Judge Rules Jury Can Consider Castle Doctrine In Amber Guyger Murder Trial [View all]

[WhiskeyGrinder]

https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/09/30/jury-consider-castle-doctrine-amber-guyger-murder-trial/

Guyger is accused of murdering Botham Jean inside his own apartment last year. The former Dallas police officer claims she mistook her neighbor’s unit for hers and shot Jean thinking he was a burglar. After abbreviated testimony on Saturday, defense attorneys rested their case first thing Monday morning.

During a session, outside of the presence of the jury, defense attorneys and prosecutors argued over the language of the instructions the judge with provide to jurors. It was during this session that Judge Tammy Kemp ruled the jury can consider the Castle Doctrine during deliberations.

The Castle Doctrine, similar to the Stand Your Ground Law, allows a person to use “or using force (even deadly force) in the protection of a home, vehicle, or other property if someone attempts to forcibly enter or remove an individual from the premises.

The Judge also ruled that jurors may consider manslaughter when sentencing Guyger.