The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has denied George Floyd a posthumous pardon for a 2004 drug conviction after the board initially agreed to it.
The board in a letter to Allison Mathis, the Harris County public defender representing Floyd in the pardon issue, said they have “reconsidered their initial decision” to grant Floyd a “full pardon and/or pardon for innocence,” and that Mathis’ application is not granted.
The board said Floyd, or Mathis, is “eligible to re-apply for a full pardon two years” from now.
Floyd was suffocated to death by Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020 and his death sparked global unrest. In April 2021, Mathis applied for posthumous clemency for him and in October, the parole board recommended granting the pardon.
The recommendation was pushed to the office of Gov. Greg Abbott in December – and the next information is that the application would be quashed – due to what the board called “procedural errors.”
Floyd’s 2004 drug conviction was reviewed when a former police officer involved in the case was found to have been engaged in corruption. Gerald Goines, who is now facing two felony murder charges after a botched drug raid in 2019, was found to have been dishonest and fraudulent.
About 150 drug cases handled by Goines have been dismissed by the police after prosecutors found Goines fabricated information to indict targets. Floyd’s drug conviction was also connected to Goines.
Mathis has not responded to media queries for comment after the board turned down her application, but she was quoted as saying the decision was a “ridiculous farce.”
