Posted on 09/24/2019 8:31:35 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
DALLAS - The second day of testimony in the murder trial for former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger started out with audio and video evidence from the night she shot her upstairs neighbor.
Guyger is charged with murder for the death of 26-year-old Botham Jean in September of Jean last year.
She claims the shooting was accidental. She told police she went into Jean’s apartment thinking it was her own and shot him because she thought he was an intruder.
The state’s first witness Tuesday morning was the 911 call taker who received Guyger’s call. Guyger listened and occasionally wiped away tears as her 911 call was played in court.
“Oh my God, I thought it was my apartment. F***!,” she says on the call.
“I thought it was my apartment,” she repeats over and over.
Jurors also saw graphic body camera video from Officer Michael Lee. He was one of the first officers to arrive on the scene the night of the shooting.
The video shows Lee running up four flights of stairs and through hallways to find Guyger in Jean’s apartment.
“I thought it was my apartment,” Gugyer frantically repeats once the officer arrives.
In the video, Lee gives Jean CPR, trying heroic efforts to keep him alive until paramedics arrive.
“Come on, Chief!” he yells repeated.
As the trial began Monday, the state showed the jury explicit text messages and talked about Snapchats Guyger sent to her police partner Martin Rivera that night in September 2018.
She also spent 16 minutes on the phone with him on her way home. She then parked on the wrong floor at the Southside Flats and went into Jean’s apartment instead of her own.
Prosecutors also said Guyger missed several other cues that she was on the wrong floor including a bright red door mat outside Jean’s door and the smell of marijuana in his apartment.
After the shooting, Guyger called 911 and continued sending Rivera messages. One stated, “I need you.” Guyger and Rivera deleted their messages after the shooting, prosecutors said.
Guyger’s said argued what happened that night was just an unfortunate set of circumstances that led to Jean’s untimely death.
“She's thinking. ‘Oh, my God. There's an intruder in my apartment’ and she's face-to-face with him. She's within ten yards of him and he starts approaching her. And she reacts like any police officer would, who has a gun with confronting a burglary suspect,” said Robert Rogers, Gugyer’s defense attorney.
Prosecution is doing a good job of pointing out the differences in the apartment compared to Amber's apartment.
She walked into this guys apartment and shot him dead. Murder. Case closed.
There was something between them. It was a hit.
Not buying her story.
I’m no lawyer, but I’m pretty sure that an accused criminal’s own statements of self-interest — in this case, the defendant’s claim that she entered the wrong apartment “by mistake” — really carry no weight as evidence in a court of law.
So far the prosecution is pointing out things we already knew.
NONE of it proves or even suggests that Amber decided to (on purpose) park on the wrong floor and walk into Botham Jean’s apartment with the INTENT to commit MURDER.
If it was a "hit", why did she call and report it to the police?
I’m assuming they offered her s lesser charge with some prison time and she went for the acquittal route
Risky....very
I wonder if the jury can opt to convict on lesser charges?
“”So far the prosecution is pointing out things we already knew.””
Yesterday, the prosecution pointed out that Amber’s long day at work involved mostly sitting on her butt.
Yesterday, the prosecution pointed out the text messages and phone calls with her cop lover arranging a hookup that night because she was horny.
“” the defendant’s claim that she entered the wrong apartment
It’s a mistake of fact, a defense, and is why she won’t be convicted. Murder is an overcharge.””
The prosecution is pointing out the fact that Amber the cop violated many police protocols when she entered apartment.
As the trial began Monday, the state showed the jury explicit text messages and talked about Snapchats Guyger sent to her police partner Martin Rivera that night in September 2018.
Are all police partners sleeping together?
As the trial began Monday, the state showed the jury explicit text messages and talked about Snapchats Guyger sent to her police partner Martin Rivera that night in September 2018.
Are all police partners sleeping together?
Conspiracy theories are reassuring. They make us think there's a reason for things, rather than just random fate. So we want to believe that this was some kind of elaborate plan that could only happen to the victim, rather than bad luck that could happen to any of us.
Why didn't they charge manslaughter?
She intentionally pulled the trigger.
L
“”Murder is an overcharge.””
A man’s home is his castle.
She was a cop who was trained to NOT enter the apartment under the circumstances.
Amber is being appropriately charged with murder.
Giving objective benefit of the doubt, it very well could have been as she says and a real true mistake could have happened. But her not making an attempt to first “apprehend” rather than shooting to kill is a good question, even if it had been her own apartment.
Well she's guilty of something like that for sure.
How long was she in the “wrong apartment” before she opened fire?
Seriously, how many seconds does it take before you realize you’re in the wrong place?
I lived on the 3rd floor of an apartment once, and in my haste I ran up the stairs and went into the 2nd floor apartment. It took me about 3-4 seconds before I realized my mistake. The occupant was staring at me in shock and disbelief.... was pretty embarrassing.
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