Impact of Murder (2019) - full transcript

Someone asked,
"is anyone going to do

A victim-impact statement?"

I did not know
what I was going to say.

- No justice!
- No peace!

- No justice!
- No peace!

26-year-old botham
jean died in the shooting.

- No justice!
- No peace!

I don't want to say twice

Or for the hundredth time

What you've...

Or how much
you've taken from us.



- What's his name?
- Botham jean.

- What's his name?
- Botham jean.

We know that botham jean

Was a native of st. Lucia

And an accountant
with pricewaterhousecoopers.

Praise god this morning.

The message that
the murder of botham jean

Sends to the african-american
community

Is that you're not
even safe at home.

I'm tired of waiting for a time

When it's safe to be
a black man in america.

We are insisting that a charge
of murder be filed.

Yeah. It is murder.

There were a lot of rumors
that were floating around.



All of a sudden,
the camera goes off.

We didn't understand why
that video had been turned off.

It is time that we recognize
that lives matter.

My son's life matters.

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

Botham was the best
brother you could ask for.

He always encouraged me
just to talk more,

Laugh more and engage
in conversations more.

Botham was the glue,

Because my 3 children
are 10 years apart,

But with botham in the middle,

He brought both allisa
and brandt together.

He was always
a very bright student.

And when he left,
he was given the top prize.

We were raised to look
to god first for everything,

So it was just natural for him
to become a strong leader

In the church.

It was natural for him

To pick a christian university.

A lot of things he did,
and he did with god in mind.

Hugging him on the airport...

That put a hole in your heart
for a little while,

But then he had to go.

I wanted him to...

For these education.

I'm botham, and I love
the college of business

Because it's allowed me
to harness my talents

And explore the world

As a christian
business professional.

Botham was my best friend.

Botham was a natural leader.

People gravitated towards
him in every capacity,

Whether it was friendships
or needing help with something.

Botham was always encouraging
and uplifting.

We love coba faculty
because without them,

We wouldn't
have survived college.

We have jobs now.

Botham wanted to be an
accountant for a very long time.

So to work at pwc,

One of the largest
accounting firms in the world,

He felt like it was a blessing.

We eventually moved to dallas

And grew our friendship
even more.

I had told my husband when we
started dating, like,

"this man is in my life,
and he will always be in my life

Because I connect with him

On an educational level,
on a spiritual level,

And he speaks my language."

Botham shem jean.

His plan was to get
his degree from harding,

Get experience working at pwc.

And at the end,
go back to st. Lucia

And become the prime minister.

That was his dream.

I could have seen it
already in him

Because botham returned
to st. Lucia

For several consecutive years
with a team of students

To the marian home
for senior citizens,

And he went to clean their
yards, clean their houses,

Sang with them.

I asked him once
why he chose to do it,

And he said, "mommy, people
just need other people.

We just need each other."

When the phone rang,
I just knew it was him.

"hey, big sis,
guess where I am."

And I said, "where?"

He said, "I'm on my way home."

And he was excited
because just a few weeks before,

He had a wisdom tooth extracted,

And they gave him
the okay to eat ice cream.

And I joked with him.

I told him,
"don't eat the entire tub.

That's not what
the dentist said."

He said, "okay, I'll try."

So he was excited to watch
his football, eat his ice cream.

And we spoke up until he got
into the apartment.

And he said, "okay,
I'll talk to you later."

And when we hung up,
I thought to myself,

"why... he didn't tell me
he loved me.

I'm gonna give him hell
the next time we speak."

The night of September 6th,

It felt like anything else.

And then I get a call
from my neighbor who said,

"hey, man, are you home?"

I said, "well, no,
I'm down the street."

He said,
"well, you can't get in."

I said, "what happened?"
he said, "somebody got shot."

It's not common
to hear shots around here

Because we're 500 feet
from the police station.

Use the phone!

And so once I came home,

We couldn't get in because
the police had it blocked off.

I seen chaos.
I seen a lot of cops.

I seen a lot of ambulances.

They're not sharing information,
so we didn't have a clue.

And so it was like, "hey, man,
maybe a couple was arguing

Or maybe there was
a bad drug deal."

There was a lot of theories.

No one really knew
what was going on.

But then a couple of people
came down who had video.

Everyone who heard the shot
came out into the courtyard

To see what was going on.

And that's how the video
was taken.

It's a video of a person
being carried out on a gurney.

Everyone that I know heard
two shots back to back,

But we didn't know.

Get some crime-scene tape

Up here on the fourth floor.

Is someone bringing
the crime-scene tape?

I was asleep, and my phone rang.

I looked over, and it was
214 area code.

And I thought,
"wait, that's texas."

I said, "that can't be good."

And it was a social worker
from the hospital.

She asked me
if I know botham jean.

I said, "yes, he's my brother."

She said he was brought in

To the emergency room
with a gunshot wound.

So I said, "I don't understand
what you're saying."

And she said, "he was shot
through his heart,

And he died."

I was just hearing,
like, white noise,

Like, it wasn't...
Nothing made sense.

And my mom was here at the time.

I couldn't understand
what she meant by "he died."

I couldn't...
I couldn't understand it.

I, you know,
I felt that how could he die?

