E ric Perardi paced toward the terrace of Garbo’s seafood restaurant in north Austin with a Bible he hadn’t planned to buy. Perardi had arrived early for a meeting with a friend. He’d seen the Bible at the secondhand bookstore on his way over and bought it on a whim. Later, he’d reflect it was to bring him strength for what he was about to hear. It was a mild morning in October 2022, and as Perardi approached the terrace, he saw that his friend, Kota Youngblood, sat at one of the tables, a Diet