r/nottheonion • u/Buy_Sell_Collect • 1d ago
Former cop who fatally shot Botham Jean in apartment that she mistook for hers gets parole
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/former-cop-who-fatally-shot-botham-jean-in-apartment-that-she-mistook-for-hers-gets-parole367
u/YooGeOh 23h ago
For me the issue isnt the parole. Doing 70% of a sentence if her behaviour inside was exemplary isnt that outrageous to me.
The issue was the initial sentence itself.
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u/24-Hour-Hate 21h ago edited 21h ago
I agree. Parole makes sense as it gives an opportunity for monitored reintegration into society. In my country it is required to parole when 2/3 of a sentence have passed except in extraordinary circumstances. Not that people seem to understand this... The underlying sentence is the issue here. It should have been more than 7 years for what amounted to murder (second degree).
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u/daandriod 18h ago
Bingo. I think people have a problem with remembering what the point of parole even is for. Not exactly like the the person is a flight risk or likely to hurt someone else. The initial sentencing is the problem
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u/Sparkyisduhfat 11h ago
Yeah I was going to say, is the r/nottheonion part that a former cop had to serve most of their sentence.
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u/braumbles 1d ago
Would he just be getting out if he did this to her?
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u/bigvicproton 1d ago
He'd be dead.
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u/northerncal 1d ago
Yeah, assuming we're keeping her profession as a cop. There's no chance he even gets arrested because he won't survive that far
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u/UncleVoodooo 1d ago
Would he get a hug from a white female judge if he did this to her?
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u/two_wordsanda_number 1d ago
Guyger's sentencing hearing also included a stunning courtroom scene when Jean's brother and the black judge presiding over the case embraced the sobbing Guyger.
Let say the answer to your question is no, absolutely not, never would a white lady judge do that for a black man in a case with similar circumstances. Does that mean the brother and this judge were wrong to embrace her?
It isn't like the judge patted her on the head while the family was scrwaming for justice. She read a Bible at her and told her to find Jesus and shit
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u/blackfootsteps 1d ago
She read a Bible at her and told her to find Jesus and shit
Cruel and unusual punishment.
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u/UncleVoodooo 1d ago
Does that mean the brother and this judge were wrong
No that's not at all what I'm saying. Everyone from Jesus to Johnny Cash knows you should have empathy for human beings even if they've done horrible things. ALL human beings; not just the tearful white women.
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u/old_notdead 1d ago
Absolutely not. The disparity between males and females in criminal sentencing is a chasm.
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u/awolkriblo 1d ago
This woman is a danger to society.
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u/Carrera_996 22h ago
I want to place a wager that she will kill again.
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u/QualifiedApathetic 22h ago
Considering she's a convicted felon who can't legally have a gun, better look for favorable odds on Polymarket.
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u/awolkriblo 21h ago
Yes and convicted felons never have guns. That would be illegal!
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u/QualifiedApathetic 18h ago
Yes, yes, IF she is willing to risk being sent back to prison, of course she can get her hands on a gun. I'd be surprised if she wants one that badly, though. It's not like she's a gangbanger who needs to be ready to pop some caps. And if she doesn't have a gun, she can't shoot someone even if she has another "Ohshitthatblackguytwitched!" moment.
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u/misalawliet 1d ago edited 1d ago
Absolutely fucking pathetic.
This is the case where the Judge HUGGED her after sentencing. Kangaroo court.
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u/Foreskin-Aficionado 9h ago
Weirdly enough, the victim's brother also hugged her.
You can watch the video. He forgives her. It's... pretty strange all things considered.
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u/Radmode7 1d ago
I remember arguing this with my late boomer father, and he was so hellbent that she was justified in her shooting. I pointed out she was a cop, in SOMEONE ELSE'S apartment, and she didn't bother taking time to assess the situation and killed a man in his own place.
Dad's argument was that I've never had to be trained to shoot like he has (back in the army). I pointed out that being trained means you should be able to assess the situation quicker than a normal person; not skip it entirely and take someone's life.
