After days of deliberation, a jury recently found Amber Guyger guilty of murdering Botham Jean and sentenced her to 10 years in prison. As expected, many felt that the sentence was too light, while even more have been disturbed by the outpouring of support she has received from Jean’s family—and she just got a lot more.
Following the shock of seeing Botham Jean’s younger brother, Brendt Jean, embrace her after she was sentenced, Amber Guyger was also embraced by the judge in the case who gifted her with her own personal bible. Now, @theGrio reports that Botham Jean’s father, Bertram Jean, is apparently on the same path of forgiveness as his son because he recently stated that he would like to be “friends” with Guyger at some point in the future.
While speaking with the media just after the sentencing, Bertram spoke about how his family’s strong Christian beliefs are the main reason why young Brendt was able to offer Guyger such a lengthy embrace despite her killing his older brother. “I’m not really surprised because we know how we raised him..the Holy Spirit was working,” he said. However, Bertram hopes to go one step further and establish a friendship with Guyger, saying of her, “I’d like to become your friend at some point. I think I have the ability to do it and I would like to be a friend despite my loss. That’s why we are Christians.”
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Allison Jean, Botham’s mother, echoed the family sentiment of forgiveness, stating:
“Forgiveness for us as Christians is healing for us, but like my husband said, there are consequences. I will leave my forgiveness to Amber to myself.”
The Jean family’s attitude towards Amber Guyger and her sentencing is a direct contrast to the angry protests that occurred just outside the courtroom, as several local activists expressed that Guyger merely received a slap on the wrist for her crime. As a response, the Jean family wants people to support Botham Jean’s legacy through a recently-created foundation in his honor.
Roommates, what are your thoughts on this?
