A federal jury awarded $98,650,000 in damages to the family and estate of Botham Jean, who was killed by former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger in his apartment in 2018.
At the time, Guyger said she mistook his apartment for her own. Jean’s apartment, which was on the fourth floor, directly above hers on the third, was unlocked when Guyger approached with her gun drawn.
Jean, an account from St. Lucia, was eating ice cream when Guyger opened fire. Following the fatal shooting, Guyger was fired from the Dallas Police Department. She was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
On Wednesday (November 20), after nearly three hours of deliberation, a jury found that Guyger used excessive force and violated the constitutional rights of Jean in his death.
The jury awarded $10.25 million to Jean’s estate for his pain, loss of life and earnings, $14.2 million each to his mother and father for their past and future loss and mental anguish and $60 million in punitive damages against Guyger.
Jean’s mother Allison Jean said despite her sadness, the verdict symbolizes that the jury recognized her son’s value in the world.
“They had to put it in monetary terms,” Allison Jean told reporters. “I cannot feel it in monetary terms because I know how precious he was to me. But it sends a signal to the world that his life mattered.”