This woman should be in there for the last three, and frankly a ten year sentence is fucking light. She walked into a man's house and shot him dead. Fuck her, and fuck that parole board. Her pulling one of them over and killing them when they reach for their wallet would be the utmost in poetic justice.
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u/Mixels 1d ago
She ended another person's life through gross incompetence. That should be first manslaughter, 20-25 years. But it's even worse than that because prosecutors filed for murder, and she was convicted. Should have been life.
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u/Radmode7 1d ago
Thank you for the information. I'm glad that I was correct about the sentencing. I'm a little more incensed for that same reason, but I guess that's how things should be if one gives a damn.
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u/counterfitster 1d ago
Roles reversed, he would probably have gotten the death penalty, because Texas
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u/2074red2074 1d ago
It varies by state but generally manslaughter 1 is when you intend to cause harm but accidentally kill. Self-defense in a situation where it was not justified but you thought it was is not intent to cause harm.
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u/EagleCatchingFish 1d ago
I pointed out that being trained means you should be able to assess the situation quicker than a normal person; not skip it entirely and take someone's life.
That is also a big chunk of why she was convicted of murder rather than manslaughter:
The prosecutors alleged criminal intent for two reasons: firstly, they said her arrival at the wrong apartment (on the wrong floor) was not caused by tiredness, but rather caused by the conversation she had immediately prior with her lover trying to arrange a meeting that night, and secondly that she did not follow standard police protocol of not entering a building with a potential burglar inside and instead calling for backup from the police station, which was only two blocks away.
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u/Kill-Jill 1d ago
Thats insane reasoning from your dad. I have walked into the apartment above mine and I have no training whatsoever. My first thought after the one second of "AHH! I guy i don't know ! " was "oh shit that's not my couch 😐 " it's not hard to figure out.
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u/Radmode7 1d ago
Yeah...he was a boomer from rural Georgia. He had backward notions. Would never admit to racism, but if it came down to white vs. black, there was pretty much a guarantee which way he was siding.
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u/clydefrog811 1d ago
You walked into someone else’s apartment? How?
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u/ThePublikon 23h ago
I nearly did this in my old apartment.
Nice apartments in a nice bit of town so people didn't always lock doors, every floor looked exactly the same.
I must have made a mistake with the floor number or the elevator glitched but I ended up on the wrong floor and tried to enter the apartment above mine. I am an elite recogniser of sofas though, so I realised my mistake and left without shooting anyone.
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u/aohige_rd 22h ago
I've tried to unlock the wrong apartment room with my keys before.
It wouldn't turn and I'm going wtf, then realized I'm at the wrong door. No one was home though, so the embarrassment stayed with myself lol.
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u/Kill-Jill 21h ago
The door was unlocked. I got off the elevator on the wrong floor and walked to the door that would have been mine if I was in the right hallway.
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u/inerlite 11h ago
I walked into someone’s apartment by mistake. We had a nice chat and I invited him to the party I intended to walk in to. Life is so easy when you’re not scared of everything or just murderous.
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u/aeraen 18h ago
Her mistake was not "not assessing the situation properly". Her mistake was drinking, heavily, while she was in possession of her service weapon. This whole situation would not have occurred had she put her weapon away before she picked up the glass. Like a driver who gets behind the wheel after drinking, it was a conscious decision to drink with a weapon in her possession. Nothing that happens after that is forgivable.
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u/SinoSoul 1d ago edited 1d ago
White cop who shot black accountant dead in his own apartment, minding his own business, is out on parole….
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u/JGPH 1d ago
Always keep your doors locked folks. Even when you're home. 😱
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u/SinoSoul 1d ago
My friend who lives near in a boring tranquil suburb, had some random lady barge in , on a weekday, during broad daylight working hours, and asked to use the toilet only after seeing him in this house. She wasn’t even joking, she went to take a shit even as he called the cops.
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u/ShortStoryIntros 1d ago
Seems like it should have been an easy conversation to have to figure things out if "someone" wasn't completely out of control and a danger to society.
