The unwarranted 2018 murder of Botham Jean at the hands of former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger led to her being sentenced to 10 years in prison last October, but now it looks like her attorneys are either seeking a new ruling in her case or for it to be thrown out altogether.
Paperwork to appeal Guyger's conviction was filed less than a month after she was sentenced back in October 2019, and it appears they're taking it all the way according to a recent report by CNN. Amber's defense team argues that the ruling was based off an insufficient amount of evidence, and as a result the court should either acquit her of the murder charge altogether or hold a new hearing to replace the charge with criminally negligent homicide.
Here's how CNN sums up Amber Guyger's new appeal filing:
In the appeal, her lawyers said that "her mistaken belief negated the culpability for murder because although she intentionally and knowingly caused Jean's death, she had the right to act in deadly force in self-defense since her belief that deadly force was immediately necessary was reasonable under the circumstances."
Guyger's attorneys have also asked to have their appeal heard by oral argument.
As expected, the family of Botham Jean is disappointed to hear that the officer who unrightfully killed their family member somehow believes she deserves freedom. S. Lee Merritt, attorney for the Jean Family, issued a statement that represented what a lot of us are feeling, stating, "After admitting her crime and asking Botham Jean's family for mercy-- Guyger's actions in filing this appeal reflect someone who is not repentant but instead was hoping to play on the families sympathies at the time that they were most vulnerable."
Let us know your thoughts on this case by sounding off down below in the comments.