It took... A little while for me

To really... Grasp
what she was saying.

I asked her, "where did...
Where was he shot?"

She said she doesn't know.

So I said, "but I don't know
that botham keeps bad company."

Because I thought maybe
he was in the company

Of some other people,
and he was shot.

Was it a stray bullet?
Was he out at a restaurant?

Was it a robbery?
Was it road rage?

All sorts of things
came to my mind.

I got a call from my mom,

And she wanted
to talk to my dad,

So I knew it was bad.

And I kept asking my dad,
"what happened, what's wrong?"

And he just said, "botham."

I couldn't muster the courage
to tell him...

That he had died,

But eventually I did.

I went to sit in my veranda
there just thinking,

"how can that be?
How can that happen?"

I was so traumatic and real.

How can that be possible?

It was very, very confusing.

I couldn't understand
what could have happened.

I just stayed up checking
all the different news networks

To see if there would be
something on it,

But there was nothing.

Then I got a message
from someone.

She works
in the apartment building.

So I called,

And that's when she told me
that botham was shot,

And she said
it was a police officer.

Everything was coming
at me so fast,

I just felt as if my head
was in a whirlwind.

What we do know

Is that an off-duty officer
actually killed somebody.

Police would not say
whether the officer fired

Because it was an intruder

Or whether it was
for some other reason.

I first heard about the story
when I got into work.

Initially, the police were
holding back details.

There were a lot of things
that didn't make sense.

The officer was off-duty
but still in uniform.

We didn't know if the officer
was a man or a woman.

So we, at that point, are just
trying to gather information.

So far, police have not
identified the officer involved.

But for now, that officer
is on administrative leave.

I had received a phone call
and they said,

"botham has been shot.

He didn't make it."

And I was so confused

Because, you know,
I didn't understand.

I called my husband and said,
"botham's been killed.

I just thought you should know."

And he was like,
"I'm coming home."

And I said, "no, it's fine,
just stay at work.

There's nothing we can do."

And he said, "alexis, your best
friend has been called.

I'm coming home."

Allisa and I flew
to dallas that same day.

What I was going to do
was to get my son

And to find out what happened.

We didn't know the name
of the person who killed my son.

When I spoke with the detective,

I asked if whoever killed him
was arrested and he said no.

Police officers have 72 hours
to give their statements.

Just to know

That the person responsible
for killing my brother

Has 72 hours to give
their account of what happened

And is still walking free

And can still go home
and sleep in their bed

While my brother
was in the morgue

Was unsettling for me.

It's 72 hours of us

Just having questions
floating in our mind

And it's still 72 hours of us
still having to plan a funeral.

I needed an attorney.

I asked
an attorney friend of mine

To run some background checks
on lee merritt.

And soon after they came back,
I hired him.

I expected the shooter
to, at the very least,

Be arrested that night,
to be interrogated,

To be treated like someone
who had killed a human.

What I learned is the officer
hadn't, in fact, been arrested.

I was bothered.

The department has declined

To release
the name of the officer

Until she is officially charged.

It has told us, though,

She is a caucasian
female patrol officer

Who lived in the same
apartment complex

Where the victim,
26-year-old, botham jean, did.

I felt so helpless that my son,

Who was so overly cautious,
where he went,

How he was perceived,

Would now be shot.

So I wanted to hear
exactly what happened.

Last night, a female
dallas police officer

Returned to what she believed
to be her apartment

After her shift had ended.

She was still in uniform

When she encountered mr. Jean
in the apartment.

It's not clear what interaction
was between them,

Her and the victim,

But at some point, she fired
her weapon, striking the victim.

This is so bizarre.

I just cannot understand

What was going through
this girl's head.

I thought...
That the officer was drunk

Or under the influence
of something

For mistaking the apartment.

And I said, "well, somebody had
to be crazy

For them
to go into the wrong apartment,

Put the key in the door
and kill somebody."

Botham was killed

Eating a bowl of ice cream,
watching football.

That's something
that we can all identify with.

And the message that the murder
of botham jean

Sends to the
african-american community

Is that you're not
even safe at home.

It really set off a lot
of protests in the cities

And nationally
and internationally.

This was a black
immigrant man who fought against

Every obstacle
to come to a new country

And establish a life
for himself.

He was robbed.

I prayed for justice for botham.

And I specified, "I want
whoever is responsible

To be charged with murder,
to be convicted of murder."

- Who are we out here for?
- Botham.

- Who are we out here for?
- Botham.

- Who are we out here for?
- Botham.

Investigators
are trying to figure out

How the officer
entered the apartment

And what kind of interaction
she had with the victim.

I couldn't understand

How her key could
have opened botham's door.

To me, it seemed a little off
because I know

From when I visited,

The key would flash green
once it's opened.

I thought, "if she put the key
in the door

To open it and it flashed red,

How did she get
into the apartment?"

The police department questioned

If the officer knew botham jean

And that became a question
that everybody had.

On an officer-involved shooting,

We do our own investigation.

We're separate and distinct
from the police.

We had a ton of questions.

Did she knock on the door?

Did he open the door for her?
Was the door open?

Was the door ajar?
Did she have a key?

We didn't know if there was
a pre-existing relationship

Between her and botham.

