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Amber Guyger Mug Shot Nov. 30, 2018

Source: Mesquite Jail / Mesquite Jail

An ex-Dallas police officer has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder of an unarmed black man in his apartment.

Amber Guyger was found guilty of murder on Tuesday in the September 2018 killing of Botham Jean. Jean was sitting in his apartment eating ice cream when Guyger broke in, mistaking the apartment for her own. She fired two shots at Jean, killing him.

In a week-long trial, prosecutors chose not to use evidence regarding Guyger’s Pinterest account and perceived racist text messages but brought them up during the punishment phase.

During the sentencing phase, Guyger’s family testified that she was abused as a child and her older sister referred to her as the younger sister “she looked up to.” More character witnesses spoke towards Guyger’s humanity in hoping that she wouldn’t receive a lengthy prison sentence. Prosecutors during their closing arguments argued that Guyger be sentenced to a minimum of 28 years because that’s what Jean would have been if he were alive today.

Jean’s 28th birthday would have been Sunday (Sept. 29).

When she testified during the punishment phase on Tuesday, Allison Jean, Botham’s mother spoke to how her son’s death affected her.

“I cannot sleep,” she told the courtroom. “I cannot eat. It’s just been the most terrible time for me.”

Close friend Alexis Stossel testified that next to her husband, Jean was her “absolute person.”

“People gravitated towards him,” she said. “It didn’t matter if you didn’t know him personally or you just were in the same room, you just felt welcomed by his presence.”