Governor Abbott's Unusual Offer To A Convicted Murderer | Y'all-itics: April 16, 2023

While most of Texas waits for an Austin judge to set a sentencing date for convicted murderer Daniel Perry, Gov. Greg Abbott decided he could wait no longer.

The Republican, after coming under pressure from conservatives such as Fox News host Tucker Carlson, announced he would pardon Perry as soon as a request from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles hit his desk, something widely expected since the governor appoints those members.

While conservatives cheered, many others, particularly in the legal system, were outraged and confused.

“It's simply outrageous for one individual who has not heard a word of testimony to try to substitute their judgment for that of 12 jurors who spent eight days listening to 40 witnesses and then deliberated for a significant period of time before reaching a verdict,” former Travis County Criminal Court Judge David Wahlberg said on Y’all-itics.

A jury unanimously convicted Perry, an Army Sergeant, of murder in the fatal shooting of Garrett Foster during a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin. But the jury found Perry not guilty of a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Watch the full episode of this week's Y'all-itics episode.

[nancyenkelmann]

Can’t someone wheel him on to I-35 at rush hour?