AUSTIN, Texas — After a two-week trial and testimonies from nearly 40 witnesses, a jury convicted U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Perry of murder late Friday afternoon after two days of deliberation. Perry claims he shot Garrett Foster in self-defense at a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest. Perry claims Foster raised his rifle at him in Downtown Austin.
Prosecutors said Perry instigated the violence by driving his car toward a crowd of protesters, sharing all of Perry's anti-protester sentiments from his texts and social media accounts.
Over the weekend, Gov. Greg Abbott said he will pardon Foster's killer as soon as the paperwork hits his desk, saying he will work as "swiftly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt. Perry."
Foster's younger sister, Anna Mayo, said she was "in shock" when she saw Abbott's tweet.
"We didn't understand how it would even be possible," Mayo said. "But it's kind of sunk in now."
Mayo describes her big brother as a "protective older sibling, a caretaker who fed the homeless" and an "animal lover."
"When he went into the military, the house was definitely empty after he left," Mayo said.
She found out about her brother's death from a Facebook Live video.
"I connected the dots and I was like, 'I don't think he's survived that,'" Mayo said. "It's really opened my eyes to how cruel people can be, so I've become a little bit cynical. I'm not as trusting of a person anymore."
Mayo called the trial of Perry "physically and mentally exhausting," saying it involved "reliving trauma." Waiting for a verdict also proved to be nerve-racking, she said.
After the jury deliberated for two days and found Perry guilty, she found "reassurance."
"Two-hundred pounds of relief just gone – you could breathe for a little bit for the first time in years," Mayo said.
She said Abbott's involvement in the case is leading to Garrett being "dehumanized" in public.
"The jury ultimately came to a decision and it was unanimous. So I don't think that should be disrespected in the way that it has been," Mayo said.
KVUE News reached out to Perry's defense attorney, Clint Broden, who declined an interview but sent a statement:
"The focus of the defense team is on the upcoming sentencing hearing and marshaling evidence related to Sgt. Perry's character and his service to our country as a member of our military for the past 12 years. Daniel was most crushed that his conviction will end his Army services. He loved being a soldier for our country. Many, many people have reached out to express a desire to speak on Daniel's behalf.
"The pardon process, however, is outside our control and we have not been involved in that process."
Mayo is determined to stay focused on bringing justice for a brother who she said would have done the same for "anybody else."
"I'm going to keep telling everybody who he was and keep telling everybody how wrong this is. It's all I can do," Mayo said.
Amid talk from the Texas governor of a pardon, Perry will have to wait to find out his sentence. His sentencing hearing was mistakenly listed on the court docket for April 11 at 9:15 a.m., but it turns out the meeting will be focused on scheduling Perry's sentencing.