The life of Botham Jean’s family was changed forever after the 26-year-old was gunned down in his own home in 2018. Jean’s killer, Amber Guyger, is currently serving a 10-year sentence for the crime, and now, a jury has ordered her to pay even more for the murder.
In a civil lawsuit six years after Jean’s death, his family sought $54,408,000 in damages. On Wednesday (Nov 20), a Dallas jury practically doubled the payment, awarding the family a total $98,650,000 instead. When you break it down, it comes to about $60 million in punitive damages and $38.6 million in compensatory damages, according to Fox 4 News.
Now, who’s supposed to pay the family all of this money? The answer is Guyger, herself. The city of Dallas was originally named as the defendant in the case, but by the time trial started, Guyger became the sole defendant, according to court documents. Jean’s family knows they’ll likely never see the full $98 million, but for them, it’s about what the decision symbolizes.
“I think it was very important for this jury to send a message that Botham’s life is important,” said the Jean family’s attorney, Daryl K. Washington. “We’ve gotten the question over and over: Well how are you guys going to collect from Amber Guyger? That was not important. What was important was holding Amber Guyger civilly liable for what she did to Botham.”
When the verdict was announced, Jean’s family reportedly broke out in Gospel song. Guyger chose not to attend the three-day trail, according to NBC News.
The family said any money they receive will go to the Botham Jean Foundation. The courts also ruled the family can receive money from any Guyger book or movie deal in the future.
The Murder of Botham Jean
The now 36-year-old convicted killer was Jean’s downstairs neighbor. On the night of Sept. 6, 2018, Guyger was coming home from her job as a police officer when she entered Jean’s apartment, claimed she mistook it as her own, and thought he was an intruder. She then shot the unarmed 26-year-old accountant dead while he was sitting on his couch, eating his ice-cream and watching football on his TV.
In court, Guyger claimed self-defense, but the jury didn’t buy it and unanimously found her guilty in 2019. The ex-cop filed an appeal back in 2020, but the court decided Guyger’s story simply didn’t add up. In October 2024, she came back with a final attempt at early release and was denied. Guyger is set to be released in 2029.