On Tuesday, Oct. 1, former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was convicted of the murder of Botham Jean, a 2016 Harding Universty alumnus, in his home on Sept. 6, 2018. The day after this conviction, on Oct. 2, Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison with no possibility of probation.<\/p>\n
Over a year after Jean was killed and two days after what would have been his 28th birthday, Guyger was convicted of murder in Dallas by a unaminous vote from the jury in a trial overseen by Dallas County District Judge Tammy Kemp.<\/p>\n
According to Texas law, murder does not have to be premeditated to lead to conviction. Under Section 19.02 in Title 5 of the Texas Penal Code, a person commits murder if he or she \u201cintends to cause serious bodily injury and commits an act clearly dangerous to human life that causes the death of an individual.\u201d This was the main arguing point of the prosecution during Guyger\u2019s trial.<\/p>\n
Lori Klein, assistant professor of political science, said that the case was complex from the beginning, and the jury had a lot of elements to consider as the trial proceeded, including specific laws and doctrines in the state of Texas.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Sub-T members race to honor Botham Jean\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cFrom my sense of what the prosecution presented, they did a really crisp, clear job of presenting this case, and I think that was definitely needed,\u201d Klein said. \u201cThis is a complex and deeply confusing case for people and probably so much so for the jury, too.\u201d<\/p>\n One such element that added complexity to the trial is what is known as Castle Doctrine. Established in Texas Senate Bill 378 passed in 2007, Castle Doctrine states that deadly force is reasonable when used upon an intruder in one\u2019s own home. Since Jean\u2019s death, Guyger has said she believed she was in her own apartment, which was exactly one floor below Jean. Guyger\u2019s defense brought Castle Doctrine to be considered before the jury, prompting them to ask for further clarification on the ruling, according to the New York Times.<\/p>\n Todd Gentry, along with his family, was in Dallas with the Jean family for almost two weeks before and during the trial process. As directors of The Original Rock House Ministry that Jean was heavily involved with during his time at Harding, the Gentry family was like Jean\u2019s adopted family in the States. Gentry said that it was never a question whether or not they would join the family in Dallas \u2014 they went with no hesitation.<\/p>\n Because the Gentrys were with the Jean family through the trial, they witnessed some of the pain, faith and healing Jean\u2019s family was processing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the verdict came in \u2026 the family did not yell or let out. That was kind of an activist that was in the room that yelled out when the jury\u2019s verdict came through,\u201d Gentry said. \u201cI\u2019ll tell you that the family now has begun the journey of \u2018how do we heal?\u2019 Because grief was somewhat put on hold. All along, the biggest thing they wanted to know was why. Tell us why, how this happened \u2026 it\u2019s not that they want ill for [Guyger].\u201d<\/p>\n Gentry acknowledged how emotional the process of healing will be for Jean\u2019s family, and he also recognized the toll the trial took on him and his family after knowing Jean so closely for over seven years.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the prosecution and defense rested, [my wife] and I felt very emotional because for a year we stood up for a man that couldn\u2019t stand up for himself, because he was dead,\u201d Gentry said. \u201cWe were more emotional with the [end of proceedings] than the verdict of murder \u2026 When the prosecution finished, when the case was closed as the jury went in to deliberate, the prosecutors hugged and cried.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the prosecution and defense rested, [my wife] and I felt very emotional because for a year we stood up for a man that couldn\u2019t stand up for himself, because he was dead\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Harding University Assistant Vice President of Advancement Steve Lake knew Jean through the Barnabas Project, a University mentoring program. Lake served as Jean\u2019s spiritual development mentor for 12 months, and he said that their relationship became much stronger through this process. Lake chose to avoid some of the details of the trial, such as officers\u2019 body camera footage, as it proceeded.<\/p>\n RELATED: Business scholarship honors Jean amidst jury selection<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not speaking for anybody else in the equation, but for me, I opted to distance from that pain and from the potential feelings that I would have,\u201d Lake said. \u201cFor me, I think it was the right decision to distance because I really want to remember Botham the way he was and not the way he died, but the way he lived.\u201d<\/p>\n One moment of the trial proceedings Lake did not distance himself from, was the victim impact statement made by Jean\u2019s younger brother Brandt Jean on Wednesday after Guyger had been sentenced to 10 years. In an emotional statement captured on video and widely circulated online, Brandt did what many would consider to be radical: He publicly forgave his brother\u2019s murderer.<\/p>\n \u201cI want the best for you, because I know that\u2019s exactly what Botham would want you to do. And the best would be to give your life to Christ,\u201d Jean said. \u201cI think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing that Botham would want you to do. Again, I love you as a person and I don\u2019t wish anything bad on you. I don\u2019t know if this is possible, but can I give her a hug, please? Please?\u201d<\/p>\n And with permission from Judge Kemp, Brandt and Guyger embraced with audible sobs, as Kemp wiped away tears in the background.<\/p>\n