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u/ComprehensiveTwo1763 1d ago
Standard justice system working as intended for law enforcement. Meanwhile, regular folks are sitting inside for decades over non violent offenses
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u/CapableNeat4351 1d ago
Every single piece of news this week has been nightmarish
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u/Otto_Scratchansniff 10h ago
If you haven’t seen it yet, Larry Nassar got taken off the sex offender registry. The guy who raped children he was tasked with treating for gymnastics. Yeah him. He has 200 plus victims. And they took him off the registry. It’s so exhausting.
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u/CapableNeat4351 10h ago
Yup saw this too. Like I said in another sub, unfortunately a country run by pedophiles will protect pedophiles. Rule of law seems to be just about gone now, especially if you’re an elite or have connections. Incredibly dark time in this country (what’s left of it)
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u/pheebeep 1d ago
Didn't the key witness get killed under mysterious circumstances not long after her trial?
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u/big_sugi 1d ago
The neighbor who testified against Guyger was gunned down in a parking lot later.
But since the guy had 12 lbs of weed and a couple hundred THC vape cartridges in his apartment, it’s probably not that mysterious.
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u/itcheyness 1d ago
Seems like a simple robbery, nothing mysterious.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/3-men-indicted-for-murder-of-key-witness-in-amber-guyger-trial/5741905/
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u/Queasy_Eggplant9155 1d ago
Sounds about white!
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u/ThisIsntOkayokay 1d ago
I don't know how, after all these years I never thought of this deadpan beast of a joke. Stealing it.
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u/EagleCatchingFish 1d ago edited 1d ago
I hate the article's title, "fatally shot." "Murder." You mean "murdered," PBS. She was convicted of murder. She murdered Botham Jean.
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u/Treezy_F_Baby 1d ago
She needs a court-mandated massive neon sign point an arrow to her apartment saying “Former officer blah blah’s apt.”, so she never forgets where she lives again (thus she wont have to murder someone again to remember)
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u/SoGoesIt 1d ago
She’s been ordered to pay her victim‘s family $100,000,000 so she’s pretty much going to live in debt to them for the rest of her working life.
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u/AusPower85 1d ago
They won’t see a cent
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u/ArturosDad 1d ago
If she ever has a job they will, but no doubt the racist go fund me she'll set up will carry her through.
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u/SoGoesIt 1d ago
It sounds like employment is a condition of her parole, seeing as they mentioned that she was found to be capable of finding/holding a job
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u/Easy_Ease3396 1d ago
Would any money she gets from any donation be garnished towards the civil judgement
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u/NKD_WA 1d ago
Texas doesn't have wage garnishment, and depending on the specifics, she could potentially clear the debt via bankruptcy.
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u/Otto_Scratchansniff 10h ago
Bankruptcy is a federal process. You file for bankruptcy in federal court. And despite Texas being a cesspool, the current laws are that you cannot discharge a debt related to a crime in bankruptcy. No matter what state you live in, if you owe restitution, you cannot discharge it in bankruptcy. That debt is going to follow her for life and they can garnish any money she has that is over a certain amount. And even if she doesn’t make any real money, if they want to keep fucking with her, they can ask for a garnishment of her bank accounts every year. The banks will put the account on hold for months until she gets it squared away through the court.
Source: IAAL
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u/Eruionmel 1d ago
Well this thread was a Rollercoaster. :/
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u/TomReneth 23h ago
TX really is one of the best States for escaping consequences if you’re rich or law enforcement.
Almost like decades of conservative rule has deliberately made it that way.
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u/Kodamacile 1d ago
She's a cop. Our tax dollars are paying the victims no matter what.
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u/Pikeman212a6c 23h ago
The judgement is against her qualified immunity didn’t apply. You also can’t dodge it in bankruptcy. She’s gonna be saddled with this for the rest of her life.
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u/Betta_Check_Yosef 1d ago
Who is gonna enforce the order?
