GUILTY TX - Former Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger, indicted for Murder of Botham Shem Jean #6

[10ofRods]

Yes and likely in prison.

Even in Texas, no one goes to prison for a class 3 misdemeanor. Jail, maybe (unlikely, as she would still have had to have probable cause to enter his apartment - it's still the United States...)

 

[MyBelle]

IMO castle doctrine should not apply because she should have turned the light on to check where she was and who she was shooting. You don’t just walk into ‘your’ home and start firing bullets, surely the law requires some clarification before you use deadly force. The thing is, AG did NOTHING to ascertain whether she was in her own apartment or not before she shot Botham. I don’t think they will get a murder conviction but manslaughter or definitely criminally negligent homicide it’s never ok to take an innocent persons life, someone who was enjoying life relaxing with a smoke and some ice cream watching his tv that AG somehow missed even though it would have been a source of light. Yet she could see botham to shoot and kill him. JMO

ITA. The tv would have been an obvious source of light, she also would have recognized it wasn't her television and smelled the weed. Which, as one who has never smoked the stuff but who has a daughter with a medical cannabis card, I think the stuff really stinks!!

JMO

 

[wyome]

How can you say that?

None of us here know her personally

I'm no pysch expert. But the admitted toying with a married man even after the affair ended; her co-workers predominantly male; I believe she admitted to being raised by her mother who struggled with the demands. Then her admitting to sexting days after the tragedy. Seems to me like sex and attention may be her way of coping and comfort.

 

[gitana1]

IMO castle doctrine should not apply because she should have turned the light on to check where she was and who she was shooting. You don’t just walk into ‘your’ home and start firing bullets, surely the law requires some clarification before you use deadly force. The thing is, AG did NOTHING to ascertain whether she was in her own apartment or not before she shot Botham. I don’t think they will get a murder conviction but manslaughter or definitely criminally negligent homicide it’s never ok to take an innocent persons life, someone who was enjoying life relaxing with a smoke and some ice cream watching his tv that AG somehow missed even though it would have been a source of light. Yet she could see botham to shoot and kill him. JMO

What's scary is the Castle Doctrine doesn't seem to require a reasonable belief or inquiry. Not in TX.

Just "reason to believe" there's an intruder in her home.

And while politics and other issues aren't supposed to have to anything to do with this case and shouldn't, I now believe that depending on the make-up of the jury, this could very well be hung. Because based on posts today, we can sort of see on here that those who lean a certain direction tend to view AG as either not culpable or as minimally culpable.

I'm scared it will be impossible to convict in TX.

Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Smarty Jones]

I love that Texans fly the state flag as often as the American flag. Hard-pressed to find a prouder group of people. Love that about them.

I've lived in Texas for fifty years and I do love it. I have conservative and liberal friends. My comment about marijuana wasn't a call to arms. I'm gonna sign off for now.

 

[VAgirlatheart]

Court tv is so passionate about this case lol.. if I hear about this red light that lights up for the jury one more time lol

 

[lonetraveler]

What's scary is the Castle Doctrine doesn't seem to require a reasonable belief or inquiry. Not in TX.

Just "reason to believe" there's an intruder in her home.

And while politics and other issues aren't supposed to have to anything to do with this case and shouldn't, I now believe that depending on the make-up of the jury, this could very well be hung. Because based on posts today, we can sort of see on here that those who lean a certain direction tend to view AG as either not culpable or as minimally culpable.

I'm scared it will be impossible to convict in TX.

Hope I'm wrong.

I know exactly what you mean.

 

[SandyQLS]

What is the racial makeup of the jury?

6 Black, 6 White or Hispanic
8 female, 4 male

iirc 4 alternates are female

 

[ilovewings]

I've lived in Texas for fifty years and I do love it. I have conservative and liberal friends. My comment about marijuana wasn't a call to arms. I'm gonna sign off for now.

i love your nick Smarty Jones---love that horse

 

[gitana1]

She is flawed for sure, and now very damaged due to her own recklessness.

Did she have family, officers, friends or anyone in court supporting her?

