In a small Dallas courtroom this week, two things happened: justice was served and grace was given.
A jury convicted former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger of first degree murder for shooting Botham Jean, a young black man whose apartment she had mistakenly entered. Guyger’s actions are inexcusable. Certainly, Guyger had been exhausted from a full shift on duty, distracted by an ongoing affair that was emotionally draining, and understandably confused by what she believed was an intruder in her home. Except it wasn’t her home, it was Jean’s. She reacted by shooting him in his own apartment, then failed to resuscitate him. She will now serve 10 years behind bars.
Guyger’s irresponsibility and negligence cost a man his life, but her actions will not be without consequences, thanks to the Dallas jury. And as National Review’s David French noted, the jury’s verdict wasn’t just an act of justice, it was a “vital correction to a culture that has sometimes allowed men and women in uniform to abide by a lower standard of behavior than applies to the average citizen of the United States.”
Guyger’s trial was just, but it was also merciful. Indeed, grace abounded in that courtroom in a way few of us will ever see again. And it came from none other than Jean’s brother, who, as he took the stand, put forgiveness ahead of his grief and mercy before justice.
“How much you’ve taken from us, I think you know that,” he said. “If you truly are sorry, I know I can speak for myself, I forgive you. And I know if you go to God and ask him, he will forgive you. And I don’t think anyone can sit — again I’m speaking for myself, but I love you just like anyone else. And I’m not gonna say I hope you rot and die just like my brother did. But I personally want the best for you.
“And I wasn’t gonna ever say this in front of my family or anyone, but I don’t even want you to go to jail,” Brandt Jean continued. “I want the best for you. Because I know that’s exactly what Botham would want you to do. And the best would be give your life to Christ. I think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing Botham would want you to do. Again I love you as a person, and I don’t wish anything bad on you,” he said before embracing Guyger.
It was a stunning testament to Jean’s faith and the importance of mercy in a justice system that is too often plagued by bitterness and resentment. Guyger will rightly serve her sentence for what she’s done, but she will do so at least with the knowledge that she has been freely forgiven.
In that courtroom, tragedy became an opportunity for mercy. May Brandt Jean be an example for us all, one of faith and love in a world that so desperately needs both.