Why would she have used
deadly force on somebody

Who's just inside
their own apartment?

Investigators
seized jean's cellphone to see

If it can explain
if he was expecting someone.

There was a moment online
where people were saying

That botham knew his killer.

Botham was a worship leader

Who sung loudly every morning.

And so it was a concern of mine
that this woman

Who worked long hours

Would be annoyed by the singer
that lived right above her.

When I was there in 2016,

Botham told me someone
had lodged a noise complaint,

So maybe the person
was hearing some noise

And came up in a rage.

The day that botham was shot,

There was another complaint.

The apartment complex responded
to it

By going down
his apartment floor

And knocking on all the doors.

He called his friend to say,
"I just got home."

So he knew that he wasn't
playing any music.

My second concern was whether
or not she was acting

As a resource officer

For the apartment
complex itself,

Because there was
a history of noise

Complaints from his apartment,

Whether she had been directed
to focus on that apartment.

Shortly after the shooting...

...A video surfaced of the
officer pacing back and forth.

The young woman who recorded
it was a young woman

Who went by the name
of bunny baps.

She heard a shot
and she began recording,

But she didn't know
what was happening.

After bunny baps uploaded
the video to the internet,

It went almost instantly viral.

I think the video was released
to force police

To give her name...

Because of the lack
of information

That was being released,

There were a lot of rumors
that were floating around.

#5 botham shem jean
lived in the same building.

Investigators aren't sure

What kind of interaction
the two had.

There were some suggestions

That they were possibly
romantically involved.

One of the top theories
were that they were dating.

And he didn't want to be with
her anymore and it was over.

Someone sent me a photo
and said, "look,

It's saying that botham
had an affair with this person."

I'm like, "okay."

I didn't know what to believe.

We were told this may
be a very high profile case,

Being a police officer,
so I made arrangements to meet

At the dallas west
church of christ.

So the texas ranger,
david armstrong, visited us,

And he had taken over the case
that very same Saturday.

The first thing
that he said to us

Was that once we learned
what he knew,

We would understand that this
was a big, unfortunate mistake.

So I said to him,

Someone makes a mistake
and I lose my son.

And that's it?

He said there was no
ill will or malfeasance.

She should not be punished
for this crime.

This was his impression before
he started his investigation.

I said, "I don't know
in what part of the world

That someone kills
another person

And doesn't get arrested
and goes around free."

I felt a grave injustice
was not only done to my son,

But then to me,
because you killed my son,

You take him away from me

And then you're
trying to cover up.

Having that conversation
with david armstrong

Made me feel like botham
would not get justice.

There were marches and protests
throughout dallas

For several days.

Fam, we're at the building

Where botham was killed,

But that broke dallas
police officer.

Fam, they got dpd out here
to intimidate us.

But you can intimidate us,

But you can't take care
of an officer of yours

That's out here
killing black men.

Uh-oh, uh-oh,
they tear-gassing us!

Are you serious?!

They're tear-gassing us!

Oh, my god, no!

They're tear-gassing us!

Get them out of here.

When they released her
name and her mug shot,

I think everybody
kind of breathed

For the first time
in three days.

And I think a lot of people
thought,

"this is the first step
to some sort of justice."

We were able to find
that amber guyger

Was not acting
as a resource officer

For the apartment complex,

And there were no noise
complaints from her apartment

To his.

Immediately, I saw amber's face.

It did not match the photo
of three ladies and botham.

It couldn't be the same person.

When I got to know that botham
did not know amber guyger,

I felt relief.

Now we know her name,
but we are still waiting

On her side of the story
as to what happened.

We met with the entire
family on that Sunday,

And the jean family asked

If I was aware
of the initial encounter

Between the responding officers
and... and botham.

We had been given access
to the body-worn cameras...

Police!

...And I did let them know that
the responding police officers

Made extraordinary efforts
to save botham's life.

The jean family asked me
whether or not amber guyger

Had provided cpr to botham
after she shot him.

I could only tell them
she had indicated to the police

That she had provided cpr.

And I also expressed that I had
some doubts that it was true.

We begin to individually
interview all of the officers

And we find in-car video
that existed at the time.

We see that guyger
is seated in a police car.

You hear some voices,
you see what she's doing,

And then all of a sudden,
the camera goes off.

We didn't understand why
that video had been turned off.

She has no right to have
that video turned off,

So we began the process
of trying to figure out

Why was it turned off?

On Sunday afternoon,

The district attorney
asked us to go home

And listen to the news
because there will be

An announcement
later on that night.

Tonight, the texas
rangers released a statement

Saying after
the initial investigation,

A warrant was issued
for the police officer.

She was arrested
on manslaughter charges

And later released on bond.

It was bittersweet.

I was happy
she was charged with something,

But I was expecting murder.

I want you to be dead.

I intend you to be dead.

I know what I'm going to do
is going to cause your death.

In texas law, that is a murder.

Whether that belief was formed
a month before,

A day before, a second before,
it doesn't matter.

A manslaughter means
that you are reckless,

That what you are doing

Is going to cause
the death of somebody else.

When amber guyger's statement to
the texas rangers was released,

Her story had changed.

