5 years and continue living her life.