|
The
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles board, in a letter sent on
Thursday to the Harris County Public Defender's office, said it
was denying the recommendation but provided no explanation for
the decision.
"After a full and careful review of the application and other
information filed with the application, a majority of the Board
decided not to recommend a Full Pardon and/or Pardon for
Innocence," reads the letter, a copy of which was seen by
Reuters.
Floyd was killed in 2020 by Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis
police officer who kneeled on the Black man's neck during an
arrest after a store clerk claimed Floyd used a counterfeit $20
to make a purchase.
Chauvin, who is white, was sentenced to 22-1/2 years in prison
after his conviction on charges of murdering Floyd, whose death
sparked protests in cities around the world against police
brutality and racism.
Allison Mathis, a lawyer for the Harris County Public Defender's
Office, working on behalf of Floyd's family, sought a pardon for
Floyd's drug conviction. A former Houston police officer, Gerald
Goines, had been accused of fabricating evidence and had about
150 other drug cases overturned, The Hill and other media
reported.
Goines' attorney Nicole DeBorde was not immediately available
for comment. Goines is also facing two counts of felony murder
for a deadly 2019 drug raid in which two people were killed.
If Floyd's petition was approved by the board, the pardon
recommendation would have gone to Texas Governor Greg Abbott for
a final decision.
Neither the Board of Pardons and Paroles nor the Harris County
Public Defender's Office returned phone calls and emails seeking
comment on Friday.
(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
