The Troy Davis Case

Temaz · 20-09-2011 04:35PM #1

Sad stuff. I believe him to be innocent.

The US state of Georgia has rejected a final clemency appeal for Troy Davis, due to be executed for the 1989 murder of an off-duty policeman.
The 42-year-old is due to face a lethal injection on Wednesday evening.
He was convicted of shooting of Mark Allen MacPhail in Savannah, Georgia, but has since attracted support for his claim of wrongful conviction.
Davis was sentenced in 1991, but most of the witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14991755

Seven of the original nine eyewitnesses who had linked Davis to the killing recanted all or part of their trial testimony. Several stated they had felt pressure by police to implicate Davis. New witnesses implicated Coles in the crime

Amnesty International and other groups such as National Association for the Advancement of Colored People took up Davis' cause. Prominent politicians and leaders, including former President Jimmy Carter, Al Sharpton, Pope Benedict XVI, Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, presidential candidate Bob Barr and former FBI Director and judge William S. Sessions called upon the courts to grant Davis a new trial or evidentiary hearing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Davis_case

The murder weapon has never been found, and there is no physical evidence linking the crime to Davis, who has asserted his innocence throughout.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1643384,00.html#ixzz1YVWDIwoS

I find this beautiful song to be fitting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWhSzQfAKSw

mikemac · 20-09-2011 04:45PM

Pat Kenny did an interview on this last Friday if you're interested
Troy's sister gives details of the case
www.rte.ie/radio1/podcast/podcast_patkenny.xml

The case stinks, there should be a new trial imo

Temaz · 20-09-2011 04:48PM

mikemac wrote: »

The case stinks, there should be a new trial imo

Cheers, didn't hear the interview. I'm afraid we're out of time for a new trial:mad:

mikemac · 20-09-2011 04:58PM

Nathan Deal the Republican Governor doesn't seem likely to grant a reprieve, has voted before on limiting appeals on death penalty cases in the past

It's not opportunistic electioneering, it's not an election year

It's just his position and doesn't seem he will change it for one case

bijapos · 20-09-2011 05:26PM

mikemac wrote: »

Nathan Deal the Republican Governor doesn't seem likely to grant a reprieve, has voted before on limiting appeals on death penalty cases in the past

It's not opportunistic electioneering, it's not an election year

It's just his position and doesn't seem he will change it for one case

Election year has nothing to do with it. The case is unstable, he should be taken off death row.

mikemac · 20-09-2011 05:32PM

What I'm saying is sometimes governors get accused of denying clemency in election years in order to get support and votes

Sure Clinton did it in Arkansas when he was running for President.
Ricky Ray Rector

I agree with your second sentence

Temaz · 20-09-2011 06:10PM

Georgia's State Board of Pardons and Paroles has rejected Troy Davis' clemency petition. He faces execution on Wednesday, 21 September at 7 p.m., local time.

http://www.amnesty.ie/news/amnesty-condemns-parole-decision-deny-clemency-troy-davis

Plazaman · 22-09-2011 12:24AM

Wow this will be movie of the week as last minute stay of execution is granted.

USA Today Link

JerryHandbag · 22-09-2011 12:26AM

No stay of execution granted yet, just delayed. Fascinated following this trending on twitter!

ottostreet · 22-09-2011 12:33AM

The fact that there is question marks means he should get a re-trial. I don't care whether he lives or dies if he's 100% guilty, but they cannot and should not take the risk of killing a potentially innocent man.

shayser · 22-09-2011 12:38AM

Would that be Nathan Deal the Pro-Lifer?

yermandan · 22-09-2011 12:39AM

From Twitter:

GA prison official on Troy Davis: 'We are in a delay, waiting for a decision from the US Supreme Court. There has not been a reprieve'

JerryHandbag · 22-09-2011 01:20AM

He got a last minute temporary reprieve, which could be anything from 1 to 7 days. Dramatic stuff.

jimdeans · 22-09-2011 01:38AM

I hope he gets a reprieve. The citizens of any country that kills it's own people as punishment should be ashamed.

Temptamperu · 22-09-2011 03:52AM

News in america says hes gonna be executed at 11pm... or 9 minutes from now if you will.

J. Marston · 22-09-2011 03:55AM

If he's innocent, can you imagine how he must feel right now? Scary stuff.

