A US Army sergeant who was convicted of murdering a protester at a Black Lives Matter rally in 2020 was sentenced to 25 years in prison Wednesday morning – even as Texas’ governor pushes to pardon him.
Perry, wearing a black and gray striped jail uniform, put his head in his hands and cried after the sentence was issued.
The prosecution requested a sentence of at least 25 years in prison, highlighting a stream of racist and inflammatory social media posts Perry wrote prior to the shooting.
Prosecutors also said the defense’s own analysis of his mental disorders and mindset showed he was a “loaded gun ready to go off.”.
Garrett Foster, left, pictured with his fiancee Whitney Mitchell, was fatally shot at a Black Lives Matter protest in July 2020.
The governor can only pardon Perry if the Board of Pardons and Paroles recommends it, according to Texas law.
A few posts are public, however, including a post praising the burning down of a Minneapolis police station in 2020. »