Nowhere in this body-cam
footage from police officers

Who arrived to the scene
immediately after the shooting,

Is amber guyger to say, "I
thought he was coming for me."

She left out a critical claim
that she later made,

Which was, "he was coming for me
and I feared for my life."

Because in order
to use deadly force,

It's not even enough
that an intruder be present,

That person has to represent
a threat to you.

So along with how she
even got into the apartment,

The next big question
was what was their interaction

Before she shot him?

I think it's probable
that amber guyger

Gave the police a rough relay
of what happened

And that law enforcement
began to craft a narrative

That was more consistent
with the appropriate use

For deadly force.

We could see
that the dash-cam video

Had at some point
been turned off,

But we couldn't see why.

It wasn't until later

When we received
the surveillance video

At the apartment complex,

We were able to see
what happened.

Mike mata,

The dallas police officers
association president,

Personally arrived to the scene.

He arrived to instruct
the other officers to cut off

The recording mechanisms
at this very critical time.

Amber guyger pulled the trigger,

But the police department tried
to help her cover up that crime.

It takes a village
to raise a child,

But it takes a whole police
department to cover up a crime.

The first time I saw his body
was at the funeral home.

I went in.

I stood, um, at the entrance...
Of the chapel,

And I just...

I saw a body
laying in the casket.

And I just couldn't...
I just couldn't see him there.

Walking into that place,

Seeing him, in my heart,
it's like, "no."

I remember in my head,
I was just saying, "no, no,"

And then I got to him

And I was like,
"what did they do to you?"

My husband and I
got to the church

And I had no idea.

Hundreds of people.

And it was in that moment
that I was like,

"this is how far
he has reached."

A friend is the family
that you choose.

- Amen.
- Amen.

And let me tell you,

Botham chose everyone.

To most of us we know,

He was more than just a friend.

He was a brother.

He was a son,
a confidant, a life coach.

He was the guy you called
any time you needed anything,

And he would show up
with a smile.

A search warrant
describes more of the evidence

Collected
at botham jean's apartment.

The inventory return shows

10.4 grams of marijuana
in ziploc bags,

One metal marijuana grinder.

A common ploy that I often see
law enforcement doing...

The victim is turned into
the villain by the media.

We didn't expect it
to happen on the day

He was being memorialized.

And instead breaking
in the media

Was the smear campaign.

To have my son smeared
in such a way,

I think shows
that they are persons

Who are going to cover up
for the devil, amber guyger

Because she was the murderer.

That's right.

I will not sit back

And see that justice
does not prevail.

That's right.

It is time that we recognize
that lives matter.

My son's life matters.

You had law-enforcement officers

Investigating botham
for criminal activity.

You had sources anonymously
going to the media.

And so you see
a whole department

Coordinating to help
get amber guyger off.

Brandt has always been
a very quiet child,

Jovial but quiet.

But after botham's death,
brandt got very angry.

I punched a couple
of doors when I found out.

Not just doors, just...

I can't remember,
a couple stuff.

He would be punching the walls,

Hitting the walls,

And we would come out
and I would just hold him

And tell him it's gonna be okay.

I was 16 when I went
to visit him,

And botham was 25.

When I'm here, I only think
of the positive things.

I've trained my mind
to always think positive

And I am applying
it everywhere necessary.

When brandt came
to visit botham,

Botham called me
and he was crying.

He said, "you know,
all brandt wants to do

Is play video games."

And I said, "maybe you should
do something he wants to do."

So he said, "okay,
well, let me try that."

We out here. Yeah.

It was a really emotional time.

He didn't know I cried
when he left

And I didn't know
he cried when I left.

I told him, "I love you."

He told me, "I love you."

I know botham always felt guilty

That he left brandt in st. Lucia
when botham came to harding.

He felt like
he didn't give him enough time

For them to be together.

Having to transition
from seeing him alive

To seeing him dead, it broke me.

They were figuring
their relationship out,

And then suddenly, he was gone.

And brandt took it the hardest.

He mourned differently
than everyone else.

I think the initial
charge of manslaughter,

You know, didn't really do it.

People wanted to see
that murder charge.

- What do we want?
- Justice!

- When do we want it?
- Now!

Protests happened
at a dallas cowboys game,

And the attorneys for the family

And for the family
of o'shae terry,

Who was killed by police
five days before

Botham jean was killed,

Met up and walked around
with two caskets.

We are insisting that a charge
of murder be filed.

Yeah. It is murder,

Because if the roles
had been reversed

And botham had come into
her apartment and killed her,

He would be
under the jail right now

And charged with capital murder.

- What do we want?
- Justice!

I always knew

That botham would have to be
buried in st. Lucia.

Botham was passing
through dallas,

So we made arrangements
to have his body flown.

The welcoming we received,

I've never seen anybody
has received that,

Not even the prince
or the queen.

That just blew me away.

Bring tears to my heart.

A pouring of love
over the entire world.

I'm heartbroken

That this man was killed
in his own apartment,

A place where all of us
should feel safe,

But what gets me most upset
is that nothing has changed.

I firmly believe that
if officer guyger

Had walked into that apartment
and seen a white man,

She would not have
pulled that trigger.

And that is the root
of the problem.

