Amber Guyger found guilty of murder, sentenced to 10 years

DALLAS (FOX 4) - A former Dallas police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man in his apartment was found guilty of murder by a Dallas County jury on Tuesday. 

On Wednesday, Guyger was officially sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crime. In Texas, a murder sentence can range from five years to life in prison, but the judge also instructed jurors on a so-called sudden passion defense, which carries a range of 2-20 years behind bars. She will be eligible for parole in five years.

Guyger was off-duty but still in uniform after a long shift when she shot Botham Jean, a 26-year-old accountant from the Caribbean nation of St. Lucia. Murder carries a sentence of five to 99 years. The punishment phase, which will start Tuesday afternoon, will determine just how long her sentence will be.

Cheers erupted in the courthouse as the verdict was announced, and someone yelled "Thank you, Jesus!" In the hallway outside the courtroom where Guyger was tried, a crowd celebrated and said "black lives matter" in raised voices. When the prosecutors walked into the hall, they broke into cheers.

The family of Botham Jean hugs each other after hearing that Amber Guyger was found guilty of murder.

Guyger sat alone, weeping, at the defense table.

The basic facts of the unusual shooting were not in dispute throughout the trial. In September 2018, Guyger walked up to Jean's apartment -- which was on the fourth floor, directly above hers on the third -- and found the door unlocked. She was off duty but still dressed in her police uniform after a long shift when she shot Jean with her service weapon. The 26-year-old accountant had been eating a bowl of ice cream before Guyger entered his home. 

Benjamin Crump, one of the lawyer's for Jean's family, said the verdict could turn the tide for cases accusing police officers of unlawful killing.

"The jury's thoughtful verdict sets a powerful precedent for future cases, telling law enforcement officers that they cannot hide behind the badge but instead will face justice for their wrongful actions," Crump said in an emailed statement.

The jury that convicted Guyger was largely made up of women and people of color.

Guyger was arrested three days after the killing. She was later fired and charged with murder , but only spoke publicly about the shooting upon taking the witness stand last Friday. Tension has been high during the trial in Dallas, the same city where an attack three years ago killed five police officers.

The 31-year-old tearfully apologized for killing Jean and told the jurors she feared for her life upon finding the door to what she though was her apartment unlocked. Guyger said that Jean came toward her at a fast walk when she entered with her gun out, but prosecutors have suggested he was just rising from a couch toward the back of the room when the officer shot him. 

In a frantic 911 call played repeatedly during the trial, Guyger said "I thought it was my apartment" nearly 20 times. Her lawyers argued that the identical physical appearance of the apartment complex from floor to floor frequently led to tenants to the wrong apartments. 

Prosecutors, however, questioned how Guyger could have missed numerous signs that she was in the wrong place, and suggested she was distracted by sexually explicit phone messages with her police partner.

They also asked why Guyger didn't radio in for help when she thought there was a break-in at her home. Guyger said that going through the doorway with her pistol drawn, "was the only option that went through my head."