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Will Supreme Court Hear Case of Death Row Inmate?

ewiley — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:06:06 +0000

Will the nation’s highest court ponder the case of Georgia death-row inmate Troy Anthony Davis before they take their annual summer recess? If not, Davis, who was convicted in the 1991 murder of an off-duty Savannah Police officer, must wait until the fall to hear his fate in the last-ditch appeal for his life. In the years since his conviction and subsequent death sentence, seven of the nine people who testified against him have recanted their testimonies. In fact, Sylvester “Red” Coles, the first person to finger Davis, now 40, in the murder, has himself been implicated. Moreover, there has never been any physical evidence linking Davis to the shooting death of the 27-year-old officer, Mark Allen MacPHail in the Burger King parking lot two decades ago. Laura Moye of Amnesty International USA’s Death Penalty Abolition Campaign says that even if the high court doesn’t hear Davis’ case before their break it is not necessarily a bad thing. That’s because it “buys more time for all of the advocates to get more publicity on the case,” she said. Davis’ fate essentially would be left in the hands of Chatham County District Attorney Larry Chisolm to pursue Davis’ fourth execution warrant if the courts decide not to hear Davis’ petition. So far, Davis’ execution has been put on hold three times. Support from Davis has come from across the spectrum. Judges, politicians and international leaders have pushed for a new trial. Last month, more than two dozen jurists and federal prosecutors filed a petition saying that Davis can show “new, never reviewed evidence that strongly points to his innocence.” U.S. Rep. John Lewis wants a new trial, and former President Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict XVI have asked that Davis be spared death by lethal injection.

NAACP: Help Spare the Life of Innocent Inmate

ewiley — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:06:03 +0000

The NAACP, Amnesty International and other leading human rights groups are urging everybody to get involved in helping spare the life of Troy Davis, whom they argue is about to be executed for a murder he never committed. “The interest of the state is in the truth,” NAACP President Ben Jealous told the Savannah Morning News Saturday. “If Troy Davis was convicted on lies, then the truth is, a killer’s on the loose.” Jealous, who was in Savannah Friday as part of “I AM TROY,” wants District Attorney Larry Chisholm to reopen the case and find the “real” murderer. Davis, 38, was convicted in 1991 for the shooting death of off-duty Savannah, Ga., Police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail. However, seven of the nine witnesses who identified Davis as the killer during the initial trial have since recanted their testimony. Despite several appeals – and having his execution delayed on three separate occasions – Davis remains on death row at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison near Jackson. On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely consider the latest challenge by attorneys for Davis. So how can individuals get involved? Jealous says that those wanting to make an impact should go to the “I Am Troy” Campaign (http://iamtroy.com/), sign the petition and let Gov. Sonny Perdue know that you are outraged by the possible execution of an innocent man.

More on Troy Davis: Thousands Around the World Mark Day of Solidarity

Georgia Man Hopes High Court Will Spare His Life Troy; Race of Supreme Court Justice Doesn’t Matter to Most

ewiley — Tue, 19 May 2009 11:10:48 +0000

Georgia Man Hopes High Court Will Spare His Life Troy

Anthony Davis, the Black Georgia death-row inmate whose life was spared in October, just three days before he was to be executed, is hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will provide him with yet another chance to prove that he’s no killer. Accused of shooting to death a 27-year-old off-duty Savannah, Ga., police officer 20 years ago, Davis’ attorneys are asking that the case be remanded to a federal judge for a hearing on his claims of innocence. Read more.

Race of Supreme Court Justice Doesn’t Matter to Most

It appears that most Americans aren’t as concerned about the race and gender of the next Supreme Court as they are about level of experience. A new CNN/Opinion Research Group poll shows that while the focus in the media has centered on whether President Obama will nominate a woman or a Hispanic or an African American to fill the slot left by retiring Justice David Souter, most Americans say that such issues are “not important at all.” Read the rest.

Court Rejects Condemned Inmate’s Appeal

ewiley — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:32:21 +0000

Troy Anthony Davis, the convicted cop killer from Georgia whose life was spared three times so far, was denied a fourth bid to stay alive when a federal court rejected his latest appeal. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, ruled that Davis had not established by clear and convincing evidence that a jury would not have found him guilty of gunning down a Savannah, Ga., police officer 20 years ago. Read more.

World Leaders Ask Georgia to Stop Troy Davis’ Execution

hbarber — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:14:53 +0000

World leaders urge Georgia to halt the execution of Troy Davis.

The fact that Troy Anthony Davis is about to be executed for murder even there’s no weapon, no fingerprints and not a single drop of DNA shows just how unfair the American system of justice is, says a growing number of high-profile leaders. The 39-year-old Georgia man is scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday night after being convicted of killing Savannah Police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail in 1989. But Davis’ case has drawn worldwide attention because of how skimpy the evidence is that sent him to the death chamber. Go here to learn about last minute calls to action to save Davis. Get more on the story here.