This weekend, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he would pardon Daniel Perry, who murdered a Black Lives Matter protester in the summer of 2020 just weeks after posting on Facebook, “I might have to kill a few people on my way to work.”
A U.S. Army sergeant who was driving for Uber at the time, Perry shot and killed 28-year-old Garrett Foster during a protest in Austin following the murder of George Floyd. According to Perry's attorneys, he feared for his life because Foster had an AK-47 in his hand, and acted in self-defense under Texas's "stand your ground" law.
However, as evidence during the trial was presented, Perry seemed to fantasize about being able to kill people in private messages and social media posts. “I might have to kill a few people on my way to work, they are rioting outside my apartment complex,” he wrote to a friend one month before killing Foster. In another message, Perry wrote: “I might go to Dallas to shoot looters.”
A similar case occurred that year in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in which Kyle Rittenhouse killed two protesters.
In contrast to Rittenhouse, Perry was convicted of murder after a week of deliberations. This can carry a sentence of up to life in prison in Texas.
Within less than 24 hours of Perry's conviction, and before he'd even been sentenced, Abbott announced in a statement that he would pardon him, asserting that Texas's “stand your ground” law “cannot be nullified by a jury or progressive District Attorney.”
According to Abbott, he asked the board overseeing pardons to consider pardoning Perry, and that: “I look forward to approving the Board’s pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk.” Abbott said he also wants to prioritize “reigning in rogue District Attorneys,” presumably referring to Travis County District Attorney José Garza.
Those who have power in this country like Greg Abbott are always eager to shield and utilize white supremacy.
Source: Vice News
コメント