Texas governor pardons man convicted of BLM murder

Daniel Perry enters the courtroom at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in Austin, Texas — This marks the first time in decades "a Texas governor has pardoned someone for a serious violent crime, let alone murder"

(Image credit: ay Janner / Austin American-Statesman / AP / Pool)

What happened

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) on Thursday granted a full pardon to Daniel Perry, a former U.S. Army sergeant sentenced to 25 years in jail in 2023 for fatally shooting protester Garrett Foster, a U.S. Air Force veteran, during a 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstration. It was the first time in decades "a Texas governor has pardoned someone for a serious violent crime, let alone murder," the Houston Chronicle said.

Who said what

Texas' strong "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law "cannot be nullified by a jury or progressive district attorney," Abbott said. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously for Perry's pardon on Wednesday, following a "meticulous review" of "pertinent" evidence, the Abbott-appointed board said.

Perry had become a cause célèbre for "influential conservative voices like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson," The Texas Tribune said. A day after Carlson defended Perry and criticized Abbott on TV, Abbott said Perry "should not be punished and told Texas' parole board to expedite a review of the conviction," The Associated Press said.

Travis County District Attorney José Garza called Abbott's pardon a "mockery of our legal system." Foster's longtime girlfriend, Whitney Mitchell, said she was "heartbroken by this lawlessness" and Abbott's effective declaration that "Texans who hold political views that are different from his" can be "killed in this state with impunity."

What next?

Abbot's pardon restores Perry's legal rights, "including the right to own firearms," NBC News said.

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Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.