*The killing of Botham Jean by white, female, off-duty police officer Amber Guyger will be explored in the new season of Discovery’s “Impact of Murder” set to air on Thursday (Sept. 10).
Here’s more from the press release:
Season two of IMPACT OF MURDER kicks off with a heart wrenching two-hour episode on Botham Jean with “The Ballad of Botham Jean,” airing on Thursday, September 10 from 9-11 p.m. EDT/PDT on Investigation Discovery. Jean was shot in 2018 inside his Dallas apartment by white, female, off-duty police officer Amy Guyger. Guyger claimed she shot Botham because she thought she had entered her own home, and he was a trespassing burglar. Like many controversial police killings of minorities, Botham’s murder sparked national outrage.
As a family mourned, the murder ignited protests from Black Lives Matter activists and sparked a media frenzy. This senseless tragedy is retold by those closest to the case with gripping, emotional accounts from Jean’s family, including his mother, Allison Jean; father Bertrum Jean; sister, Allisa Charles-Findley; as well as those who worked with the family to bring justice to Botham, including lawyer Lee Merritt and prosecutor Jason Hermus. Perhaps the most heartrending account comes from 18-year-old Brandt Jean, who mourns Botham’s death while wrestling with his anger against his brother’s killer. His request for a courtroom embrace of his brother’s murderer, Guyger, displayed an astonishing act of forgiveness and inflamed worldwide, polarizing reactions.
READ MORE: Amber Guyger’s Lawyers File Appeal for Lesser Charge Following Murder Conviction of Botham Jean
The emotional episode comes amid continued unrest over police killings of Black Americans.
“I have to admit it was tough to relive my son’s horrible murder,” said Allison Jean. “However, this is an important story. I want people to know how good my son was, and how senseless his death was.”
Meanwhile, Amber Guyger is currently serving a 10 year prison term in Texas but her defense team has filing an appeal to overturn her 2019 murder conviction, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Guyger’s lawyer argues that because she thought Jean was an intruder, it justifies her use of deadly force.
“The evidence was legally insufficient to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Guyger committed murder because (1) through mistake, Guyger formed a reasonable belief about a matter of fact — that she entered her apartment and there was an intruder inside — and (2) her mistaken belief negated the culpability of 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,” court documents read.
Guyger’s legal team previously argued that the layout of the complex where they both lived was confusing. She lived directly above Jean, on the fourth floor.
Season two of “Impact for Murder” kicks off Thursday at 9 on ID.
