The Texas Board of Pardons voted 7.-0 to clear the record for George Floyd, who was convicted on a drug charge in 2004 by now ex-Houston cop Gerald Goines, who has been indicted for lying in other cases.
Attorney Allison Mathis with the Harris County Public Defender's office applied for the pardon in May. She says Harris County looked at many cases in which Goines was involved, going back 20 years, and one of the people on the list was George Floyd, a man who was killed in Minneapolis by a cop kneeling on his neck in a case that drew worldwide protest.
"Nothing particularity jumped out at us. There are plenty of people named George Floyd and thinking that it was the George Floyd who had just died in police custody was not on our radar."
Floyd lived most of his life in Houston before moving to Minneapolis. In 2004, Goines arrested Floyd for selling a small amount of crack cocaine. But Goines' drug convictions came under intense scrutiny after he was indicted for murder and other charges for leading a deadly "no-knock" raid on a Houston couple. Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nichalos were killed in the raid. Goines is accused of lying to get a warrant for that raid.
She notes Goines was usually the only witness to criminal activity on his arrests.
Mattis says their options were limited to get some justice for Floyd.
Governor Abbott must sign off in order for the pardon to be granted. Mathis does not think he will give his Okay. "I personally don't agree with most of the decisions he makes and I don't feel like he's particularly interested in pursuing justice. I think the evidence is there that this conviction did not have any integrity and that Mr. Floyd's freedom was taken unconstitutionally. I hope he makes the right decision but I don't have a lot of faith that he will."
See the request for a posthomous pardon here.
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