Judge Says She “Couldn’t Refuse” Amber Guyger A Hug At Sentencing

The judge in Amber Guyger’s murder trial said she couldn’t refuse Guyger a hug.

There has been an enormous amount of emotion felt nationwide in regards to the death and trial of Botham Jean. Guyger, his killer, was sentenced to just 10 years in prison. Following the sentencing, Judge Tammy Kemp was seen sharing a hug with Guyger, as well as volunteering a Bible to the former Dallas police officer. The hug made headlines, and Kemp received much backlash, but now she’s speaking out against the naysayers.

“Following my own convictions, I could not refuse that woman a hug. I would not,” Kemp told the Associated Press in an interview published Monday. “And I don’t understand the anger,” Kemp said this was the first time she’d ever given a defendant a Bible because Guyger didn’t have one. Since the controversial hug, a complaint was filed against the judge over her gesture, saying it was amounted to proselytizing.

“It violates a vital constitutional principle for a sitting judge to promote personal religious beliefs while acting in her official capacity,” the Freedom From Religion Foundation argued in its complaint to the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct. “She was in a government courtroom, dressed in a judicial robe, with all of the imprimatur of the state, including armed law enforcement officers, preaching to someone who was quite literally a captive audience, and even instructing her on which bible verses to read!” the filing stated.

Kemp said she acted appropriately during the proceedings, according to AP, and she said Guyger changed for the better during the trial. “She asked me if I thought that God could forgive her, and I said, ‘Yes, God can forgive you and has,’” Kemp said. “If she wanted to start with the Bible, I didn’t want her to go back to the jail and to sink into doubt and self-pity and become bitter,” she added. “Because she still has a lot of life ahead of her following her sentence, and I would hope that she could live it purposefully.” Guyger will be eligible for parole in five years.