Asking for accountability: Parents testify during Day 2 civil trial for Botham Jean murder

By Julia James
Dallas Morning News
Reprinted – by Texas Metro News

Ex-Dallas cop Amber Guyger has waived her right to appear during federal court proceeding.

Between $12 million and $24 million — that’s how much a financial expert estimates the Jean family is entitled to for their losses after the 2018 murder of their son and brother by a former Dallas police officer.

Testimony continued Tuesday in the civil trial against Amber Guyger, brought by the family of Botham Jean shortly after his killing. The suit alleges she used excessive force and violated his constitutional rights, something attorneys have sought to prove this week in the federal court proceeding through expert testimony, depositions of current and former DPD officers and video footage from that night.

Guyger waived her right to participate in the trial, per court filings, and did not appear in court Monday or Tuesday.

Guyger mistook Botham Jean’s apartment for her own on Sept. 6, 2018, and fatally shot the 26-year-old accountant, believing he was a burglar. Guyger was subsequently fired from the Dallas Police Department and later found guilty of murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Stan Smith, a forensic economist, presented his findings Tuesday of Botham’s potential earnings, adjusted for expenditures. This ranged from $1.8 million to $13.5 million for his entire career, with the estimates varying based on the position he achieved in the accountancy field. Smith also estimated Botham’s family is entitled to $6 million for his loss of life and about $2.2 million per parent for their loss of relationship.

Daryl Washington, an attorney for the family, clarified to The Dallas Morning News that those figures do not include punitive damages.

Botham’s parents, Bertrum and Allison, both testified Tuesday — tearfully at times — about how the loss of their son had affected them.

Bertrum spoke first, describing their passion for discussing sermons and scripture, their love of cricket and how much Botham enjoyed his cooking.He described his son as “formidable” and very giving with his time and knowledge.

He said he retired early because he struggled to focus after the loss, adding he still has trouble sleeping and believes he might still be in denial.

“How could this have happened to him?” Bertrum said he remembers thinking. “He was such a wonderful young man.”

Bertrum cried as he described collecting his son’s dress shirts from his apartment. They didn’t fit him, as he’s much slimmer than his son was, but he had them tailored so he would be able to wear something of Botham’s.

Allison said she wasn’t usually a crier, but after Botham’s killing, every little thing brought her to tears. She described the anxiety she’s struggled with, worrying for the safety of her other children and having difficulty being on airplanes.

She said her son was “like an old man in a young man’s body,” describing his love of discussing politics and religion. The night before he was killed, they spent over an hour on the phone and she told him she had just re-enrolled in her PhD program.

Allison said Botham had always encouraged her not to give up on her doctorate and when she told him, Botham said how she inspired him.

“Looking back at that last conversation, it felt as if Botham was saying goodbye, and I didn’t realize it,” she said.

She also spoke of desiring accountability.

“I wanted the person who took his life to see what it meant to us,” she said.

Correction, 7:16 p.m., Nov. 20, 2024: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled the name of Bertrum Jean, father of Botham Jean.