A U.S. Army sergeant was sentenced to 25 years in prison on May 10 by a Texas judge for killing a protester during the 2020 summer of civil unrest.
Two very distinct portrayals of the soldier have been set forth.
The prosecution made the soldier out to be a racist, introducing bigoted text messages and social media posts that he either wrote, shared, or liked. The defense said their client is a man that acted in self-defense, suffering from post-traumatic disorder from his time being stationed in Afghanistan and being bullied as a kid.
Before hearing either side, the Lone Star State’s governor announced he would pardon him.
Daniel Perry was convicted on April 7 of fatally shooting 28-year-old Garrett Foster five times before driving away. His fate was in the hands of District Judge Clifford Brown, who after hearing the evidence presented sentenced the 36-year-old to 25 years in prison, which was recommended by the prosecution. Under the law, Brown could have sentenced Foster to life in prison.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has made public his desire to pardon Perry as soon as the request “hits [his] desk” under the state’s “stand your ground” law.
“Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand your ground’ laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or progressive district attorney,” Abbott said in a statement posted to Twitter almost 24 hours after a jury convicted Perry of Foster’s murder. “I will work as swiftly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt. Perry.”
Travis County District Attorney José Garza said after the sentencing, “This is not a normal case because in early April the Texas governor made a decision to insert politics into this case and requested the Board of Pardons and Parole to review this case less than 24 hours after the jury issued a verdict.”
