Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, who was convicted of murdering Botham Jean after mistakenly entering his Dallas apartment in 2018, is set to be released from prison on parole Friday, Oct. 16, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Guyger, who was sentenced to 10 years i n prison in October 2019, was granted parole nearly three years before her sentence was set to end. The decision comes despite strong opposition from Jean’s family, who have repeatedly called for Guyger to serve her full sentence. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles granted Guyger early release on Oct. 7, seven years into her sentence. The board cited several factors in its decision, including Guyger’s lack of a documented pattern of violent or assaultive arrests or convictions, satisfactory behavior while incarcerated, and participation in programs intended to help her secure stable employment after her release. The decision comes two years after the board denied Guyger’s first parole attempt in 2024. At that time, Jean’s family, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office and more than 6,300 people who signed an online petition opposed her release from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Gatesville prison. The murder of Botham Jean Guyger’s conviction stems from the Sept. 6, 2018, shooting death of 26-year-old Botham Jean, an accountant who was inside his own apartment when the off-duty Dallas police officer entered and shot him. Guyger testified during her 2019 murder trial that she had just finished her shift and was still wearing her Dallas police uniform when she returned to the South Side Flats apartment complex, located near Dallas police headquarters. Guyger lived one floor below Jean but testified that she mistakenly went to his apartment, believing it was her own. She told jurors that when she opened the door, she saw a man inside and fired her weapon, claiming she acted in self-defense. Jean was inside his own home, eating ice cream, when he was shot and killed. In October 2019, a jury convicted Guyger of murder, and she was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Her subsequent attempts to appeal and overturn her conviction were unsuccessful. The case drew widespread attention and prompted conversations about police accountability and racial justice. In the years following Jean’s death, a section of Lamar Street running alongside Dallas police headquarters was renamed Botham Jean Boulevard in his honor. Jean’s family disappointed by parole decision Jean’s family has not yet spoken publicly about Guyger’s upcoming release, but through advocates, relatives have expressed shock and sadness over the decision while thanking the community for its continued prayers. Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, who represents Jean’s family, issued a statement criticizing the decision to grant Guyger parole. “We are deeply disappointed by the decision to grant parole to Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer convicted of murdering Botham Jean,” Merritt said. “Botham Jean was in his own home, eating ice cream, when his life was taken. He did nothing wrong. He was a son, a brother, a friend, and a man of faith who served his church and his community. He should still be here.” Merritt said Jean’s family and members of the community had repeatedly opposed Guyger’s early release and called for her to serve her full sentence. “A 10-year sentence was already a fraction of what was lost. Releasing Ms. Guyger after seven years makes that loss feel even smaller in the eyes of the system. It is not,” Merritt said. “The family still lives with this loss every day. Botham does not get to come home. His family does not get the years they should have had with him. No parole decision can return what was taken from them.” Merritt also argued that the decision raises broader questions about accountability in the justice system. “Justice cannot be selective. When a life is taken without cause, accountability has to mean something, for everyone,” he said. Civil jury ordered Guyger to pay nearly $99 million Guyger’s release comes nearly two years after a federal civil jury found her liable for Jean’s death and ordered her to pay $98.6 million in damages to his family. The verdict followed a three-day civil trial in 2024, shortly after Guyger’s first parole request was denied. Attorneys representing Jean’s family sought compensatory and punitive damages, arguing that Guyger used excessive force and was acting under state law as a police officer when she fatally shot Jean. In a rare move, Guyger did not appear in person or have legal representation during the civil trial. Her criminal defense attorney, Toby Shook, told NBC 5 at the time that Guyger could not afford to hire an attorney to represent her in the civil proceedings. The city of Dallas was initially named in the lawsuit but was later removed. Dallas police respond to Guyger’s parole Following the announcement of Guyger’s parole, the Dallas Police Department issued a statement acknowledging the emotional impact of the decision. “The Dallas Police Department understands this decision may bring renewed attention and emotion surrounding the tragic death of Botham Jean,” the department said. “Our thoughts remain with the Jean family and all those impacted by his loss.” The department also emphasized that it played no role in the parole decision. “Parole decisions are made by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and are outside the authority of the Dallas Police Department, and we had no role in this decision,” the statement said. 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