Amber Guyger
I should really say the judge couldn’t sit for it, because when she heard the DA had done an interview the night before the trial, she literally couldn’t stay in her chair. The judge is presiding over the Dallas trial of the former police officer Amber Guyger, who went into the wrong apartment apparently thinking it was her own, and shot the resident. The defense is arguing mistake of fact, and it appears they are claiming Guyger was distracted by sexy texts with her partner around the time she entered the incorrect apartment. There was some controversy, as she was initially charged with manslaughter, which is not the correct charge, since she definitely intended to shoot Mr. Jean. The new DA upped the charges to murder, and then couldn’t stop himself from talking to the media on the eve of trial.
Botham Jean
The case is a clear tragedy. While Ms. Gugyer was a cop, she was not on the job. It is indisputed that Mr. Jean was not in the wrong- it was his apartment. Not only that, he was a leader in his church and community. It will be up to a jury to decide if her mistake of fact was reasonable, so as to excuse her grave mistake of killing an unarmed black man in his own home. That’s a tough sell for the defense.
Here’s a story about the judge presiding over the case, and her reaction:
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