In July 2020, Perry fatally shot Garrett Foster, a protester, during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) rally. Fast forward to April 2023, Perry was found guilty of murder by a Travis County jury and subsequently sentenced to 25 years in prison.
According to prosecutors, Perry was the one who started the fatal confrontation by deliberately driving his car into a group of protesters who were demonstrating in downtown Austin. However, Perry claimed to the police that Foster had pointed his gun at him before Perry opened fire. It is important to note that both Perry and Foster are white and were carrying firearms legally.
Related posts
Three published letters in the Texan newspaper strongly criticized Abbott’s decision to invalidate the jury’s verdict and raised concerns about its far-reaching consequences. One letter, written by David Anderson from Austin, expressed deep alarm and stated, “This isn’t just a slippery slope towards authoritarianism – it’s a complete plunge off the cliff.”
Shari Chambers, a resident of Austin, expressed her disappointment with Governor Abbott’s decision, stating, “Abbott disregarded the unanimous decision made by 12 dedicated jurors who sacrificed their personal time and put in countless hours to carefully consider the testimony of 40 witnesses and thoroughly examine the substantial evidence presented during the trial.” After an extensive deliberation period of 17 hours, following a rigorous eight-day trial.
Chambers emphasized that they have established systems to handle cases of wrongful convictions, highlighting that Greg Abbott, being a former attorney general, is fully knowledgeable about these protocols.
Aaron McIntyre, a resident of Westlake Hills, expressed his strong disapproval of Governor Greg Abbott’s actions, describing them as a “disgusting display of politics.” McIntyre questions the purpose of having a judicial system if the governor can manipulate it according to his own preferences, thereby undermining the integrity of the justice system. McIntyre suggests that if Daniel Perry believed he was wrongly convicted, he could have pursued the legal option of appealing the decision.
In a recent article, the editorial board of the Austin American-Statesman expressed a similar sentiment, stating that by pardoning Perry, Abbott has taken the rule of law in Texas to a concerning level. They argued that now the determining factor of whether someone goes to prison is not whether a jury finds them guilty of a crime, but rather whether the governor aligns with their political beliefs.
Before Perry’s official sentencing, Abbott publicly expressed his desire to pursue pardoning him. The day after his sentencing, he requested the Board of Pardons and Paroles to look into a pardon recommendation. As a result, Perry was immediately removed from prison.
According to a recent poll conducted by the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project, Governor Abbott, who has held office since 2015, enjoys the support of 55% of Texans. The poll, which had a margin of error of 2.83 percent, revealed that a majority of Texans either somewhat or strongly approve of Governor Abbott’s stance on lenient gun laws.
