A Travis County jury found Daniel Perry not guilty of a misdemeanor deadly conduct charge on October 22, 2026, stemming from his 2020 fatal shooting of Garrett Foster during a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Austin. Perry had previously been convicted of murder in Foster's death and sentenced to 25 years in prison, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott granted him a full pardon in May 2024. Prosecutors then pursued the separate misdemeanor charge.
Travis County prosecutorspursued deadly conduct charge
Doug O'ConnellPerry's attorney
Afton WashbourneTravis County lead attorney
The facts
Perry fatally shot Garrett Foster in July 2020 during a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Austin.12Stated by 2 sources
Perry was convicted of murder in Foster's death in 2023 and sentenced to 25 years in prison.2
Gov. Greg Abbott granted Perry a full pardon in May 2024.2
Travis County prosecutors pursued a misdemeanor deadly conduct charge punishable by up to one year of prison.1
A jury returned a not guilty verdict after deliberating for a little over two hours.12Stated by 2 sources
An earlier trial on the misdemeanor charge ended in a mistrial following jury selection issues.2
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
Doug O'Connell, Perry's attorney Perry's driving did not meet the standard for deadly conduct; prosecutors relied on thought crimes rather than evidence.1
Afton Washbourne, Travis County lead attorney Perry drove recklessly and endangered the lives of protesters on Congress Avenue.1
Travis County Attorney's Office They were disappointed in the verdict but respect the jury's decision.2
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
Travis County jury finds Daniel Perry not guilty of deadly conduct charge after 2020 shooting
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld Ronald Haskell's capital murder conviction and death sentence for the July 9, 2014 killings of six members of the Stay family in Spring, rejecting seven claims he raised in his automatic appeal.
Ronald Lee Haskell, defendant; convicted of capital murder; Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, ruled on appeal; Cassidy Stay, survivor of the 2014 killings and 2 more
A Nueces County jury found Eva Rosa, 41, of Bishop guilty of intoxication manslaughter in the September 2024 death of Border Patrol Agent Brandon Brown and sentenced her to seven years in prison on Wednesday.
Eva Rosa, defendant, sentenced to seven years for intoxication manslaughter; Brandon Brown, Border Patrol agent, killed in head-on collision; Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, investigating the crash
A bankruptcy judge ruled that Camp Mystic, where 28 people died in flash floods, must have new management independent of the Eastland family that owned and ran the camp. The judge gave the family until October 28 to accept the requirements or face court-appointed oversight.
$26-90621 for bankruptcy case number
US Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez, Judge who issued the ruling; Richard Eastland, Co-owner and operator of Camp Mystic (died in the flood); Camp Mystic, Girls camp affected by floods and 2 more
Rene Antonio Melendez, 34, was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl that caused a fatal overdose in Laredo in March 2023. He pleaded guilty to the charges in June 2026.
$$80 for drug purchase amount victim arranged
Rene Antonio Melendez, Defendant, sentenced to 21 years in federal prison; U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña, Judge who ordered prison sentence
The Texas Hemp Constitutional Alliance and Green Nation, a hemp product manufacturer and retailer based in Tyler, filed a lawsuit in Travis County challenging Texas Department of State Health Services rules on consumable hemp products that took effect March 31.
$4000% for administrative fees increase for manufacturers
Texas Hemp Constitutional Alliance, plaintiff; Green Nation, plaintiff; Stephanie Muth, interim executive director of HHSC, named defendant and 2 more
An Aransas County jury found Curtis McClendon, 35, guilty of possessing child sexual abuse material with more than 500 visual depictions and sentenced him to 99 years in prison on October 21, 2026.
Curtis McClendon, Defendant convicted of possession of child sexual abuse material; Aransas County Attorney's Office, Prosecutor; Texas Attorney General's Office, Investigator
A Texas court heard arguments Wednesday on whether to block search warrants sought by Texas Rangers investigating the July 4, 2025 flooding at Camp Mystic that killed 27 people. Camp Mystic owners' lawyers argued the warrants were too broad and could expose privileged communications.
Texas Rangers, investigating possible criminal conduct related to Camp Mystic's preparation and response to deadly flooding; Camp Mystic owners, seeking to block search warrants; Dick Eastland, Camp Mystic co-owner, died in the July 4, 2025 flooding and 1 more
A federal judge held the first public court hearing in two years on a 15-year-old class action lawsuit against the Texas foster care system. The state asked to dismiss the case and end federal court oversight.
$$4.9 billion for Texas foster care system budget
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane, Judge overseeing the case; Allyson Ho, Attorney for the state, Gibson Dunn partner; Paul Yetter, Attorney representing foster children and 2 more