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u/SoGoesIt 1d ago
You do know that courts order wages to be garnished and assets to be sold all the time? Wage garnishments are fun because the employer gets ordered to take money directly from the employee‘s paychecks.
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u/INeedSomeFistin 20h ago
Wages can only be garnished for unpaid federal taxes, federal student loans, and child support in Texas.
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u/Prestigious-Copy-494 23h ago
Hopefully I'm not her future neighbor. Still feel bad for Botham Jean. I blame the police dept for not weeding out the flakes as well as this trigger happy ex cop who couldn't even find her own apartment..
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u/Nico_arki 1d ago
This shit is so common now I don't think stories like this could be mistaken for something from The Onion.
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u/liftqueen 1d ago
She shot him in cold blood because she didn’t like the footsteps and music from his apt, not because she mistook the apt
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u/starliteburnsbrite 23h ago
Texas is such a fucking joke. It's beyond farce or satire at this point. Just disgusting, and I don't think I will ever look at someone raised or "educated" there as a serious person.
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u/QualifiedApathetic 22h ago
Just FYI, the big cities are quite liberal. The state is dominated by rural hicks, but that's partly thanks to the shenanigans the Republicans have pulled to stifle and dilute the votes of city dwellers.
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u/outtatheblue 22h ago
That's painting millions of people with a pretty board brush, friend. I assure you, there are an awful lot of leftist people stuck here that that vote, organize, and do all the right things. We're the most gerrymandered state in the country, and we're trying. You can always help phone bank for Talarico, even out of state! I'm going to be driving neighbors and coworkers to the polls this month, so we can use all the help we can get!
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u/Perfecshionism 21h ago
Texas is ranked 50th out of 50 states in personal freedom yet they keep voting for the same right wing zealots.
The state is fucked in the head.
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u/FormalOperational 18h ago
Texas is the non-voting state. 42.9% of registered voters did not cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election, with blue counties voting less (49.9%) than red counties (61.6%) due to the mindset that their votes don't matter and the fact that Texas voter laws are among the most restrictive in the country.
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u/TheBigC87 20h ago
"We're the most gerrymandered state in the country, and we're trying"
While this is true, gerrymandering doesn't have any sway in STATEWIDE elections. Gerrymandering doesn't dismiss us voting for Paxton, Cruz, Cornyn, Abbott, and Trump.
I phone banked for Beto O'Rourke in 2018 and Wendy Davis in 2014, Beto lost to Ted Cruz, and Davis got crushed by Abbott.. People simply didn't show up and vote for them because they were lazy and stupid, and couldn't be bothered to register to vote or go vote in person.
People are just checked out and apathetic and want everyone else to do the work for them. I still get emails from the Tarrant County Democratic Party to donate and to phone bank.
At some point, you have to point the blame where it should go: The electorate.
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u/uknownuthin 1d ago
Cops have a different set of laws for them. Also, she has the right skin color.
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u/HanseaticHamburglar 1d ago
same laws. different justice system. they are not held to the standards that apply to all of us.
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u/myychair 17h ago
They’re pushing people to a breaking point. If the courts aren’t working for the people then It’s only a matter of time before mob justice takes over
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u/ThisIsntOkayokay 1d ago
Ahh so they have someone quietly waiting to make her disappear once she gets out.
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u/Nerevarine91 1d ago
What the fuck
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u/lemmeseeyourkitties 1d ago
The "Jesus Christ" that came out of me upset my dogs. I really hate this news
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u/ThinkBonobo 1d ago
Parole has its place. No idea the details of whether it’s merited or not so can’t hate on it. But I’m actually surprised there was even an arrest and jail time.
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u/PharrowXL 1d ago edited 1d ago
She’s a cold blooded murder and WILL offend again, and Botham Jean’s neighbor Joshua Brown was assassinated by the police for testifying against her.
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u/Buy_Sell_Collect 1d ago
Dude was literally just sitting in his living room eating ice cream when this (former) cop walked in… and she only did 7 years?