Amber Guyger: What We Know About Her Parole

Video · 3:32 · Watch on YouTube

Is Amber Guyger out of prison? On Oct. 1, 2026, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles approved parole for Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer convicted of murder on Oct. 1, 2019, for the Sept. 6, 2018 shooting of Botham Jean, 26, in his own apartment. She was sentenced to 10 years. State records show the approval but no scheduled release date as of Oct. 2, 2026, and list the end of her sentence as Sept. 29, 2029: parole means serving the remainder under supervision. Botham Jean's family opposed parole and asked that the full sentence be served.

What's confirmed

1. Sept. 6, 2018Botham Jean, 26, is shot in his Dallas apartment by Guyger, then an off-duty Dallas officer. She testified she believed it was her own apartment. AP; CBS Texas
2. Oct. 1, 2019a Dallas County jury convicts her of murder. Prosecutors asked for at least 28 years; the jury gave 10 (sentenced Oct. 2, 2019, case F-1800737-Q). TDCJ record; AP
3. Nov. 7, 2022appeals end when the U.S. Supreme Court denies review, No. 22-5019. Supreme Court docket
4. Sept. 2024she becomes eligible for parole; the board denies it in Oct. 2024. TDCJ record; NBC News
5. Nov. 20, 2024a federal jury awards Botham Jean's family $98.65 million in a civil case. CBS Texas; The Dallas Morning News
6. March 2026the family sues the City of Dallas to make it pay; the suit is pending. The city says it does not comment on pending litigation. CBS Texas
7. Oct. 1, 2026parole approved. The board cited no documented pattern of violent arrests or convictions, a "satisfactory institutional adjustment," and completed programs. The state's record shows "Approved on 10/01/2026" and code FI-1: release on parole supervision as soon as eligible. TDCJ Parole Review; CBS Texas
8. The family's attorney says they are deeply disappointed; the family asked for privacy. Guyger's attorney says she has been remorseful. CBS Texas; WFAA

What we don't know

• When she will be released, or under what parole conditions. The state has not said; its record says she is not scheduled for release.
• Whether the City of Dallas must pay the judgment. A Dallas County court will decide.

What happens next

The state's inmate record is the place a release date will appear: https://inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/ We will post an UPDATE here when one is set.

Sources

1. Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice, Parole Review Primary recordinmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/reviewDetail.action?sid=13546830&tdcj=02283505&fullName=GUYGER%2CAMBER+RENEE
2. Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice, inmate record Primary recordinmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/viewDetail.action?sid=13546830
3. U.S. Supreme Court docket 22-5019 Primary recordsupremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/22-5019.html
4. CBS Texas Reportingcbsnews.com/texas/news/amber-guyger-parole-botham-jean-dallas-texas-oct-1-2026/
5. NBC News Reportingnbcnews.com/news/us-news/amber-guyger-ex-dallas-police-officer-granted-parole-botham-jean-murde-rcna600983
6. AP via PBS NewsHour Reportingpbs.org/newshour/nation/former-cop-who-fatally-shot-botham-jean-in-apartment-that-she-mistook-for-hers-gets-parole
7. NBC DFW Reportingnbcdfw.com/news/local/amber-guyger-paroled-7-years-after-the-murder-of-botham-jean/4085406/
8. WFAA via Yahoo Reportingyahoo.com/news/us/articles/amber-guygers-attorney-says-shes-022309574.html
9. CBS Texas, civil verdict Reportingcbsnews.com/texas/news/amber-guyger-civil-lawsuit-dallas-botham-jean/
10. Guyger was convicted and her appeals are over; parole is supervised release, not a pardon. Weekly cases, free Reportingundercurrentdaily.substack.com
11. Corrections: corrections@undercurrentdaily.com

Spot an error? Email corrections@undercurrentdaily.com. See our corrections policy. Have information about this case? Contact the investigating agency first.

Part of What We Know: open cases, confirmed facts only · YouTube playlist