GUILTY TX - Former Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger, indicted for Murder of Botham Shem Jean #8

[BellaVita]

Unprofessional for the judge to express it in the courtroom while hugging the convict. IMO

I know..."unprofessional" is truly horrible. I'll take "real" and a light that shines every day of the week.

 

[Wishbone]

I know..."unprofessional" is truly horrible. I'll take "real" and a light that shines every day of the week.

To each his or her own, but I find it unprofessional. IMO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

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https://media.wfaa.com/embeds/video/287-e31da17b-2ae7-4222-867d-ad06c8a6de50/iframe

 

[grammieto5]

I was surprised to see the judge wearing sandals, just say'n.

 

[Hope4More]

Hmm, then you better notify USCIS to change the oath of citizenship that all naturalized citizens take, when becoming United States citizens...

"and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."

What does the oath of citizenship have to do with a murder trial?

Nothing, obviously. Nor with any trial, or any courtroom.

It's too bad those words are included in the oath, but at least the "God" is a generic god, and in any case, no one is required to say them to obtain citizenship. And anyone who doesn't want to hear them said at all can request a private ceremony.

Off to find horses that aren't dead...

 

[BellaVita]

Nothing, obviously. Nor with any trial, or any courtroom.

It's too bad those words are included in the oath, but at least the "God" is a generic god, and in any case, no one is required to say them to obtain citizenship. And anyone who doesn't want to hear them said at all can request a private ceremony.

Off to find horses that aren't dead...

Giddyup...couldn't resist.

 

[BellaVita]

Even so, no matter how it went down don't Church and State have to remain separate? a 3rd party does have the right to contest even if Amber doesn't correct ?

Reading of the Constitution clears up many questions. This has nothing to do with establishment of religion.

 

[max99]

I was surprised to see the judge wearing sandals, just say'n.

good f'n grief...that's really reaching...is JK45k in the house?

 

[grammieto5]

good f'n grief...that's really reaching...is JK45k in the house?

HAHAHAHAHA aw dude just throwing in a little humor. Relax

 

[Seattle1]

Three different responses to Judge Kemp.....

Complaint Filed Over Judge Kemp's Hug After Guyger Trial

Oct 3, 2019

The Freedom From Religion Foundation on Thursday filed a complaint against Kemp with the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct, the agency that investigates allegations of judicial misconduct.

In the complaint, the FFRF (Freedom from Religion Foundation) said Judge Kemp, "Handled a difficult trial with grace" but that she "signaled to everyone watching...that she is partial to christian reform and christian notions of forgiveness."

[...]

"I did not see why the judge did what she did," said C. Victor Lander, a former municipal judge who spent 27 years behind the bench.

Lander says what some see as an act of compassion also undermines her credibility as an impartial judge.

[...]

The First Liberty Institute issued the following statement in response to the Freedom From Religion Foundation's complaint.

“FFRF is protesting Judge Kemp rather than joining the rest of the nation celebrating the compassion and mercy Judge Kemp demonstrated. We should all be thankful the law allows Judge Kemp’s actions and we stand with her and will gladly lead the charge in defending her noble and legal actions.”

"What this judge has done and what Brandt Jean has done together, I think, has brought more hope and healing to this community than a life sentence ever could have," said Jeremy Dys, attorney for Plano-based First Liberty Institute.

ETA: I disagree with municipal judge stating Judge Kemp's act of compassion undermines her credibility. Judge Kemp displayed act of compassion to both the victim's family and the defendant. Her compassion was equal.

 

[Artis]

I feel sad how Bo's death has become so divisive once again.

I've seen posts saying the answer to everything is to punish all approximately 1.2 million police enforcement agencies here instead of concentrating solely on the small percentage of vile police officers who do abhorrent acts..among that 1.2 M.

So the answer is to have no one left to protect us, and they all should be dissolved?????

Those same ones who have already laid down their own lives who also save others, and continue to do so whether on duty or off duty??

So it's better to not respect the rule of law, and become the land of the lawless instead??

Imo, But in the past 6 years or so even moreso this seems to be the consistent pattern of solving everything for many, instead of finding the root causes of the individual wrongdoers.

We see so many are willing to punish over a 150 Million law abiding gunowners for what other individuals have done. Yet exfelons or those in violent gangs have infested cities who take thousand, and thousands of lives every single year by firearms. Where is the outrage since solving that terrifying issue terrorizing communities, would actually make our overall homicide rate plummet including thousands who are guilty of attempted murder? Crickets. Imo.

I respect all views of all others even those I may disagree with, BUT especially when it's based in logic, and common sense. When it actually has logical conclusions which will not harm millions of those who are not at fault, but views that truly will resolve many issues.

I'm sadden to see the atheists have now become involved, but not the least bit surprised. Now they swoop in to make it all about THEM rather than about Bo, and his family's heartbreaking shattered lives.

