Botham Jean's Family Will Unlikely Receive the $98.6 Million Payout for the Wrongful Death Suit Against the City of Dallas & Former Officer Who Took His Life

Botham Jean

The family of Botham Jean, a 26-year-old Dallas man who was killed in his home by former police officer Amber Guyger in 2018, was awarded nearly $100 million in damages from a wrongful death lawsuit.

Botham, a St. Lucia native, was killed while sitting on his couch at home after the former Dallas officer claimed she mistakenly entered the 26-year-old accountant's apartment instead of her apartment at the South Side Flats Apartment complex where they resided. The former officer claimed she mistook him for an intruder before shooting and killing him. Guyger was sentenced to ten years in prison for Botham's murder.

According to a CBS report, Guyger told investigators that she went to what she thought was her third-floor apartment and noticed the door was "ajar" and completely dark. Guyger also said she thought Botham was a burglar and gave "verbal commands that the 26-year-old didn't respond to, before she "fired her weapon, shooting him in the torso. She alleged that once she "turned on the…lights, she realized she entered the wrong apartment."

Amber Guyger. Mesquite Police Department

The Jean family never believed Guyger's narrative about the shooting. The family said Botham kept a red carpet at his doorstep to distinguish his apartment from others. Botham's sister also told CBS, "To hear that his door was open, he would never -- and have the lights off -- he would never do that," said Allisa, Botham's sister. "He was like me. He does not like the dark."

The family will unlikely see the $98.65 million they were awarded for Botham's death. According to The New York Times, the city of Dallas was dismissed from the case, leaving Guyger as the only liable party, making it impossible for her to pay the settlement amount. Taxpayers, the city, county, or insurers sometimes issue wrongful death payouts, but not in this case.

The legal team representing the Botham family (Ben Crump, Daryl Washington, Brooke Cluse, and Gabrielle Higgins, along with Romanucci & Blandin's Bhavani K. Raveendran, Antonio Romanucci, and Colton M. Johnson Taylor) issued the following statement after the civil trial.

"This verdict stands as a powerful testament to Botham's life and the profound injustice of his death. On September 6, 2018, Botham was doing nothing more than sitting in his own home, eating ice cream, when Amber Guyger –– an off-duty officer –– wrongly entered his apartment and fatally shot him. This case laid bare critical issues of racial bias and police accountability that cannot be ignored. Today's verdict sends a clear message that law enforcement officers who commit crimes cannot be insulated from the consequences of their actions."

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