DALLAS — The family of Botham Jean spoke out in support of a Dallas County grand jury's decision Friday to indict fired Dallas officer Amber Guyger on a murder charge.
Allison Jean, who's been vocal on the case since her son's death in September, said she encourages the community to continue to push for justice and a proper penalty.
"I truly believe that she inflicted tremendous evil on my son," she said of Guyger. "He didn't deserve it. He was seated in his own apartment, and he was violated by her coming in and murdering him."
Guyger, a four-year veteran Dallas officer, claimed she mistook Botham's apartment for her own when she shot him at the South Side Flats on South Lamar Street. Guyger was arrested on a manslaughter charge, but she now faces a murder charge.
Botham's father, Bertrum Jean, said that they have been praying for Guyger to reflect on her actions.
"We also pray for Amber that she will recognize what she's put us through and our family, and the entire world," he said. "Everyone has been touched. So many folks have been touched by this incident."
"We really are just not happy, but we take consolation, and we take comfort at this time with this result. We go back to our homeland with much grief," he said.
A 26-year-old young accountant, Botham worked in Dallas, but his family was from St. Lucia, where they held his funeral services. His family has been traveling back and forth from their home in St. Lucia to Dallas since his death, which has garnered worldwide attention.
In an earlier interview with WFAA, his parents said the journey to justice takes time.
“Because fundamentally, I am not angry," Allison Jean said. "I am hurt. I am sad. What happened to my son is painful, but I'm not ready to kill for it."