(RepublicanPress.org) – During the summer of 2020, US Army Sergeant Daniel Perry murdered Air Force veteran Garrett Foster during a Black Lives Matter protest in Texas. In July of the following year, the defendant was found guilty in a court of law and sentenced to 25 years behind bars. However, Perry is now a free man.
On May 16, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a pardon for Perry after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended the move. The group also announced that the killer’s firearms rights be restored as well. While issuing the pardon, the governor noted the state’s Stand Your Ground law, which recognizes an individual’s right to defend themselves.
Abbott said those laws “cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive district attorney.” Shortly after Perry’s conviction, he asked the board to review the matter, noting he would issue a pardon if that were the recommendation — it was, and he did.
During the trial, some witnesses said Perry was speeding down the road and heading straight toward the BLM protestors. When he stopped his vehicle, some of the people started hitting his car, but they were mostly yelling at the Army sergeant. Foster, who was reportedly legally carrying an AK47, got close to the vehicle and instructed Perry to stay in his car or to get back in — testimony was unclear on that point.
That’s when the suspect drew his weapon and shot the veteran. His defense team said Perry was in fear for his life and claimed self-defense, but the jury found him guilty of murder. Footage of his interactions with police showed he was remorseful for shooting and killing Foster. He did not take the stand in his own defense.
Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza was appalled that Abbott pardoned Perry, stating the action was a “mockery of our legal system.” He claimed the board and the governor “should be ashamed of themselves,” accusing them of putting “politics over justice.”
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