What I can say with certainty
is that I'm tired of waiting

For a time when it's safe
to be a black man in america.

I was in dallas
during the grand jury hearing.

It was nerve-racking.

Fired dallas police officer
amber guyger

Indicted on
a murder charge today.

Guyger's attorneys called
the murder charge political

And not based on facts.

It's a simple self-defense.

By law,
it's a justified homicide.

So there should not be
any charges.

Murder is the proper charge.

People were shocked that she was

Only charged with manslaughter.

And then I think
on the other side,

People were shocked that
she was indicted for murder.

It doesn't mean
that the case itself

Will be a slam dunk.

In fact, we are concerned
and we are focused

That the criminal trial
itself will be anything but.

I was happy for it,

But I don't want to rejoice
in just step one.

The police department
never released the 911 call

'cause they argued it would
interfere with the future trial.

We'd all previously filed
requests to get copies

Of that tape and were denied.

In April,
a local tv station here, wfaa,

Got copies of the 911 tape
and they released it.

We have new information,

Information that's going
to give clarity

Into what amber guyger
was thinking on the night

She killed botham jean.

It was released anonymously,

But because of the quality
of the call, it was very clear

That it was released
from within the department.

It knocked the wind out of me
and moreso it knocked the wind

Out of the family.

It seemed that
she really did believe

That that was her apartment.

So for a moment,
she became, I think,

To a lot of people,
this sympathetic person

And that she really regretted
what had happened.

They had a chat room set up

And the angle that
they went with it was

Was amber guyger
unfairly targeted?

Was she being scapegoated for
police brutality in the country?

And did this tape show that
she was really a sincere victim?

At work, I played the call again

And again and again.

I thought I heard him.

And it just...

It wrecked me.

It wrecked me, I was sent home
because I just... I broke down.

It was very hard to listen to,

But that call angered me
because what I heard

Was someone
who was all about herself.

I didn't hear
whether he's conscious,

Are you applying pressure
on the wound?

Are you giving him cpr?

Nothing that suggests that

There was any concern
for my son.

We were preparing for
a very difficult trial

And suddenly the narrative was
being shifted towards sympathy

For amber guyger as opposed
to sympathy for her victim.

Who's amber guyger is
a question we all had.

Initially, as we were trying
to find her on social media

And ran into
a lot of roadblocks.

There was no social media
presence for her.

It appeared that she had
scrubbed her social media,

But she did not take down
her pinterest.

Amber guyger says, "I got my gun
and a shovel and gloves

"if I were you back the off

And get out of my ass."

A lot of people have thought
that that showed

She didn't have value
for human life.

I saw the one about

The nfl suffering
from colon cancer.

So what came to my mind was,

Okay, she was racist.

There was a point
where I just wanted her to die.

I hated her completely.

He played "call of duty"

And he would stay in his room
for long hours.

I was always very concerned that
with the anger he was displaying

And that game which is shooting,
shooting all the time,

That he would want
to take revenge for his brother.

You could tell the prosecution

Wasn't that confident
about winning.

They came to us and they said

There's a plea deal
being discussed,

But we really want you all
to impress upon the family

How difficult it's gonna be
to get a conviction

In this case.

That was a low point
because I felt like

I was marching the family
toward a trial

Where an officer
will be acquitted,

Which is typically the pattern.

I read almost every article
that came out

Related to both them,

And I saw that it was very
difficult for a police officer

To be convicted for murder.

The system was against me.
Also, she was female.

And based on what I've read,
there is white privilege.

So I was very nervous
leading up to the trial.

I felt that the odds
were against me.

Amber guyger had gone
out of her way

To make herself
the damsel in distress.

Her hair was being worn down.

All her features
were made softer.

This case presented a problem
that you don't often see.

This was a young,
pretty, white woman.

And so, I was concerned

That they would have
a difficult time convicting her.

In order for us to prevail
in this case,

We needed to prove
that amber guyger intentionally

Or knowingly caused
the death of botham jean

In dallas county, texas,
on September 6, 2018,

That was the easy part.

We also have to disprove
whatever justifications

Or defenses that the defendant
puts in front of the jury.

They could be self-defense.

State, make an opening argument.

This is botham shem jean.

On September the 6th of 2018,

The evidence is going
to show you that he was sitting

In his living room

In shorts and a t-shirt,
watching tv,

Eating a bowl
of vanilla ice cream.

When all of a sudden,

Amber guyger
comes through his front door,

Uninvited, the light
from the hallway

Must've flooded his apartment,

The noise from the door
must've scared him to death.

But I really wanted to know,

How did amber guyger
got into botham's apartment?

They recently had
the doors replaced,

They kind of did it on the cheap
and the locks didn't match up.

And it slammed,

If it was particularly wet
or humid outside

The door sometimes
would bounce back

A little bit
or wouldn't fully engage.

The evening of the shooting,
it had been raining.

And so, when amber guyger
testified

That she put her key in,

She was able to push
that door open

In a way that
she should not have been.

Then she said she encounters

Botham who's coming
at her aggressively.

We knew that
it just wasn't true.

And we needed the jury
to be crystal clear

That she had the choice,
she alone was gonna control

Whether or not botham
lived or died.