It painfully shows what I have said often here.

When kind, and good acts are now proclaimed as bad acts, and bad behavior/acts are now upheld, rewarded ,and proclaimed as good acts, it shows how upside down we've become, and how far we are in the black hole of cancerous negativity.

My prayers continue to be with Bo's family.

Jmho

^^^THIS

 

[max99]

HAHAHAHAHA aw dude just throwing in a little humor. Relax

I'm a dudette...not on a religious bent but found Brandt's response inspiring and a pathway to getting it right in the future...and judge Kemp responded in kind...signed agnostic in TEXAS

 

[imstilla.grandma]

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Dallas News - YouTube

 

[MadMcGoo]

I’m very surprised and saddened that Brandt is getting such hateful feedback. I expected a little negativity. I think the one thing that almost all of his family harped on was their concern for Brandt. It sounded as though he had really been struggling and everyone was truly concerned for his wellbeing. Before he even took the stand my heart was especially aching for him. So the fact that he was able to do what he did tells me it is something he needed to do. Some of his first words were “I wasn’t going to say this in front of my family...”. Yet he had the strength to say those things in front of the woman who killed his brother and no telling how many other people?!

“Good Morning America” interview
SBM
"This is what you have to do to set yourself free," Jean said in an exclusive interview Friday on "Good Morning America”. I didn't really plan on living the rest of my life hating this woman. I know that there's something called peace of mind and that's the type of stuff you need to do to have peace of mind," he said. "That is why I wake up happy in the morning. That is why I want to live happy later on in my life."

He said it best!

As for the Judge’s actions...I’m trying to look at this from every angle. Separation of church and State. Okay, well one of the very first things to happen in the trial was a person placed their hand on a bible and acknowledged their oath to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help them god”. While I can understand the general idea behind separating the two, I can not understand the frustration with this judge’s one act of compassion when countless times throughout any and every trial, that separation is bridged. And I don’t know the answer to this question but is there a group or person rallying to change that?

I will admit that Judge Kemp does not have a good poker face and there were a couple of times that I thought she could have excused herself for a minute. Then I realized tears were running down my own cheeks. I’m a firm believer that someone in her position should conduct themselves professionally...and then some. And I usually have no trouble keeping my emotions at bay. But this was unlike any other case.

The jury was gone, she personally addressed Botham’s family and Amber, and I honestly don’t think she gave one damn about what anyone thought or how she was going to look. She conducted herself better than I excepted throughout the entire trial and I believe she was sincerely changed by this entire trial. Her showing that bit of humility seemed like Brandt’s message to Amber - something she needed to do. She is human and this wasn’t easy for anyone.

The way I see it, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Well our system IS broke and needs a whole lot of fixin’! We’ve never seen anything like this before and maybe that’s what’s broke! Because what we have been seeing isn’t working obviously.

JMOOs

Tunnel vision/tunnel hearing could explain.
https://www.samatters.com/understanding-stress-part-5-tunnel-vision/
I've experienced it. Someone yelled "he's got gun" and my eyes went right to the gun he was holding. He was 10-15 feet away and for the life of me, I couldn't describe anything about him except his skin color. And that's because I was focused on the gun held in his hands. That was almost 30 years ago and I still can picture that gun clear as ever.

Yes! I bet you could draw that gun based off that memory but probably couldn’t say who yelled “he’s got a gun” (although it may have been a voice you were accustomed to hearing everyday)! It definitely is a real phenomenon! I’m almost positive most people have experienced this in one way or another and just may not have realized it.

It is also easy to be critical. What is hard is actually taking action to make a difference. Posters who are unhappy with what they see going on in their communities should research ways that they can make a difference. As my mother always said to me, "Talk's cheap."

Smart Mama! I’ve found myself thinking and saying this a lot lately. I understand the purpose for protests and public displays of frustration, to an extent. After this happened last year I was dumbfounded to hear protesters had stopped traffic on one of the State’s busiest interstate highways! At night! In the rain! WITH THEIR BODIES! That was just reckless and it’s a miracle no one got hurt. They undoubtedly got attention but from who? And did it really make a positive difference? Not at all.

Some people argue they were part of the charge eventually being upgraded to murder but I don’t believe that. If it makes them feel better to think that then so be it. I agree with you though, research would be an excellent first step for those who honestly want to make a difference.

