Closing Arguments End In Trial Of Former Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger

Guyger is accused of murdering Botham Jean, whom she shot and killed in his own apartment. Guyger says she thought he was a burglar in her apartment.

By Kristen Cabrera & Joy DiazSeptember 30, 2019 2:40 pm, ,

The trial of Amber Guyger continued Monday morning. The former Dallas police officer is charged with the murder of Botham Jean, whom Guyger shot and killed in Jean’s Dallas apartment in 2018. The Dallas Morning News reports the defense rested its case Monday morning. Closing arguments from the prosecution and the defense ended Monday afternoon.

Dana Branham is a breaking-news reporter for The Dallas Morning News who’s been covering the Guyger trial. She says now that both sides have made their cases, it’s unclear how long the rest of the trial will take.

“Closing arguments may be coming soon, and then it will be up to the jury how long it goes from there,” Branham says.

[Update 2:25 p.m. CDT: Closing arguments have ended, and the jury is now deliberating.]

Branham says she thinks Dallas residents are watching the case closely, especially since the trial has been streamed live online.

“I think people have been very tuned in,” she says. “I think people have a lot of questions. Since the case was so high profile since it began, I think people are keeping a very close eye on it.”

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– The extent to which race was a factor in Guyger’s trial

– What happened during earlier trial proceedings last week

– How Guyger’s demeanor was notable during her testimony

– How prosecutors homed in on certain inconsistencies in Guyger’s testimony

 

Written by Kristen Cabrera.