DALLAS _ Prosecutors and defense attorneys for Amber Guyger were tight-lipped Tuesday after the former Dallas police officer made a second appearance at the Dallas criminal courthouse.
Guyger, 30, is charged with murder in the killing of 26-year-old Botham Jean in his apartment in September.
Guyger walked out of the courthouse without a word, and her attorneys also stayed silent, strictly obeying a gag order in the case.
State District Judge Tammy Kemp did not conduct a hearing in the courtroom for Guyger's "announcement" setting, when attorneys typically speak with each other about progress in the case.
But the judge's gag order prohibits those involved in the criminal case _ prosecutors, defense attorneys and Guyger herself _ from publicly speaking about the case outside the courtroom.
So neither the district attorney's office nor Guyger's attorneys would say what was decided Tuesday, if anything. A similar court date will be set soon, probably in a few weeks, though court records don't yet show the date.
No trial date has been set in the case.
Guyger was off-duty Sept. 6 when she shot and killed Jean after, she told law enforcement, she arrived home at the South Side Flats apartments and mistakenly went to the wrong floor. Jean, an accountant, lived one floor above her, and Guyger told law enforcement she thought he was a burglar. She said she was able to open the door because it was unlocked and ajar.
Guyger had just finished her shift and was still in uniform. Jean, a native of St. Lucia, was watching football on his couch when Guyger arrived.
The Texas Rangers initially arrested Guyger on a manslaughter charge. But the Dallas County district attorney's office sought a murder indictment against Guyger because she intended to shoot Jean. In Texas, manslaughter is a reckless act.
Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall fired Guyger on Sept. 24 _ the same day Jean was buried in a cemetery by the sea in St. Lucia, the Caribbean island where he grew up.
A lawsuit Jean's family filed against the city and Guyger is pending in federal court. It is unlikely the civil case will go forward until the criminal case is resolved.
