Jurors in the Amber Guyger murder trial didn't believe the convicted murderer deserved a "harsh" sentence, which is why the former police officer received 10 years in prison rather than the recommended 28-year sentence.
"I think that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," Juror 34 told ABC News about the decision.
On Tuesday, Guyger was found guilty of murder Tuesday for fatally shooting her neighbor, 26-year-old Botham Jean, inside his own apartment in 2018. Guyger, who was working as a Dallas police officer at the time, said she had mistakenly entered Jean's home after a completing a 13-and-a-half hour shift. The woman claimed she thought the unit was her own, and that Jean was an intruder. The innocent man was sitting on his couch eating a bowl of ice cream just moments before Guyger, who was still in uniform, opened fire.
Guyger's legal team argued there was no malice in the killing, and that was simply a series of "horrible mistakes" that led her to pulling the trigger. Following her conviction on Tuesday, the woman was facing up to 99 years in prison, with prosecutors pushing for 28.
"There was a few of us crying, and I really started crying, and I was listening to some people say they agreed with 28," Juror 21 said. "I asked for a lighter sentence."
Juror 34 added: "I'm a be honest and true. I was like, 'I can't give her 28 years.'"
The jurors said they believed Botham would've forgiven Guyger, as she had demonstrated remorse.
"I don't think Botham would want to take harsh vengeance," Juror 21 told ABC News. "I didn't feel like I had any right to speak for him, and he isn't there to talk for himself, but listening to how people talked about him, I felt like he would forgive her.... They were asking us to take an eye for an eye for Botham, and I feel like he isn't someone who would take an eye for an eye. He would turn the other cheek."
Under Texas law, Guyger is eligible for parole after five years behind bars.
