Travis County DA Garza responds to Abbott's pardon promise for convicted murderer Daniel Perry
On Friday, a jury found Perry guilty of murdering Garrett Foster during a July 2020 protest in Austin. The jury found him not guilty of an aggravated assault charge.
TRAVIS COUNTY, Austin (KXAN) — Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza called Gov. Greg Abbott's promise to pardon convicted murderer Daniel Perry "deeply troubling" in a statement Sunday.
On Friday, a jury found Perry guilty of murdering Garrett Foster during a July 2020 protest in Austin. The jury found him not guilty of an aggravated assault charge.
Perry has not yet been sentenced for the conviction.
But by Saturday afternoon, Abbott declared on social media that he would sign a pardon recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles for Perry "as soon as it hits my desk." The Governor also said that he has instructed the agency to "expedite its review" of the case.
In Garza's Sunday statement, the DA noted that the jury deliberated on their verdict for 15 hours, after days of court proceedings.
"In our legal system, a jury that gets to decide whether a defendant is guilty or innocent – not the Governor," said Garza in his statement, "As this process continues, the Travis County District Attorney’s office will continue to fight to uphold the rule of law and to hold accountable people who commit acts of gun violence in our community."
You can read the full statement below: