Former Army sergeant Daniel Perry's case taken up by pardons board days after murder conviction

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A convicted killer is one step closer to receiving a pardon from Gov. Greg Abbott.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles announced on Monday that it would investigate Daniel Perry's case on Monday. He's the former US Army Sergeant found guilty of killing a protester in Austin during the 2020 uprising against police brutality.

SEE HERE: Gov. Greg Abbott backs call for pardon for Daniel Perry, who killed Austin protester in 2020

After the conviction came down on Friday, Fox News personality Tucker Carlson and other prominent Republicans started pressuring Abbott to pardon Perry. Less than a day later, Abbott made the request.

A board appointed by Abbott confirmed they'd consider this case immediately.

The board's announcement comes before Perry's sentence for murdering Garrett Foster is even known.

"The jury ultimately came to a decision, and it was unanimous. So, I don't think that that should be disrespected in the way that it has been, " Anna Mayo, Foster's sister told the ABC affiliate in Austin.

She added that the relief she felt after the verdict disappeared.

It's been three years since Perry drove into a crowd of protesters before shooting and killing Foster in Austin.

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His attorneys argued self-defense during the trial since Foster had a gun, but the prosecution successfully argued that Perry instigated the violence.

Gov. Abbott and other prominent Republicans said the jury got it wrong, citing the state's stand-your-ground laws, but the Democratic Travis County DA told KVUE he disagreed. "If the attorney general and the governor want to spend their time pardoning convicted murders, that is up to them," District Attorney Jose Garza said.

Abbott asked the Board of Pardons and Paroles to take an expedited look at the case. The panel released a statement Monday that reads the following:

"Chairman Gutierrez, the Presiding Officer of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, has received a request from Governor Abbott asking for an expedited investigation, along with a recommendation as to a pardon for US Army Sergeant Daniel Perry. The board will be commencing that investigation immediately. Upon completion, the board will report to the governor on the investigation and make recommendations to the governor."

"I'm going to keep telling everybody who he was and keep telling everybody how wrong this is. That's all I can do," Mayo said.

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