On Wednesday afternoon, the civil trial jury found former Dallas police officer, Amber Guyger, liable for the deadly shooting of Botham Jean. The jury order Guyger to pay $98.6 million in damages to Jean's family.
Earlier, it was predicted that Wednesday could be the day the civil judgment against former Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger is decided-- and it came true.
"The damages including mental anguish, we asked for in excess of $50 million plus punitive damages during the entire, I mean the last two days we showed that Bolton's life mattered," said Daryl Washington, the Jean Family's attorney.
Since Guyger had decided to skip the trial, there weren't any defense witnesses. It gave the trial go along faster. Guyger was currently serving a 10-year prison term for killing Jean in 2018 after going to the wrong apartment on the way home.
A civil trial began Monday over the 2018 shooting death of Botham Jean, an unarmed man killed in his apartment by former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger. Guyger is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for his murder.
Jean’s family is seeking damages in the case, though legal experts suggest they will unlikely collect significant compensation since Guyger currently has little to no money. Any decision made, however, will affect any potential book or movie rights.
Guyger, who said she entered Jean’s apartment by mistake and claimed she believed he was an intruder, has no attorney representing her in the civil trial and will not appear in federal court. Since she also decided to skip the trial, there would not be any defense witnesses, which would have prolonged the trial.
The Jean family’s attorneys were expected to argue for accountability and justice as the trial moved along. What they settled on, $94 million, is huge but mostly symbolic since Guyger is in prison serving a 10-year murder term.
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