Texas State Representative Carl Sherman, Sr. (D-Lancaster) announced his intent to file “Bo’s Law,” legislation in honor of Botham Jean, who was killed in his own apartment by off-duty Dallas police officer, Amber Guyger.

The bill is intended to bring more transparency and more integrity to law enforcement by amending dash cam and body cam policies, as well as legal defenses such as the castle doctrine and mistake of fact.

Read the full Dallas Morning News story below.

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State representative unveils ‘Bo’s Law’ as community celebrates #BeLikeBo day on 2nd anniversary of Botham Jean’s murder 

The bill is named after the accountant who was fatally shot in his apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer. 

By Nataly Keomoungkhoun and Dana Branham

8:15 PM on Sep 6, 2020

Texas Rep. Carl Sherman Sr. on Sunday unveiled a police reform bill he’s calling “Bo’s Law” in honor of Botham Jean, who was fatally shot two years ago in his apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer.

The bill, formally known as the Botham Jean Act, was introduced on the second anniversary of Jean’s death. The former officer, Amber Guyger, was convicted of murder Oct. 1, 2019, and is serving a 10-year prison sentence.

The bill is intended to bring more transparency and more integrity to law enforcement by amending dash cam and body cam policies, as well as legal defenses such as the castle doctrine and mistake of fact.

Guyger attorneys had tried to use the castle doctrine and mistake of fact as defenses for her actions.

The castle doctrine allows Texans to use deadly force to protect their own homes, but it only applies if a jury thinks the person’s actions were reasonable. Mistake of fact addresses when a criminal defendant acts believing that something is true when it isn’t.

Throughout her murder trial, Guyger said she thought she was in her own home when she fatally shot Jean. The jury rejected the idea that Texas’ castle doctrine applied to her.

Jason Hermus, lead prosecuter during the trial, said Sunday at a news conference with Sherman to announce plans for the legislation that changes to the castle doctrine are necessary to “assert what many of us took for granted.”

“It was a protection of the homeowner against the intruder and not intended or contemplated to be a defense for the intruder to use against an innocent homeowner,” he said.

State Rep. Nicole Collier, who also attended the news conference, said the castle doctrine is “too subjective, and it should protect the homeowner and not the intruder.”

“What if the perpetrator claims they entered your home by mistake to justify the killing of a person in their own home?” she said. “The door must be closed on any attempt to include such an argument under the castle doctrine as a means to justify killing.”

Nataly Keomoungkhoun, Engagement reporter. Nataly is the lead writer on Curious Texas. She is a D-FW native with a B.A. in emerging media and communication from the University of Texas at Dallas and an M.S. in journalism from the University of Southern California. She also likes art, a lot. [email protected]@natalykeo

Dana Branham, Breaking news reporter. Dana is a reporter at The Dallas Morning News covering crime and breaking news. She graduated in 2017 from the University of Oklahoma, where she studied journalism. Before coming to The News in 2018, Dana interned at the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Tulsa World. [email protected]danabranham

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