Murder of Garrett Foster
[3] Perry had made numerous posts and direct messages on social media where he had expressed his desire to shoot protesters, which, along with contradictory statements to eyewitness accounts, brought into question his claim of self-defense.Following his murder conviction, messages Perry sent of him self-identifying as "a racist" and of him calling black protesters "monkeys" were revealed to the public.[6][7] On July 25, 2020, Daniel Perry, a then-30-year old United States Army sergeant, had been working his Uber shift when he encountered a protest against police brutality that was blocking the road.[8] Garrett Foster, a 28-year old white[9] United States Air Force veteran who was legally open carrying an AK-47 walked up to Perry in an attempt to tell him to stop driving into the crowd."[16][17] In July 2021, nearly a year after the killing, a Travis County grand jury indicted Perry on charges of murder and aggravated assault.[22][23] On April 13, 2023, a state district judge unsealed court records that revealed more anti-protester social media posts, racist messages, and sexually predatory online advances made by Perry that the jury did not see or hear.Among these included Perry declaring "I am a racist," and comparing the Black Lives Matter movement to "monkeys" multiple times, and also as "animals at the zoo".[32] In June 2024, Travis County District Attorney José Garza indicated his office would file a writ of mandamus with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals seeking to reverse the pardon, which he deems to be unlawful.Travis County District Attorney José Garza said the decision was a "mockery of our legal system" and that the "Board and the Governor have put their politics over justice.After a lengthy trial, with an abundance of evidence, 12 impartial Texans determined he that he carried out that plan, and murdered the love of my life.