She no longer shows up in the Dallas County jail system, so she apparently now is in either Huntsville or Gatesville. She's not in the TDCJ system yet. I don't know why I keep checking this, I guess I am just curious where she winds up since she was a cop.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice Offender Search

That was quick! The jails don’t want to house convicted offenders any longer than they have to after sentencing, especially ones like AG. I would guess that she is literally being transported as we speak (their name won’t usually show up anywhere until they get to their destination...and it’s not unheard of for them to be put on a transport vehicle scheduled to have several “layovers” along the way - makes for a very unpleasant road trip!). She could also have been transferred to another jail, not for her protection, but to maintain whatever orderly operations are possible for the jail. Just imagine the amount of phone calls alone they must be receiving. Bouncing her around from jail to jail until she is picked up by TDCJ is possible although not at all ideal or convenient. (Not that things should be convenient) Another reason they wouldn’t want her there long. Or they took her name off of the public website. In that case just call the jail and they’ll probably tell you.

I saw upthread someone mentioned Woodman State Jail. That is one intake facility and I believe Crain is also. Most all of the women’s units are in Gatesville and from what I’ve seen the women get transferred between several of them over the course of their incarceration. A couple of units house lower level, “lifers”, the trustees, a couple house all custody levels except death row and there’s one state jail. They will likely be cautious when she first arrives about where they house her just to see what the reaction to her is. And I know this case is very different than most but a large majority of the other women will not even know who she is. It won’t take long for word to get around of course. I’d bet she’s going to be around women who either don’t care because they’ve committed equally serious crimes or they are set to be released soon and wouldn’t harm a mouse if it decided to set up camp on their forehead each night!

There is a men’s unit that houses former law enforcement officers and those that will obviously be housed in protective custody for their entire incarceration. As opposed to having each of one them in a single cell this allows them to be in a general population setting with similarly classified offenders. (Sex offenders, openly homosexual, etc). To my knowledge there is not a women’s unit designated specifically for former LEO. Hope that answers your question plus some

 

[grammieto5]

I'm a dudette...not on a religious bent but found Brandt's response inspiring and a pathway to getting it right in the future...and judge Kemp responded in kind...signed agnostic in TEXAS

I call everybody Dude, male or Female, and I feel the same as you do. I have no issue with what either one of them did. I am concerned about their safety though. There's a lot of crazy people out there. I meant no disrespect to the brother nor to the judge

changed "to" to "no"

 

[imstilla.grandma]

In the interview, Creuzot explained why he thought Amber Guyger was correctly charged with murder in the September 2018 shooting of:
Botham Jean (BOH'-thuhm JAHN). bbm

1:12 p.m.
The Jean family stood with activists Friday as their lawyer said Guyger's trial revealed that city police are "incompetent" to investigate their own. Attorney Lee Merritt called on police Chief U. Renee Hall to invite the U.S. Department of Justice to do a "comprehensive audit" of her department.

___

9:20 a.m.
Two jurors who convicted a white Dallas police officer of murder in the fatal shooting of a black neighbor say the diverse panel tried to consider what the victim would have wanted when they settled on a 10-year prison sentence.

Prosecutors had asked jurors to sentence Amber Guyger to 28 years, which was how old her neighbor Botham Jean would have been if he was still alive. But one of the two unnamed jurors — a white male — who spoke to ABC News said the jury believed Jean wouldn't have wanted "harsh vengeance" for Guyger.

The other juror, a black woman, drew distinctions between the death of Jean and those of other unarmed black men who have been killed by police in recent years. She said Guyger "has not been the same" since she killed Jean and she believes Guyger is remorseful.
The Latest: Guyger trial judge accuses DA of contempt

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Controversial interview:
Anvato Universal Player

Dallas DA maintains murder is the appropriate charge in Amber Guyger case

 

[MadMcGoo]

At first I thought the jury got it wrong. I assumed they either felt enormous pressure to find her guilty of murder and figured the punishment would be harsh as well. I spent that night after the verdict looking over the charges again and again. I couldn’t figure out why they had even considered ‘murder’ after hearing all the testimony and seeing all the evidence, I was sure it should have been manslaughter. But I took the facts and applied them to each separate charge (as a jury is instructed to do) and realized they did get it right! The crime fit every element of the charge (as defined by Texas law). By her own admission and by the preponderance of evidence. I still wasn’t confident the jury came to that conclusion for the same reasons.

Going into that next day I was expecting a very lengthy amount of prison time to be handed down if they had convicted her of murder for the wrong reasons. However I also considered that the punishment would be 10 or 15 years IF they had thought it through carefully. And I guess they did. If they would have agreed “sudden passion” was a factor, that would have been what distinguished “1st degree murder” and “2nd degree murder”. (Lowering sentence range to 2-20 years). In essence a person could be sentenced to more time for manslaughter than murder (sudden passion making it a 2nd degree offense).

Murder being such a broad charge is the reason for the 5-99 year sentencing range. Murder IS murder but every murder is different.

I just wanted to share that because my opinions of that changed since the verdict!

All JMO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

https://www.dallascounty.org/Assets/uploads/docs/district-attorney/policies/OIS_Protocol-2019.pdf