On Friday, Botham Jean's 18-year-old brother spoke for the first time since he grabbed national attention for the emotional moment during victim impact statements, when he embraced his brother's killer.
At the event Friday, Brandt Jean told reporters he never planned to speak at the sentencing but changed his mind at the last minute and took the stand. He said he had no idea cameras were still rolling.
"Not knowing the attention it would get, I said what I had to say. I meant what I said, and I thank God I got the courage to say it," Brandt Jean said.
Brandt Jean addressed the former officer directly from the witness stand, saying that his brother would have wanted her to turn her life over to Christ, and that if she asked God for forgiveness, she would get it.
"I love you as a person. I don't wish anything bad on you," he said, before asking the judge, "I don't know if this is possible, but can I give her a hug?"
The judge said OK, and Brandt and Guyger stood up, met in front of the bench and embraced while Guyger cried.
Lee Merritt, a lawyer representing the family, said Friday that moments before he took the stand and delivered the hug seen around the world, Brandt Jean said he would have no comment.
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"Two minutes later he was in the witness box, speaking his heart, to the person who murdered his brother. It showed incredible bravery, but it wasn't something done for show and I think that's the reason it's connected so well all over the country," Merritt said.
With the trial now concluded, the Jean family said they are heading back to their home in St. Lucia.
