U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry, who was sentenced last year for murdering a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020, was pardoned by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday, freeing him from a 25-year prison sentence.
KEY FACTS
Abbott issued a proclamation pardoning Perry, who will be released from prison and have his right to own a gun restored.
Abbott’s announcement followed a unanimous recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles that Perry be pardoned, allowing the governor to follow through on his previous intentions to pardon Perry after his conviction in 2022.
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Perry was convicted of fatally shooting Garrett Foster, a 28-year-old Air Force veteran who was participating in a racial justice protest in Texas following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police.
Perry drove his car into a protesting crowd and was approached by Foster, who was legally carrying an AK-47—Foster motioned Perry to lower his car window before Perry fatally shot him and drove away.
SURPRISING FACT
Abbott has rarely issued pardons, granting three in 2023, two in 2022 and eight in 2021—most of which were for lower-level offenses, The Texas Tribune reported.
KEY BACKGROUND
Perry argued he fired at Foster in self-defense, as a major point of contention in the case revolved around whether Foster raised his rifle at Perry. Prosecutors scrutinized multiple social media posts from Perry during his murder case, citing one Facebook post a month before the shooting where he said, “It is official I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo.” Perry’s attorney, Douglas O’Connell, argued his social media activity was taken out of context, arguing that even though some of the posts were “disgusting,” others were “dark humor” or “barracks humor.” Perry’s case caught the attention of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who urged Abbott to pardon the Sergeant after his April 2022 conviction.
www.forbes.com