And she chose a course of action
that pretty much guaranteed

He was gonna die right there.

The day amber guyger testified,

My heart was racing,

My legs were bouncing,

I was just so anxious

Because I'm looking this person
in her eyes for the first time.

Do you swear or affirm that
the testimony you will give

Will be the truth,
the whole truth

And nothing but the truth,
so help you god?

- Yes, ma'am.
- Thank you, please sit.

I was angry when I saw her.

When the defense
was questioning her,

I thought that everything

She was saying was all
rehearsed.

Why'd you want to be
a police officer?

I just wanted to help people

And that was the one career

That I thought I could
help people in.

The defense was really
trying to go after the fact

That she really believed
that she was in her apartment.

If she thought that there was
somebody in her apartment

Who was going to harm her,

Then they argued that she had
the right to do what she did.

I looked over at the jury
and they were crying with her

And that was scary.

And so I was concerned

That they would have
a difficult time convicting her

After seeing her on the stand

Be so vulnerable.

Making herself out
to be a damsel in distress,

I believe was a part
of the defense.

It was important to point out

That she wasn't all virtue.

Today amber guyger
was questioned

About her relationship

With her police partner,
martin rivera.

Turns out they were having
an affair.

When jason hermus
brought up the sexting

With the married police partner,

I thought that it was very good
for the chances of a conviction.

Our investigation revealed that
amber guyger and martin rivera

Had had a personal relationship

On top of their
professional relationship

And we believe that
martin rivera

Was incredibly important
to amber.

As far as martin rivera...

Did that develop
into a sexual relationship?

Yes, it did.

Did you not want people to know?

- I did not.
- Why?

I was embarrassed
'cause he was married.

The affair had been
going on for at least two years.

Mr. Rivera testified
that they had cut it off

For the last couple of months,

But it was pretty clear
from the text messages,

Both that were recovered

And the images
that were deleted,

That they were planning
on having sex that night.

Amber guyger
left the police station.

She was texting
with martin rivera

About them meeting up.

Somewhere in between
her getting in her car

And her getting out of the car
at the apartment parking lot,

It seems like the plans changed.

There's a period
that's unaccounted for

Where she pulled off
in the parking lot...

...And there was
a telephone conversation

That lasted 10 minutes.

Maybe he canceled on her
and she was upset about it.

So she stopped
to really argue with him

And then started driving.

But at that point, she's upset.

Someone testified
that she was driving fast

And didn't even realize

She skipped the third floor,
her floor.

She got off on the wrong floor

Just because she wanted
to have an affair.

So it could be that gap
changed her mood.

She was upset, so she decided,
you know what?

There's a burglar in there.

I'm just gonna go and kill him.

If martin riviera had met her
that night,

My son would've
been alive today.

The police department was close.

So if she felt threatened,

She could have called for backup

And the police could've gotten
there in less than two minutes.

The police department
protocol is

You need to call for backup.

Why wasn't that followed?

Probably could've saved botham's
life if you had followed that.

And that's the biggest
thing for me.

Why did you go inside,

If that's
what the protocol calls for?

I bought her story
to the point of yes,

She thought
it was her apartment,

But I did not buy her story

From the moment
she opened the door.

From that moment on, I don't
believe anything she said.

What happened was I put the key
into the key... the lock.

I see that it's cracked open.

And at the same time,
I'm hearing this moving around,

But me putting that key...
The key fob into the lock,

It's pushing the door open.

Self-defense justification
was the first landmine

That says there are
certain situations

Where officers are allowed
to use deadly force.

And she began to paint
a picture of her behaving

As a police officer,
issuing verbal commands.

And botham jean as
the noncompliant black man.

I saw this silhouette figure

Standing in the back
of the apartment by the window.

There were no verbal commands
because I know my brother.

I know if there were,
he would comply

Because we would have
conversations about stories

Like this all the time.

He knew the kind of world
we lived in.

He wanted to survive.

I pulled my gun out
and I yelled at him.

It's like,
"let me see your hands.

Let me see your hands."

I do not believe for one second
that botham

Would go after a police officer.

He told me, so,
as a black man in america,

You do not walk into a store
with your hands in your pockets.

People are gonna believe
what they want

And you just want to stay
away from that.

And that's what he told me.

I have my gun pointed
and I'm saying,

"let me see your hands,
let me see your hands."

Him.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes, sir.

And that's at that point
whenever I shot once.

Part of what she said was that
botham represent a threat.

All the evidence, the physical
evidence, seems to indicate

That botham was sitting
on his couch

Eating a bowl of ice cream.

As bo was trying to get up off
the couch

To find out what this intruder
is doing coming into his home,

She's leveling off her guard,
having acquired her target

And she shoots at him twice.

One shot took a very unusual
pathway through his body,

Entering just above
his left nipple

And going almost straight down

Until it came to a rest
in his lower back area.

He was in a football position

Suggesting that he was
just getting up from the couch.

That's why the bullet
went from the top of his heart

Right down to the bottom.

Bullets don't go straight
and then go down.

The bullet trajectory
directly contradicted

The statements of amber guyger

That botham
represented a threat,

That he was moving towards her.

And so, we felt
pretty good about that.

