Dallas cop who fatally shot her neighbor after claiming she thought his apartment was her own appears in court

Keith Griffith For Dailymail.com

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The Dallas police officer who claimed she thought she was in her own apartment when she fatally shot her neighbor has appeared in court.

Amber Guyger, 30, appeared in court for the second time on Tuesday, facing a murder charge in the September death of Botham Jean, 26, in their apartment complex in Dallas.

Guyger and her lawyers said nothing as they left the courthouse, obeying a judge's strict gag order that prohibits them from publicly discussing the case. 

State District Judge Tammy Kemp did not conduct a hearing in the courtroom for Guyger's 'announcement' setting, when attorneys typically speak with each other about progress in the case, and it is unclear what was discussed, the Dallas Morning News reported. 

Guyger was off duty but in uniform when she walked into Jean's apartment on September 6 and shot him dead.

She told investigators that she believed his apartment, one floor directly above her own, was her apartment, and that he was a burglar.

Jean was watching football on his couch at the time. Guyger said that his door was unlocked and ajar when she entered. 

Jean was a native of the Caribbean island of St. Lucia who worked in Dallas for an accounting and consulting firm. 

Guyger was fired from the police force following the shooting. A trial date has not yet been set in the case.

Guyger was arrested on a manslaughter charge three days after the shooting, prompting criticism that the original charge was too lenient. 

But Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said at the time that the grand jury could upgrade the charge, which it did in November.

"When you look at the facts of this case, we thought that it was murder all along," Johnson said.

After the indictment was issued, Guyger turned herself in and posted bond a second time. She had been free on bond since her arrest.

With the murder charge, she faces up to life in prison if convicted. A manslaughter charge would have brought a sentence of up to 20 years.









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