Prosecution rests in Amber Guyger murder trial while defense team now prepares to get the former Dallas officer off

[ad_1]

Amber Guyger theGrio.com — Fired Dallas police Officer Amber Guyger visits with her attorneys before proceedings. Guyger is facing a murder charge in the 204th District Court at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas, Wednesday, September 25, 2019. Guyger shot and killed Botham Jean, an unarmed 26-year-old neighbor in his own apartment last year. She told police she thought his apartment was her own and that he was an intruder. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News/Pool)

Testimony in the Amber Guyger murder trial continued on Thursday as prosecutors continued to interview witnesses who could attest to her culpability in the death of 26-year old St. Lucian accountant, Botham Jean. The prosecution has rested its case and today, Guyger’s attorneys will have their chance to present her side of the story.

Jean, who was an unarmed Black man, was shot to death by Guyger, a former police officer, when she entered the wrong unit in their Dallas apartment building last September. Guyger was off duty at the time, but has since been fired from the police force.

Her defense team has professed that Guyger acted in self-defense after seeing Jean’s “large silhouette” (which she believed to be a burglar) as she opened the door, but the prosecution says that’s a lie.

The Dallas D.A.’s office has taken most of the week to attempt to prove that Guyger used excessive force and that Jean, who was sitting in the dark, watching television as he enjoyed a bowl of ice cream, posed to visible threat to her whatsoever.

Assistant District Attorney Jason Hermus shows Botham Jean’s door mat to the jury during his opening statement before the jury. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News/Pool)

Called to the stand today were Dallas Officer Tu Nguyen. According to the Dallas News, Nguyen’s was one of the officers on the scene who attepted to help Jean by raising his legs onto a pillow in order to move the blood back to Jean’s heart.

Texas Ranger Michael Adcock who testified that Guyger had a knife and pepper spray in her tool belt, helped to establish the idea that she had other means of stopping a potential intruder if she felt that her life was in danger. The fact that she reached and used her firearm would then not be deemed a reasonable decision.

Assistant District Attorney Jason Hermus questioned firearm/toolmark expert, April Kendrick, who provided details about the 9mm service gun Guyger used to kill Jean including projectile distance and bullet casings. This was to gain a better understanding of whether or not Jean was sitting on the couch when he was shot or standing in front of Guyger.

Independent Criminal Investigator, Michael Grice said on the stand that he collected Jean’s red front door mat three days after the shooting, and not the Dallas Police Department. This is a key piece of evidence since it was a rather huge indicator that Guyger was in front of the wrong apartment, 1478 and not 1378.

Wendy L. Wilson is the managing editor of theGrio. Follow her rants, raves, and reviews on Twitter @WendyLWilson_

[ad_2]

Source link