I thought two things
about amber guyger.

I thought that she was
incredibly self-centered.

She saw herself as the victim
in this circumstance.

I also thought amber guyger
would be honest.

So you knew when you were
shooting that gun

That you were using deadly force

Against mr. Jean?

Yes, it was a threat
at the time.

Ma'am, will you answer
my questions, please?

Yes, sir.

When you shot mr. Jean,

You knew you were using
deadly force against him?

Yes.

So it was all good and well
for her

To just replay
what was rehearsed

When it came to a defense team.

But when the prosecution
cross-examined her,

She was cornered.

When you aimed
and pulled the trigger

At mr. Jean
shooting at center mass,

Exactly where you are trained,

You intended to kill mr. Jean?
- I did.

That was the one piece
of evidence

That we had to get from her.

After she pulled the trigger,

She text martin rivera.

All of their text messages
were deleted

Before they turned them in
for the investigation.

The text messages that
we were able to recover says,

"I need you."

"I f'd up."

I know that she was sending
and receiving text messages

In that short period of time,

I know that she was
speaking on a phone.

I don't know if she had it
on speaker phone or not.

It's hard to be a damsel
in distress when instead

Of helping the person who's
bleeding out on the ground,

You're texting the partner that
you're having an affair with

While he's lying there dying.

Then they show footage
of botham being wheeled out,

So he was still being worked on
while she was texting.

Did you see that, ms. Guyger?

No, I did not.

What happened
just outside your window?

Can we play it again?
- Yes, please.

I looked at my phone 'cause
I didn't want to see his body.

It looks like you're trying
text somebody again, right?

I just...
I looked down at my phone.

I don't know what I was doing.

She's not crying after
she committed this crime.

And it just seemed
like it's business as usual.

How long has this remorse that
what you've been doing is wrong?

How long did that last?
A day or two?

It lasted every day.

So as this family is thinking
about having to bury their son

And their brother,
two days after the event,

You are already going back
to talking about getting drunk

And doing sexual things
with martin rivera.

Yes, I did.

I felt like she knew

That people were going to
try to cover this up for her.

She was going
to get away with this.

It's not black or white

When it comes
to the police department.

They don't see the race.
It's just blue.

Once you take that oath, to me,
it's like joining a cult

Or joining a gang,
they protect their own.

At this time,
it is my responsibility

To read
to the jury instructions.

We believe that
we tried a very solid case

And we were confident

That the jury was going
to find the defendant guilty.

So it was a surprise
and it caused us

A huge amount of concern

When the judge allowed
the castle doctrine.

It is almost impossible
for the state

To overcome that
and get a conviction.

The castle doctrine
is texas's version

Of stand your ground.

She should not have been
afforded the defense

Because she wasn't home
and it wasn't reasonable for her

To assume
that she was in her home

Because there were
clear indications

That she was in the wrong place.

We were very worried.

The jury, when
they went off to deliberate,

It was hard.

We just had to sit and wait

For their decision.

It was nerve-racking.

When the jury
finally reached a decision,

Walking to the courtroom,

I felt like I was underwater.

I couldn't hear anything
going on around me.

It was just...

It felt like just unreal.

Police officers start to come in

And line the wall

And I'm just praying
and we're all quiet.

I'm bouncing my knees
because it's just...

And the jury comes in,

And the judge, and she read...

Ms. Guyger and your team,
would you please stand?

We, the jury, unanimously find
the defendant, amber guyger,

Guilty of murder as charged
in the indictment.

No outbursts.

I was just... In awe.

So the first person
that I had to praise is god.

It was just a lot of joy,
it was powerful joy,

You know, like,
kind of standing on a mountain.

Screaming and shouting
and praising god

Type of joy.

First, I felt like a weight
was lifted,

But immediately after I felt

This sense of loss

Because I just wanted
my brother back

In that moment.

I felt like, you know,
once you get to the end,

Like, you get back...

I wasn't sure I heard it right.

I was blown away.

It was a huge moment of relief.

I believe that history was made
with this conviction.

I've looked, but I've never seen
a white female police officer

Convicted for the murder
of a black male.

This was a major victory.

My mother, she's different.

She cries a lot.

Bertrum, I would describe him
as just a shell.

It's like the light
behind his eyes are off.

He's... he's not the same.

And how has this
affected brandt?

Hmm. Brandt is...

Another shell.

He has always been
a quiet person,

But he's even more quiet.

And I'm worried about brandt.

This morning, did you learn
that joe had been

Sexually molesting her?

Yes, ma'am.

And was joe eventually arrested
for indecency with a child

With amber being
the main victim?

Yes, ma'am.

People began to humanize her
and sort of defuse

The anger of her killing
this man in his home,

And so, I was concerned
about the level of sympathy

That she was
beginning to receive.

The jury having reached
a verdict,

I will now announce it.

We, the jury, assess
the defendant's punishment

At 10 years imprisonment

In the texas department
of criminal justice.

I felt...

The same way I felt

When we buried botham.

I felt like we put him
in the ground all over again

With just 10 years.

That was a slap in the face.

I was angry about the sentence,
very angry,

But I did not show it.

I expected 30, 40,

But not 10.

So I did think botham's life

Was worth more than that,
way more than that.

