The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - A Look Back at the Botham Jean Murder Verdict on the Two-Year Anniversary of His Death

Episode Date: September 6, 2020

In this segment from 2018, Trevor discusses the sentencing of ex-cop Amber Guyger for killing Botham Jean in his own home and the verdict's complex emotional aftermath. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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If you've been keeping up the news, you've probably seen the story coming out of Texas that's blown up. And it's been taking place for a while, it's been the trial of the police officer Amber Geiger. I don't know if you saw that? The police officer who said she accidentally walked into a man's apartment in her building, and then she thought that he was the intruder and she shot him dead. And I remember when the story happened, it was a wild story off the bat. It was, you know what I mean? Because it was already crazy. It's like you walk into a wrong apartment

and you shot the person, what were you doing? What, you know? And so the trial has been going on. And the first thing that was a little weird for me was the judge allow the defense that she was protecting herself because she thought it was her house, which already was weird to me. Because the cost of doctrine is like a very strict law in America, but I mean, I get it fundamentally.

If you're in your house, you can do whatever you need to protect yourself. But this was interesting where the judge was like, no, we allow the defense that you thought you you, you, you, you, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, tho, the, tho, tho, tho, the the tho, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, they, their, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, the the the the the the the the th....... th. th. th. th. thi, thi, the the the the the the the the the they, the, the, the, the, the, the your house, so you shot somebody in their house. And there I was just like, but it's not your house. Because then you can just think you're in your house anywhere. Like it's just, it's, so already that was weird. And you know, I was worried. I honestly was worried. This was going to be another one of then the verdict was handed down and the jury did find her guilty.

But what has followed since has been a really interesting story. And we actually have a clip. It's a really complicated story, but this is basically what went down. The white, former Dallas police officer, convicted of murdering her black neighbor has learned her fate. Yesterday, Amber Geiger was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder of Botham Jean. But it was what John's brother did after the sentencing that brought the court to a standstill. Can I give her a hug, please?

18-year-old Brandt Jean forgave Amber Geiger, who just been sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing his older brother Botham. At the end of the hearing, Judge Tammy Kemp gave a Bible to Geiger and embraced her as well. Amber Geiger will be eligible for parole in five years. Some outside the courtroom thought the sentence was too lenient. So that's basically the story as it stands. And it's interesting, because I sat with this story and I talked to my friends about it,

and it's so funny how many, you know, like how many complicated feelings they are in and around it. First and foremost, a thousand kudos and just like, honestly, I admire the compassion of the Jean family. At the same time, though, I understood why so many people were angered by that moment, because this thing has really, you know, blown up online. People saying like, they were angry that she was getting hugs from the judge, and they're angry that she was getting hugs from the family. And some people, it would like, a lot, a thi, a thi, a thi, a thi, a thi, a thi, a thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thoomorrow, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, thi, thi, th..... I, th. I, th. I, th. I, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. And, theea. And, thea. And, thea. And, thea. thea. And, thea. And, thea. And, thea. And, thea getting hugs from the family. And some people, like a lot of people are fighting about this right now,

because they're like, why were they hugging her? She murdered a man, why is she getting hugs? And the other side is like, yes, but they're forgiving her. She still goes to jail, but it's about forgiveness. And I just, I sat with it, and I have conflicting feelings, but I think I understand what is happening in so, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, ways with how people are looking at the story. On the one hand, you can't deny that people feel like 10 years, five actually is not a lot of time to be given for taking another human being's life,

especially if you found guilty of murder. Do you know what I mean? Like there's people in jail in America for doing far lesser crimes, you know, whether they've been charged with drug trafficking where they just had a certain amount of drugs and the were assumed to be drug traffickers or, you know, people where they said it was violent crimes and it was assault, but they're spending more time in jail. And then this seems like another case of the system

preferring a certain type of person who looks a certain type of way, who fits a certain their magic, you know? Because like that's, I mean, you know the myth, is like white women tears, just like anything. Like traffic stops anything, white woman cries and people are like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

And it's true. And it's trars, you know, where it'll be like, you'll be, everyone looks at the clan, everyone forgets that there's like wives of the clan. Do you know what I mean? People like, those clan, and then like the wives can tell us, you be like, I didn't know my husband. It's like, you helped him put the sheet on every night. I'm sorry. And that's what a lot of people feel like in these instances. They feel like those white tears are really felt,

whereas the tears of many other people, people of different races, people of other genders aren't felt as much. And I think, you know, that like all of it stems from the conversations in and around race in America. You can't avoid it. People are looking at a story of a white woman who shot a black th th. th th, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, thi thi, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like the white the white thi, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like the white, like the white, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, the the the black the black the black the black the black the black the black the black the black the black thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the white, the white, the white, the white, the conversations in and around race in America. You can't avoid it. People are looking at a story of a white woman who shot a black man in his house, who did nothing, it's just in his house.

And people were angry, and I understand why so many people are angry, because they're like she doesn't deserve hugs. She deserves to lose her life the way she took a life. And I'm not speaking for everybody. I thi th for myself and some of my friends, but I feel like the anger actually comes from people feeling like that is the level of empathy everybody should receive in a court. You know, everybody should have a judge look at them like a human being.

Everybody in society should be treated with a level of compassion. They should still be punished if they've committed a crime, but we should still look at them as human beings. And yet, this narrative doesn't seem to be afforded to black people in America, especially by the news. Because if you look at all the news stories about this, they do paint it's like, they go, it's a beautiful editorial when a young black child is going to jail. You know, they don't go, this young black man who was recruited into a gang and and had no other choices, look at this poor, they just go like he was sentenced

and he was found guilty and that's the story. As if that's if the white person who commits a crime and goes to jail, and that's like, that is what a disaster story. It's almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost almost, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's almost, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's, it's, it's th, it's this, it's this, it's this, it's this, it's this, it, it, it's, it, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it, it, it, it, it's, it, it, it, it, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's this, it's this, it's this, it's th, it's tho, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, thi, this this this this this this this tho, well that's what black people do. But if you're a white person who commits a crime and goes to jail, it's like, oh man, what a disaster story. They tell you about the human being behind the act. This story showed you the exact opposite example. This young black man was doing his own thing, he got shot. He got shot.

They told you that he had a history with weed. The news told you that, why? They always tell you that this man was shot in a traffic stop. Now he did have an assault case ten years, what does that have to do with this traffic stop? You know what I mean? What was the cop traveling through time to punishing him? What is that? And I think that's what people need to understand is that happening in the world are so much more powerful than we actually think they are. You think it's just on the surface, but what a lot of people are seeing here is a reinforcing of an idea. But I think the mistake we shouldn't make as people is that we shouldn't necessarily jump to, we want people like Amber Geiger to spend more time in jail,

and the most time in jail and the most time in jail, I think what we should be asking is for the same level of compassion and saying, hey, I don't want anyone to spend excessive amounts of time in jail. And so the same way a white shooter is disarmed peacefully, the same way a white murderer can get a hug in a courtroom and sympathy, the same way a young shooter has spoken about as a human being because he is white, you would hope that same way a young shooter has spoken about as a human being because he is white, you would hope that same level of compassion and empathy would be applied to black people. That's what it is. The Daily Show with Covernoa, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show with Cove Noa,

ears edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible.

I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts, starting September 17.