Jurors concluded a civil wrongful death case Wednesday by awarding Botham Jean’s family nearly $100 million in damages, finding former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger guilty of using excessive force in the 26-year-old accountant’s death in his home six years ago.
Jury awards Botham Jean’s family $98.6 million in civil damages
As CBS News reported, Guyger has been “ordered to pay the Jean family $98.6 million.”
Fox 4 News reported that the $98.6 million figure includes $60 million in punitive damages and $38.6 million in compensatory damages, nearly double the initial amount Botham’s family attorneys requested.
Jean’s family was pleased with the outcome as a jury of six men and six women ruled Guyger acted with malice or was reckless in the shooting death of Jean in 2018, per Fox 4 News.
As Blavity reported, Guyger entered Jean’s apartment on the evening of Sept. 6, 2018, allegedly believing it was her own, and shot and killed Jean as he was on the couch eating ice cream. According to reports, the then-30-year-old police officer entered the property by accident and mistook Jean for an intruder. She was arrested three days after the incident.
While she was initially charged with manslaughter, a grand jury later delivered an indictment and charged Guyger with murder. She is serving 10 years in prison despite losing her appeal to overturn it in 2022.
CBS News reported that Guyger was eligible for parole on Sept. 29.
Attorneys for the Jean family highlight police accountability in aftermath of Amber Guyger verdict
Attorneys for the Jean family, including civil rights attorney Ben Crump, released a statement after the verdict, shedding light on police officers being held accountable for their actions.
“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 statement reads, per CBS News.
Additionally, the attorneys also wanted to ensure that Guyger could never monetize off of killing Jean in the future.