No justice! No peace!
No justice! No peace!

People outside the courtroom
went into protest mode

Because it was unfair.

- What do we want?
- Justice!

- When do we want it?
- Now!

At first, I didn't want
to do that impact statement

Because I felt like if you've
killed my brother already,

There's nothing I could do
that would bring him back.

But when I was asked,
my grandmother touched my hand

And she said to me,
it's her soul that matters.

And that's why I-I...

Had to come up here.

I know he was angry
and the walls

Are lined with
police officers all armed.

So I was scared. I didn't know
what he was gonna say.

Our concerns were that
he was going to show spit

And venom
and anger and hostility.

We didn't know
if he was gonna lash out

Or run at the defendant.

We didn't know what to expect.

I don't want to...

Say twice
or for the hundredth time

What you've or how much
you've taken from us,

I think you know that.

But I just...

I hope you...

Go to god with all...

With all the guilt,

All the things, the bad things
you may have done in the past.

Each and every one of us
may have done something

That we're not supposed to do.

If you truly are sorry,

I know I can speak for myself,

I-I forgive you.

And...

I know if you go to god
and ask him,

He will forgive you.

And I don't think
anyone can say it, again,

I'm speaking for myself,
not even bad for my family,

But I love you
just like anyone else.

And I'm not gonna say
I hope you rot and die

Just like my brother did,

But I see I-I, personally,
want the best for you

And I wasn't gonna ever say
this in front of my family

Or anyone, but...

I don't even want you
to go to jail.

I want the best for you.

Because I know
that's what... that's exactly

What botham want you to do,

And the best would be
give your life to christ.

I don't know if it is possible,

But can I give her
a hug, please?

Please?

Yes.

I saw surprise in her face,

And she was just in awe,
like, what is this?

It felt like
she was seeing a miracle.

And I'm trying to process
what's going on,

But at the same time, I'm like,

How would botham
feel about this?

I don't know.

I was so in awe of him

Because he showed forgiveness.

I couldn't do that.

He did what we couldn't do.

I was mortified.

This would mean this family
would be pariahs

Among the activist community
because they were out for blood.

If the family demonstrate
to the public,

"I'm not really suffering,
I'm okay.

I'm concerned
with her suffering."

Then what was
all this effort for?

Why were there millions
of people all over the world

Ready to protest?

And then, it sort of clicked
for me that if he could do it,

The person had lost the most,
like, grieved the hardest,

Then who was I
to withhold humanity from her?

Brandt's decision to hug
and express forgiveness toward

Guyger sparked
an enormous reaction,

Much of it expressed
on social media.

It was the hug heard
round the world

And everyone
was talking about brandt.

Why black people being
called upon to forgive serially?

So in other words,
we commend black people

For being moral heroes

While we declined
to treat them as human beings.

The police department
who try to use this

Very sincere act of forgiveness

As a means of buffering
their irresponsibility

To our community.

It started instantly

Just everyone on
social media saying,

You know, we supported
this family from day one

And this is how they thank us.

In that courtroom,

I said what I said
because I cared about her soul.

You know, I'm proud of
doing it and I'll do it again.

I told him I was proud of him

To get to that point.

Forgiveness is not for
the other person, it's for you.

Forgiveness is freeing.

For him to be at that stage,

I almost envy him because

He gets to...

Just be free.

And...

I'm far from that.

Well, each person
have their own opinion.

I lost my son,
none of them lost their son

Except bertrum and I.

And I even find it's different
because I bore him.

He came from my womb.

I know what I lost.

I know how it feels

To lose a child.

When I first came here,
I could see on botham's face

That he felt comfortable
being here

And he loved it so much.

I have a little home away
from home feeling.

What about you?

Not so much.

It's always bittersweet
being here

Because he's not here.

So you do feel the void.

To me, it's not
a home away from home.

Ooh, I didn't know
you were here today, hey.

- Good to see you guys.
- Hi, how are you?

Ooh.

Hi, good morning. How are you?

Good, how are you?

Well, surprise, surprise.

It's good to see everybody.

We're gonna start off
with a song.

Then we'll come back
with a prayer.

- Good morning.
- Good morning.

Hymn number 490,

"to canaan's land,
I'm on my way."

Botham was the first one
to hear it.

He heard me in the shower,

And he was like,
"you know, this song?

"'to canaan's land
I'm on my way'?

I heard you, so let's sing it."

And then, we just sang
the entire song together.

He gave me the courage to do it.

And every time my confidence
just builds,

More and more.

It reminds me
that he's always with me

And he will always be
with me no matter what.

Amen.

This is botham's suitcase
they took in dallas

With some of his clothing.

I want to feel him,
so I wear some of his clothing.

So I took only the shirts
because he's such a huge guy

And the shoes couldn't fit me.

But despite being so big,
extra large,

I still wear them
to go to church every Sunday.

So I have some
lovely colors there

And even the one on me as well.

My office is not too far away,
actually,

I can stay on to the front
of my office onto the steps

And look across there
and see this tomb.

So when I look across,

It just breaks my heart.

Not in my wildest dream,

I would ever believe
botham would be here.

I just miss him, yeah.

Yeah.

Who could...