The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied George Floyd a posthumous pardon for a prior drug conviction Thursday in Houston, after recommending Governor Greg Abbott do so in 2021.
The board voted unanimously to reject the pardon request for a minor drug charge brought against Floyd in Houston in 2004, according to a letter sent Thursday to public defender Allison Mathis. In October, the board recommended Abbott issue a posthumous pardon to Floyd following an application of clemency filed by Mathis five months earlier, The Texas Tribune reported. (RELATED: A&E Sues Reelz For Allegedly Cloning Police Show)
“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 on 09/14/2022,” the letter reads, as shared in a tweet Thursday.
#BREAKING The Texas parole board just DENIED a posthumous pardon for George Floyd – 11 months after recommending a pardon & then rescinding it
This was for a Houston drug case involving a cop now accused of fabricating informants
They told Floyd’s lawyer he can reapply in 2 yrs pic.twitter.com/tNSqp4M9wV
— Keri Blakinger (@keribla) September 15, 2022
A federal judge sentenced former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to 21 years in prison in July for violating Floyd’s civil rights, after Chauvin pleaded guilty to the charge. In May 2021, Chauvin was convicted on murder charges.