HOUSTON — It’s the powerful moment during the Amber Guyger trial that left many people speechless.
Botham Jean’s brother, Brandt, asked the judge for permission to do something unexpected.
“I don’t know if this is possible, but can I give her a hug, please?” Brandt Jean said.
The emotional moment left the Dallas courtroom speechless and in tears.
The two hugging for a long time after Botham’s little brother told Guyger her forgave her.
The embrace came during a part of the sentencing phase where the victim’s family has a chance to talk directly to the person convicted of killing their loved one.
It’s called a victim impact statement.
RELATED: 'I forgive you': Botham Jean's brother, Amber Guyger embrace following witness impact statement
Andy Kahan, director of victim services with Houston Crime Stoppers, said there is no universal way to do it nor should there be. Kahan has sat through countless murder trials over his 27-year career but has never seen anything like that.
He said the unforgettable moment is a small inside look at what victims’ families go through.
“It can galvanize not just the city of Dallas, not the state of Texas, but the entire country as to what victims’ families have to endure,” Kahan said. “The pain, the grief, and the agony they go through.”
He said every victim impact statement is different.
“Whatever you want to say, you say it. There’s some that are going to blast the defendant and just tell them off and others like yesterday will embrace and forgive,” he said.
Kahan said the opportunity for families to address their loved ones’ killers started in Houston.
“I remember it vividly. He was saying, ‘Look at me. Look at me. Turn around and look at me,'" Kahan said of the trial for the murders of 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Peña who stumbled upon a gang initiation in 1993 before being raped, beaten and strangled.
Six people were convicted.
Jennifer’s father, Randy, was given a chance to talk directly to his daughter’s killers.
“Randy was allowed to vent, and he had a lot of bottled up pain and frustration," Kahan said. “And obviously now it benefits so many victims’ families because he set the tone.”
Kahan said the trailblazing moment set a tone for future trials and for families who feel like that want to be part of the system. He said allowing the families of victims to talk during a trial was a statute that was passed into law but no one ever used it before.
In addition, Kahan said the Ertman/Peña case set precedent to allow victims’ families to witness executions.