I haven’t been following this story too closely, however, for those who have…
The Huffington Post
Yet another appeal denied, Troy Davis was left with little to do Tuesday but wait to be executed for a murder he insists he did not commit.
He lost his most realistic chance to avoid lethal injection on Tuesday, when Georgia’s pardons board rejected his appeal for clemency. As his scheduled 7 p.m. Wednesday execution neared, his backers resorted to far-fetched measures. They asked prisons officials to let him to take a polygraph test; urged prison workers to strike or call in sick; asked prosecutors to block the execution and they even considered a desperate appeal for White House intervention.
He has gotten support from hundreds of thousands of people, including a former FBI director, former President Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict XVI, and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling gave him an unusual opportunity to prove his innocence last year. State and federal courts, however, repeatedly upheld his conviction for the 1989 killing of Mark MacPhail, an off-duty police officer who was working as a security guard in Savannah when he was shot dead rushing to help a homeless man who was being attacked.
Davis’ attorneys say he was convicted based on flawed testimony that has been largely recanted by witnesses, but prosecutors and MacPhail’s relatives say they have no doubt the right man is being punished.
“Justice was finally served for my father,” said Mark MacPhail Jr., who was an infant when his father was gunned down. “The truth was finally heard.”
Related articles
- Clemency Denied For Troy Davis (hiphopwired.com)
- Georgia Death Row Inmate Troy Davis Denied Clemency (VIDEO) (blippitt.com)
- Georgia Denies Clemency for Troy Davis (time.com)
- Troy Davis clemency bid denied on execution eve in Georgia (cbsnews.com)
- Ga. board denies clemency for Troy Davis (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Georgia Board of Pardons Denies Clemency for Troy Davis (blogs.wsj.com)
It’s 6:48 and I’m awaiting the news that Troy Davis has been murdered. I don’t know for a fact that he’s innocent, but I do know that executing him is permanent and commuting his time to a life sentence is better than killing him with doubt about his guilt or innocence. I know they say that he was given a chance and hasn’t proven anything, but I feel very frustrated by what I know. I can’t believe I agree with the Rev Al that never, ever, ever should anyone be executed on solely eye witness testimony. I’ve read enough to know that’s very shaky.
What a criminal justice system….Troy Davis dies and Casey Anthony walks away…..(not that I would have wanted her to get death either). I’m no activist on abolishing the death penalty, but I’m also not in favor of it except in really, really, really few extreme cases (serial kilers) and even then, in our system, given all the costly appeals, it’s cheaper to have even them do life.
Goodbye, Troy.
Hi Demo, Rachel, Chris Matthews and others have been talking about this throughout their shows tonite. JUST got word that The Supremes denied his case. He’s schedule to be executed at about 11:00 pm.