Newly unsealed court documents show that during the months leading up to Black Lives Matter protester Garrett Foster’s death, Daniel Perry made racist remarks and discussed his desire to kill protesters often.
Days after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer on May 29, 2020, Perry texted, “I might go to Dallas to shoot looters.”
In a Facebook message two days later, Perry allegedly stated that while he is in Dallas, “no protesters go near me or my car.”
“Can you catch me a negro daddy,” one man replied.
“That is what I am hoping,” Perry said.
In June, Perry had sent a text that said the bars were closing, “the blacks … gathering up in a group I think something is about to happen.”
He said, “I wonder if they will let me cut the ears off of people who’s decided to commit suicide by me.”
On Thursday, evidence from Perry’s phone records and social media accounts included in the court documents were made publicly available. In March, the 82-page sealed document was submitted by the prosecution, but much of it was not presented to the jury.
Usually, information depicting a defendant’s character is often not allowed to be introduced while a jury weighs guilt versus innocence, but it becomes relevant in a sentencing hearing.
Before and after Floyd’s murder, Perry sent out racist and anti-Muslim messages.
According to court documents, he also posted a meme in April 2020 that read, “WHEN YOUR DAUGHTERS FIRST CRUSH IS A LITTLE NEGRO BOY,” featuring a picture of a mother placing her child’s head underwater in the bathtub.
In another text, he said, “Too bad we can’t get paid for hunting Muslims in Europe.”
Last week, Perry was found guilty in Travis County of fatally shooting Foster in July 2020.
Foster, a white Air Force veteran, was struck by Perry’s car as it plowed through a crowd of protesters.
According to Perry’s attorneys, Foster, who was legally allowed to carry in Texas, raised his rifle during the incident, which caused Perry to shoot Foster five times with his handgun through the window of his car.
Witnesses say that Foster never raised his gun.
Conservative politicians have faulted the progressive prosecutor for pursuing the case, claiming that the act was purely self-defense in the face of dangerous protests.
In an unprecedented move, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced his intention to pardon Perry for the murder less than a day after the conviction. He asked the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to provide him with the legally required recommendation as quickly as possible.
“Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney,” Abbott wrote on Twitter. “I look forward to approving the Board’s pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk.”
If convicted, Perry could face five years to life unless the parole board and Abbott intervene.
On Friday, Travis County District Attorney José Garza said that his office “continues to maintain that the Board of Pardons and Paroles should consider the entirety of the trial record prior to issuing a final recommendation to the governor.”
“This case is not yet concluded,” he said. “There is going to be even more additional evidence that the judge will hear at sentencing. We’re not even done with this yet.”
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