Texas pardons board votes unanimously to recommend posthumous pardon for George Floyd
CTV
The Texas State Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously Monday to recommend a full posthumous pardon of George Floyd for a 2004 drug conviction, according to hearing minutes.
An application for the pardon was filed in April on behalf of Floyd and his surviving family. In the application, Allison Mathis of the Harris County Public Defender's Office said the request was filed because the arresting officer in Floyd's case, Gerald Goines, "manufactured the existence of confidential informants to bolster his cases against innocent defendants."
Floyd died in May 2020 after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. Chauvin was found guilty of Floyd's murder in April and was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison in June.
"We lament the loss of former Houstonian George Floyd and hope that his family finds comfort in Monday's decision by the Texas State Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend clemency for a 2004 conviction involving former Houston Police Department Officer Gerald Goines," Kim Ogg, the Harris County district attorney, said in a statement.
The ultimate decision on whether to grant Floyd clemency rests with Gov. Greg Abbott, Ogg said. CNN has reached out to the governor's office for comment on whether a pardon will be issued.