Jean’s mother, Allison Jean, praised her son Brandt’s act of forgiveness but also spoke of the need for accountability and change. “Forgiveness for us as Christians is a healing for us, but…there are consequences. It does not mean that everything else we have suffered has to go unnoticed,” she said.
Allison Jean said whether she forgives is between her and God. “While we walk as Christians, we still have a responsibility to show that our city does what is right.” The investigation into Jean’s killing involved several possible missteps by authorities. “Botham was a child of God,” his mom said, “and we know he did not deserve what he got.”
Botham Jean’s Family Speaks to His Congregation
At Dallas West Church of Christ, where Botham Jean attended and led worship, Pastor Sammie L. Berry said Guyger’s conviction “lets us know that the God that we serve is still on the throne. God is still in control.” During Jean’s memorial service, Berry had said, “To the defendant, [Botham] was just a silhouette in a room. To everyone who knew Bo, he was the brightest light in the room.”
At a remembrance service for Jean at the church after Wednesday’s sentencing, his family addressed the congregation, thanking them for their support. His father, Bertrum Jean, said he wasn’t surprised by Brandt’s extension of kindness in the courtroom because “we raised him with the spirit of the Lord.” Bertrum Jean said the family doesn’t hate Guyger, and he’d even like to be her friend someday.
Jean’s father also expressed despair over losing such a “sweet boy,” saying, “Sundays are not a good day for me” anymore because that’s when he used to chat with his son on the phone. “He loved God. He loved everyone. How could this happen to him?”
Amber Guyger will be eligible for parole in five years. In the courtroom, her mother said her daughter “doesn’t have the same light or energy that she had before.” When Guyger took the stand during the trial, she said she wished she had been shot instead of Jean.
