Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a pardon Thursday for the Army sergeant convicted of murder last year in the fatal shooting of a protester in downtown Austin in July 2020.
Daniel Perry was found guilty by a Travis County jury last year in the murder of Garrett Foster and sentenced to 25 years in prison. At the same time, Abbott made clear that he would like to pardon Perry and asked the Board of Pardons and Paroles to consider Perry’s case.
The board offered a unanimous recommendation on Thursday to pardon Perry, and Abbott signed the declaration. Perry was released from prison shortly after.
Travis County District Attorney José Garza condemned the pardon, saying the board and Abbott “made a mockery of our legal system.”
“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,” Garza said Thursday in a statement. “They have sent a message to Garrett Foster’s family, to his partner, and to our community that his life does not matter.”