Daniel Perry Wikipedia, Pardon, Case, Greg Abbott, News, Murder
Daniel Perry Wikipedia, Pardon, Case, Greg Abbott, News, Murder – Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a pardon on Thursday for Daniel Perry, an Army sergeant who was convicted of murder last year for the fatal shooting of protester Garrett Foster in downtown Austin in July 2020.
Greg Abbot Pardons Daniel Perry
Perry had been found guilty by a Travis County jury and was serving a 25-year prison sentence. However, Abbott had expressed his desire to see Perry pardoned and requested that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles review the case. On Thursday, the board unanimously recommended the pardon, which Abbott promptly signed. Perry was released from prison shortly afterward. Travis County District Attorney José Garza criticized the pardon, stating that the actions of the board and Governor Abbott “made a mockery of our legal system.”
In a statement, Garza said, “Their actions are contrary to the law and demonstrate that there are two classes of people in this state where some lives matter and some lives do not. They have sent a message to Garrett Foster’s family, to his partner, and to our community that his life does not matter.” Travis County District Attorney José Garza added that the pardon also sent a discouraging message to the community members who served on the grand jury and trial jury, suggesting that their service “does not matter.”
The incident occurred on July 25, 2020, when Daniel Perry encountered a group of protesters in downtown Austin, about 70 miles from his base at Fort Hood. The protesters were demonstrating against racial injustice and police brutality, sparked by the murder of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer weeks earlier.
Garrett Foster, who was participating in the protest and legally carrying a semiautomatic rifle, approached the intersection where Perry was stopped in his car. Perry shot Foster from his vehicle using a handgun. Perry told police that Foster, an Air Force veteran, had pointed the rifle at him, prompting him to act in self-defense. Governor Abbott argued that Perry should have been protected from prosecution under Texas’ “stand your ground” law.
During the trial, prosecutors presented social media posts and text messages from Daniel Perry to depict him as having racist tendencies. They argued that Perry could have driven away instead of using his weapon. Witnesses testified that they did not see Garrett Foster raise his firearm at Perry.
Perry was convicted of murder but acquitted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The pardon issued by Governor Abbott on Thursday restores Perry’s rights as if he were never convicted, including his right to own firearms. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed Perry’s release from prison following the pardon. Clint Broden, Perry’s attorney, stated that while the case has always been tragic, the evidence supported Perry’s self-defense claim. He accused District Attorney Garza of withholding evidence favorable to Perry’s defense.
“The Board of Pardons and Paroles undertook an independent and extensive review of the case,” Broden said. “They interviewed the police detective who had previously concluded, after a thorough investigation, that Mr. Perry had acted in self-defense when confronted by an angry crowd and a person with an assault rifle in a low ready position.”
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What has happened to Daniel Perry?
Daniel Perry, a former US Army sergeant who was convicted of murdering a protester at a Black Lives Matter rally in 2020, was released from prison Thursday after he was pardoned by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
When was Daniel Perry convicted?
Daniel Perry was convicted in April 2023.