Amber Guyger faced 10 years in jail the same day I walked into the wrong apartment

How a knee-jerk reaction killed someone’s child

Photo credit: Pixabay

I am one of the only people I know who enjoys jury duty. I think it’s important for a diverse group of peers to sit in on criminal and civil trials so people get a fair shot at telling their sides of the story. But I would have been a horrendous juror for the defense team in the Amber Guyger trial in which the former Dallas, Texas officer shot and killed 26-year-old Botham Jean. According to her own testimony, she believed Jean had broken into her own apartment, which was on a different floor. In reality, she’d broken into his home — with “1478” plain as day on it.

Recommended Read: “The trial that I recalled from #TalkAboutBias”

I just couldn’t buy into her story. I have had nine total mailing addresses, primarily due to college and work-related moves. And I have never gone to the wrong door in any of those addresses. Even if I ignore that there was a red doormat in front of Jean’s apartment, my skepticism was a bit simpler. If I had a blackout in my apartment right now, I’d know where every single piece of furniture, artwork and even my dishes were. I know where I live.

On top of that, simply looking at the floor and numbers on the door would tell me where I was. I’d never tried to open the wrong door — until I did.