Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has just made it clear that he is looking to pardon U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry following his recent murder conviction.
Abbott indicated as much in a Twitter message that he posted on Saturday, the day after Perry was convicted.
Perry recently faced trial for an incident that occurred on July 25, 2020, when Perry - who at the time was an Uber driver - came upon a Black Lives Matter protest that was taking place in Austin, Texas.
USA Today reports:
Garrett Foster, carrying an AK-47 rifle, was among a group of protesters who approached [Perry's] car. Perry told police that Foster threatened him by raising the barrel of his rifle at him, so he shot him five times with a .357 revolver through the window of his car before driving away.
This is the position that Perry took during the trial, namely, that he shot Foster in self-defense.
The prosecution, however, argued that Perry was not entitled to such self-defense because, for example, he could have driven away from the scene in order to avoid any threat posed by Foster.
The jury, on Friday - at the conclusion of a two-week trial - sided with the prosecution. Perry has now been convicted of murder, and he is awaiting his sentence. It could be "life."
Abbott, the day after Perry's conviction, posted a message on Twitter in which he expressed his belief that the jury got it wrong.
"Texas has one of the strongest ‘stand your ground’ laws on self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive district attorney,” Abbott wrote.
Accordingly, Abbott said that he is “working as swiftly as Texas law allows” to pardon Perry.
Abbott explained:
Unlike the president or some other states, the Texas constitution limits the governor’s pardon authority to only act on a recommendation by the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Texas law DOES allow the goernor to request the Board of Pardons and Paroles to determine if a person should be granted a pardon I have made that request and instructed the Board to expedite its review.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has released his own statement on the matter.
He said:
Self-defense is a God-given right, not a crime. Unfortunately, the Soros-backed DA in Travis County cares more about the radical agenda of dangerous Antifa and BLM mobs than justice. This week has shown us how rogue prosecutors have weaponized the judicial system. They must be stopped!
Abbott, in his statement, said that he has “prioritized reigning in rogue district attorneys.”
