The family of Botham Jean, who was shot and killed in his apartment by Dallas police officer Amber Guyger in 2018, said they are reliving the nightmare after learning that Guyger has recently become eligible for parole after serving just half of her 10-year sentence. Jean’s relatives expressed strong opposition to Guyger’s potential release, especially as her new parole status coincided with what would have been his 33rd birthday. Guyger, who is white, shot Jean to death on Sept. 6, 2018, after mistakenly entering the wrong apartment and opening fire.  At one point in the murder trial for ex-Dallas cop Amber Guyger, she was asked to demonstrate how she held the gun in shooting Black PwC associate Botham Jean Sept. 6, 2018. A jury convicted Guyger of murder Oct. 1. (Photo credit left to right: NBC News screenshot and Harding University via @xdom718 on Twitter) She later claimed that she believed Jean was an intruder in her unit — which was located one floor below Jean’s fourth-floor apartment — asserting that her actions were legally justified under the belief that she was defending herself.  Guyger was off duty at the time of the shooting but still in uniform, however, there was no bodycam footage to verify her version of what took place. Jean’s death ignited widespread protests in Dallas, drawing national attention to the ongoing issue surrounding rampant police killings of Black men.  In Jean’s case, he was simply in his own home, yet an officer still managed to take one more life. The only error committed by Jean was not locking his front door when he returned home from running an errand. Minutes later, Guyger entered and, without asking any questions, drew her weapon and gunned down an innocent man. Guyger testified that she was so confused at the time of the shooting that she had to step outside the apartment to check the unit number before providing it to the 911 dispatcher. A year after the fatal shooting, Guyger went on trial for murder. Jurors needed to decide if Guyger genuinely believed she was in her own apartment and whether a reasonable person in her situation would have perceived a threat that justified the use of deadly force, as she claimed.  Ultimately, Guyger was convicted of Jean’s murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison in September 2019. The judgment was later upheld by an appeals court in 2022. It remains uncertain when the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles will decide on Guyger’s potential release, which would be five years ahead of serving her full sentence.  The Parole Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has not commented on Guyger’s case. Typically, a parole board would consider several factors before an early release, including the nature and severity of the crime, the inmate’s behavior while incarcerated, any evidence of rehabilitation, the impact on the victim’s family, and public safety concerns.  Additionally, the board may review any previous disciplinary actions taken against the inmate, as well as input from the victim’s family and the community regarding the potential release. Jean’s sister, Allisa Charles-Findley, said Guyger’s parole would be “very traumatic” for their family, and having it occur on his birthday felt like “losing Botham all over again,” according to The Dallas Morning News. In an interview with CBS News last week, Jean’s mother, Allison Jean, said Guyger had caused her family “tremendous pain.” She insisted that Guyger should serve her full sentence, pointing out that the 10-year term was “well below a sentence that one receives for murder.” At Guyger’s sentencing, she faced a potential prison term ranging from five years to life. The jury considered but ultimately dismissed a “sudden passion” defense, which could have lowered her sentence to a range of two to 20 years. Before Guyger was sent away, Botham Jean’s younger brother Brandt Jean took the stand to read his victim-impact statement, telling the defendant, “If you truly are sorry I know I can speak for myself, I forgive you.”  With the judge’s approval, Brandt Jean then stepped down from the witness stand, while Amber Guyger rose from her seat, and the two met in the center of the courtroom, where they hugged each other in a warm embrace. In another unexpected twist, Joshua Brown, a key witness against Guyger, was shot and killed in a drug deal gone bad just 10 days after his testimony. While imprisoned, Guyger appealed her conviction four times, but each attempt was rejected by the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2022.  If Guyger serves her full 10-year sentence, with good behavior she would be eligible for unconditional release on Sept. 29, 2029, according to records. “The audacity of Amber Guyger,” Botham’s mother, Allie Jean said in her post. “After taking away my son, Botham on September 6, 2018, was convicted of murder on September 30, 2019, and sentenced to only 10 years in prison, she becomes eligible for parole today on Bo’s 33rd birthday. She made 4 appeals of the conviction but was denied on every occasion. What do you want the Parole Board to do? Send in your letters right now.” A petition to the Pardons and Paroles board to deny Guyger’s parole was launched on Change.org, and by Tuesday had garnered over 1,600 signatures. “We believe that Amber Guyger should serve her full sentence as a reflection of the gravity of her actions and to uphold the integrity of our justice system,” the petition states. Guyger is one of only two Dallas police officers ever convicted of murder.  In 1973, Darrell L. Cain received a five-year prison sentence for killing 12-year-old Santos Rodriguez, whom he forced to play Russian roulette in the back of a patrol car. Cain ended up serving only half the sentence. ‘Should Serve Her Full Sentence’: Family Outraged as Ex-Dallas Cop Who Killed Botham Jean Could Walk Free as She Becomes Eligible for Parole on Victim’s Birthday