FORGIVENESS THROUGH CHRIST: Brother of Man Slain by Dallas Policewoman Embraces Her After Sentencing
Shane Trejo
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Amber Guyger, a former police officer who was found guilty on Tuesday of murder for killing a man who she believed was an intruder after entering the wrong apartment in her building, received 10 years in prison today for her crime.
While many critics are angry with the jury for giving Guyger what they believe is a light sentence, the brother of the murder victim embraced her following the verdict and offered her his love and forgiveness while asking her to dedicate her life to Jesus Christ.
The clip can be seen here:
Brandt Jean, whose brother Botham was shot to death in his apartment on Sept. 6, 2018 by Guyger, told her on the stand that “I love you like anyone else” and then made his compassionate display following her sentencing.
“I know if you go to God and ask him, he will forgive you,” Jean said to Guyger on the witness stand.
“I personally want the best for you. I wasn’t going to say this in front of my family, I don’t even want you to go to jail. I want the best for you because I know that’s exactly what Botham would want for you. Give your life to Christ. I think giving your life to Christ is the best thing Botham would want for you,” he added.
Jean’s mother, Allison, says she will now try her best to move on from this tragedy that changed her life and her family’s life forever.
“That 10 years in prison is for her (Guyger) to reflect and to change her life,” Allison Jean said. “But there is much more to be done by the city of Dallas. The corruption we saw during this trial must stop. The city of Dallas needs to clean up inside. The Dallas Police Department has a lot of laundry to do. The Texas Rangers need to get on board.”
“His (Botham’s) privacy was violated. She intruded on him and that was not enough. She killed him,” she added. “If Amber Guyger was trained not to shoot in the heart, my son would be standing here today.”
However, some of the onlookers were not as willing to accept the jury’s decision as the Jean family. Some of their supporters outside of the courtroom chanted “No justice, no peace!” and saw the verdict as an unfair “slap in the face.”
Dallas County Assistant District Attorney LaQuita Long argued to the jury that Guyger should have received at least 28 years in prison, while bringing up the fact that Jean would have just turned 28-years-old on Sunday if he hadn’t been killed.
“The only reason we all sit in this courtroom today is because of her actions,” said Long, pointing to Guyger seated at the defense table. “And for her actions, there must be consequences.”
Guyger could have been sentenced to up to 99 years in prison if the jury gave her the maximum sentence. Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot found nothing improper with the jury’s decision.
“I expected perhaps longer, but I respect what they did,” Creuzot said outside of the courtroom. He also called Brandt Jean’s gesture to Guyger “an extraordinary act of healing and forgiveness.”
In an era that is becoming defined by callousness and cruelty, Brandt Jean has set an incredible example for how faith in Christ can foster strength and heal the world.
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