Every day she had a phalanx of officers proudly escorting her in.

 

[lonetraveler]

ITA. The tv would have been an obvious source of light, she also would have recognized it wasn't her television and smelled the weed. Which, as one who has never smoked the stuff but who has a daughter with a medical cannabis card, I think the stuff really stinks!!
JMO

It definitely has a distinctive scent.

 

[sloane7777]

I'm no pysch expert. But the admitted toying with a married man even after the affair ended; her co-workers predominantly male; I believe she admitted to being raised by her mother who struggled with the demands. Then her admitting to sexting days after the tragedy. Seems to me like sex and attention may be her way of coping and comfort.

What about Botham's family coping , their comfort will be justice , she isn't the victim here and we shouldn't care how shes coping because of her own stupidity and she was busy thinking about boinking a married man , I care more about his wife and kids and what they have been through due to dumb sidechick killing an innocent man and making them a public spectacle !

 

[gitana1]

And this is the way I understand it...if she truly believed she entered her apartment and she encountered an "intruder", she would be reasonable to assume the intruder/burglar would be armed.

Not necessarily reasonable to assume. But it creates a presumption that the threat of harm exists from that intruder. Armed or otherwise. I mean someone big enough could overcome a woman and beat her to death with nothing but their hands.

Regardless, after listening to the jury instructions the doctrine seems to state she simply had to have reason to believe an intrude had entered. Not a reasonable belief.

That's super concerning.

 

[wyome]

It definitely has a distinctive scent.

First smelled it at a WHO concert in 1981...you never forget that smell

 

[kodi]

I think she was hoping they’d find a gun in the victims apartment ‘see he’s smoking pot and had a gun’ . That way she’d feel more ‘justified’.
I also think that the waft of marijuana would have hit her in the face as she opened the door and she would have immediately known she was not ‘home’.
MOO

I have to disagree that she would immediately know it wasn't her home, but she definitely should have had a gigantic WTF is going on here moment before going any further. I've read numerous cases where intruders make themselves at home during the commission of their crimes. Sometimes they eat the victims food, smoke cigarettes, have a beer and more. While I would say it's not the norm, it does happen and it should have been something to cause her pause. JMO

 

[ilovewings]

The Castle Doctrine is what scares me about this case--- it is absurd that it should be allowed to be used by the defense,---it makes no sense because it wasnt her apartment

 

[magnolia]

This is way beyond negligent homicide. Perhaps, if she was cleaning her service weapon and it accidently fired, the bullet going through her ceiling, striking and killing Jean, then negligent homicide may apply, but not this.

I would go in. My family & pets could be in danger.

I would not go in. However, I would not fault anyone if they handled it differently and went in.

 

[Cindizzi]

I really wish we would stop bringing politics in to this, I should not feel the need to defend myself. I too am a MAGA hat wearing conservative Texan. I am on the other hand NOT a white nationalist who hates marijuana. We do not all think its evil, my word what a ridiculous assumption. This conservative could careless if he smoked pot in the his own home and would do so myself if it were legal. Thank you.

Did not mean AT ALL to offend anyone or take a political stance on this. I guess I’m old school where talking about conservative people and liberal people doesn’t imply any particular party. I sure as hell never accused anyone of being a white nationalist. I actually posted the rules earlier and asked that everyone respect them because it was upsetting me to see it. I know that politics and race are not allowed here. I was responding to the mention of BJ having marijuana and it was unfair that it was used to paint him in a negative light. The reason his sister addressed it on day one was because it was already out there and they knew the defense would use it. Again, no offense meant to ANYONE here. I was not commenting on anyone’s political affiliations.
Logging off. This is too emotional.

 

[MyBelle]

It definitely has a distinctive scent.

Yes it does and if the door was slightly ajar, she absolutely would have smelled it before she ever stepped into the apartment. Her story doesn't pass the smell test.

JMO

 

[CrimeDawg123]

"I would be shocked if the judge changed on sequestering the jury on punishment phase"

WFAA - commentator fully expects jury to continue to be sequestered during punishment phase. Answered a question I had.