Attorneys are not surprised that a Dallas jury on Tuesday found ex-police officer Amber Guyger guilty of murder in the shooting death of Botham Jean.

As jurors continue hearing testimony in the sentencing phase of the trial for Guyger, some lawyers predict that she will receive a sentence on the low end of the five to 99 years punishment range. However, one prosecutor-turned-defense lawyer expects a sentence of at least 40 years.

Guyger has maintained that she accidentally entered Botham's apartment, thinking it was her own, and shot him because she believed he was a burglar.

"I think they got it right," Dallas criminal law solo practitioner Philip Ray said about the jury's verdict. "Anything else they would have considered would have been a sympathy vote for the defendant—which I understand—but it's not legally correct in Texas. If she points the weapon and shoots the gun, it means she meant to do what she did."

Because Guyger meant to shoot Botham, and jurors determined the shooting was unjustified, it qualifies under the definition of murder in Texas law, explained Ray, a former Texas prosecutor of 10 years and current criminal-defense attorney who's board certified in criminal law.

Ray said that Guyger's defense attorneys have an option of arguing that Guyger committed her crime amid "sudden passion," meaning she shot Jean in a moment of heated emotion. If the jury agrees with that defense, it would decrease the punishment range from five to 99 years, to two to 20 years, he explained.

"I can't see less than 20," he said. "I think it's going to be over 40 because I don't think the jury is going to feel that, even though they have the option to."

Other attorneys expect a lower sentence.

The topic of Guyger's guilty verdict Tuesday was trending on Twitter, and Texas Lawyer put out a call for the thoughts and reactions of attorneys who have followed the trial.

Here's what lawyers are saying about the news on Twitter:

  • "I am normally very sympathetic to law enforcement, but if you enter an innocent person's home and shoot him dead while he's eating ice cream on his couch, then there simply must be criminal consequences. This Dallas County jury imposed those consequences. I will add that the jury now has very broad discretion in assessing punishment on Ms. Guyger, anywhere from 5 to 99 years in prison. It seems to me that given all of the unusual circumstances in this case, a sentence on the lower end of that range would be appropriate." @chris_kratovil
  • "In my view, this case was always going to turn on whether the jury believed that Guyger's mistake was reasonable. They obviously did not. With that and Guyger's admission that she intended to kill [the person who turned out to not be a burglar], the murder verdict makes sense. But I agree with @chris_kratovil that the facts of this case suggest a sentence on the low end. There's no evidence that Guyger intended to kill Botham Jean. She intended to kill a burglar, but was reckless in determining that the person in her apartment was a burglar." – @jaddmasso
  • "Should have been manslaughter w/20 yrs. She had no premeditation or willful intent." – @themarylbishop
  • "That's not how Texas law works. Neither 'premeditation' nor 'willful intent' are a part of the definition of murder in Texas." – @DefendInDallas
  • "My money was on a hung jury. This was a good result, though. I don't think it deserves to be flipped on appeal." – @WiseWyzard

Read the full conversation and contribute your tweet here: