Gov. Greg Abbott granted pardons and restorations of civil rights to eight Texans recommended by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles Thursday.
The late George Floyd was not included on that list.
The state Parole Board, made up entirely of Abbott appointees, unanimously recommended a posthumous pardon for Floyd in October, after a request from the Harris County Public Defender’s Office.
But the board later requested to withdraw that recommendation, citing unspecified procedural errors.
Floyd could still be eligible for a pardon at a later date if the board recommends clemency after revisiting his case. But it’s not clear if Abbott, who previously called Floyd’s murder, “the most horrific tragedy I've ever personally observed,” was still considering the request.
Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Floyd lived most of his life in Houston before moving to Minnesota, where his murder by a white police officer touched off nationwide civil rights protests last year.
In 2004, Floyd was arrested by then-police officer Gerald Goines for possessing less than a gram of crack cocaine. Floyd, facing the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence, pleaded guilty and was instead sentenced to 10 months in a state jail.
Fifteen years later, in 2019, Goines led a deadly botched drug raid that left two Houston homeowners dead and four police officers injured. In the ensuing investigation, prosecutors said they discovered Goines used nonexistent informants for many of his drug arrests.
