DALLAS _ Former Dallas cop Amber Guyger has a court appearance Tuesday in the murder case against her for killing 26-year-old Botham Jean in his own apartment.
It's unclear whether state District Judge Tammy Kemp will hold a hearing in the courtroom. For Guyger's first appearance Jan. 8, the judge met with attorneys in her chambers while Guyger was elsewhere in the courthouse.
The judge issued a gag order that prohibits those involved in the criminal case _ prosecutors, defense attorneys, Guyger _ from publicly speaking about the case outside the courtroom.
No trial date has been set.
Guyger shot and killed Jean on Sept. 6 while off duty 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 she 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.
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.
