The Latest: Attorneys spar over ex-officer's phone messages

By Associated Press 24 September 2019, 12:00AM

DALLAS (AP) — The Latest on the trial of a former Dallas police officer charged in the shooting death of her neighbor inside his apartment (all times local):

11:04 a.m.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys in the trial of a former Dallas police officer who shot and killed her neighbor spent Monday morning arguing over whether material from her cell phone could be admitted as evidence.

A prosecutor said Amber Guyger's cellphone messages on the day that she shot and killed Botham Jean included sexually explicit exchanges with her partner from the Dallas Police Department. The prosecutor said Guyger's partner would testify in the trial.

Prosecutors argue that the messages were relevant to showing Guyger's mental state before and after the shooting, while the defense argued that the material was not relevant and could be prejudicial.

The judge is expected to rule on the issue before opening arguments begin later Monday.

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12:05 a.m.

Opening statements are set to begin in the murder trial of a white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man in his Dallas apartment

Amber Guyger is expected in a Dallas court Monday morning, where she will stand trial for the killing of 26-year-old Botham Jean last year.

The case has attracted intense national scrutiny for its strange circumstances and as one in a chain of shootings of black men by white police officers. Guyger was fired after Jean's death.

Lawyers for Guyger are likely to argue she fired in self-defense based on the mistaken belief that she was in her own apartment and Jean was a burglar.

A jury will decide whether 31-year-old Guyger committed murder, a lesser offense such as manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide, or no crime at all.

By Associated Press 24 September 2019, 12:00AM
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