The Scientician · 22-09-2011 03:55AM

jimdeans wrote: »

I hope he gets a reprieve. The citizens of any country that kills it's own people as punishment should be ashamed.

Yeah, it's a crying shame that otherwise civilised countries resort to such barbarity. Hopefully we'll see its end in our lifetimes.

J. Marston · 22-09-2011 04:08AM

Sounds like he's dead judging from the reaction on Twitter.

Temptamperu · 22-09-2011 04:16AM

Time of death 11:08

RIP dude

kraggy · 22-09-2011 04:17AM

Time of death 11.08pm E.T.

Can't believe they executed him with so many doubts over the witnesses. The doubt over just ONE witness would usually be enough. But 7 witnesses changed or withdrew their testimony.

Innocent or guilty, he shouldn't have died.

mikemac · 22-09-2011 04:38AM

Wow, I checked this about ten hours ago and read the Supreme court granted a stay
So it went ahead in the meantime

Not one, not two but seven witnesses recanted their testimony.
This was so unsafe, I don't how it went ahead
And maybe he was guilty but sure give him a new trial.

RIP Troy

TheyKnowMyIP · 22-09-2011 06:59AM

Misanthropy isn't such a bad proposition after following this case! Scummy officials.

jimdeans · 22-09-2011 07:29AM

The crazy thing is that a lot of the governors and high ranking officials who support the death penalty regard themselves as highly religious. I'm bewildered as to what they think their god would make of it.

I just can't believe a so-called civilised country puts it's own citizens to death.

antodeco · 22-09-2011 07:40AM

If he was innocent, RIP. Can't imagine how he felt. Sad way to go. I hope his death makes some changes, and he is reincarnated into something good.

castie · 22-09-2011 07:50AM

Really cant believe this.

7 out of 9 witnesses recant......
Is the american legal system so messed up that the judge could not order a new trial?

I know they give new trials for new evidence but this is evidence that was wrong!!

I dont care if the police pressured the witnesses into doing it.
7 of these people are responsible for a potentially innocent man being out to death. I hope karma comes back around to them.

Temptamperu · 22-09-2011 07:53AM

castie wrote: »

Really cant believe this.

7 out of 9 witnesses recant......
Is the american legal system so messed up that the judge could not order a new trial?

I know they give new trials for new evidence but this is evidence that was wrong!!

I dont care if the police pressured the witnesses into doing it.
7 of these people are responsible for a potentially innocent man being out to death. I hope karma comes back around to them.

he can and would of, had the lad been white.

tallus · 22-09-2011 08:50AM

Lethal injection began at 10:53pm EDT. He died at 11:08pm EDT.

It took 15 Minutes for him to die ?. Surely that can't be correct.

WesternNight · 22-09-2011 09:06AM

It doesn't even matter if he was guilty or not, the fact of the matter is there was no justification whatsoever to execute Troy Davis. Eyewitness testimony is hugely compelling, but it's also unreliable, so shouldn't be the sole basis for any conviction. No physical evidence, the witnesses recanting.. I actually cannot believed it was allowed to happen.

tallus wrote: »

It took 15 Minutes for him to die ?. Surely that can't be correct.

It's a series of injections, not just one immediate one.

Plazaman · 22-09-2011 09:12AM

tallus wrote: »

It took 15 Minutes for him to die ?. Surely that can't be correct.

I would say the procedure began at 10.53pm, the first injection they get is a strong sedative to knock them out. Very sporting of them.

I'm for the death penalty as there are just some people on this planet who don't deserve to be taking our oxygen but in a case where there is ANY doubt, the pillars of society and justice who order excecutions are no better than the scum who take innocent lives. Hope the members of the Supreme Court had a nice long restless night after their decision in this case.

GrizzlyMan · 22-09-2011 09:19AM

As noted on Wikipedia

Davis' final words are reported as follows:
“
I'd like to address the MacPhail family. Let you know, despite the situation you are in, I'm not the one who personally killed your son, your father, your brother. I am innocent. The incident that happened that night is not my fault. I did not have a gun. All I can ask ... is that you look deeper into this case so that you really can finally see the truth. I ask my family and friends to continue to fight this fight. For those about to take my life, God have mercy on your souls. And may God bless your souls.[124]

”

pappyodaniel · 22-09-2011 09:52AM

Read the thread title wrong and automatically thought of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUjh9Id6Id8

The Troy Davis Case

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