Thanks to the hard work of thousands of people from around the globe, the life of Kenneth Foster has been saved. Foster was scheduled to die tonight for a 1996 Texas murder. Many said that Foster should not be executed because he was not the shooter, only the getaway driver. Foster was tried simultaneously with the shooter, who was executed in 2006.
Backed by a highly unusual parole board recommendation for clemency, Governor Perry commuted Foster’s sentence to life without parole.
Announcing his decision, the Governor said, “After carefully considering the facts of this case, along with the recommendations from the Board of Pardons and Paroles, I believe the right and just decision is to commute Foster’s sentence from the death penalty to life imprisonment. I am concerned about Texas law that allows capital murder defendants to be tried simultaneously, and it is an issue I think the legislature should examine.”
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