Rest in Peace: Troy Davis (1968-2011)

The state of Georgia carried out the death penalty on Troy Davis on this date in 2011.   He was declared dead at 11:08 pm ET on September 21, 2011.  Not much else to say at this point.
  

May God have mercy on his soul.

Supreme Court Issues 7-Day Reprieve on Troy Davis Execution

It appears that the voice of the people was heard by the Supreme Court of the United States. Troy Davis was scheduled for execution at 7:00pm ET today. Our understanding is that the Supreme Court has issued a reprieve that could last a few hours ... or up to seven days. The reprieve gives the SCOTUS a chance to review the petition for a stay of execution.   

Oddly enough, it appears that Justice Clarence Thomas may be the one trying to get consensus from his peers on the court.    Clarence Thomas was born and raised in Georgia.  Perhaps this will be an opportunity for Clarence Thomas to do the right thing for Black people.

Troy Davis can still be executed if the Georgia authorities decide to do so.

It appears that the Georgia parole board had a close vote, 3-to-2, to deny clemency to Davis. There were people in that room who had doubts about his conviction. There is simply too much doubt to put this man to death.

The news on this case flowed through the Internet much quicker than I saw it on either cable or network television. I followed the flow on Twitter and with the live streaming taking place on Democracy Now in front of the Georgia prison where the execution was scheduled to take place.

What Does the Bible Say About the Death Penalty?

Troy Davis is in his jail cell down in Georgia. His execution is set to take place tonight. Only Troy and God know whether or not he murdered Mark MacPhail.

I began to wonder what the Bible says about the death penalty.

The first mention of the appropriate punishment for a murder is in Genesis 4:11-15.

"And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;...a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." (KJV)

Adam and Eve's sons were Cain, a farmer, and Abel, a shepherd. Each brought the best that they had had produced as a sacrifice to God. God accepted Abel's sacrifice of meat but rejected Cain's grain offering. Cain's resultant disappointment turned to anger; he killed his brother. God cursed Cain for the murder and sent him to wander the earth. God also put a mark on Cain's body so that nobody who saw him would be motivated to kill him. If anyone killed Cain for the murder of his brother, that person would be very severely punished. Here, banishment and exile is the penalty for murder; capital punishment is specifically prohibited.

The first mention of capital punishment as a penalty for murder is in Genesis 9:6:

"Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." (KJV)

This passage regards the killing of a human as an offense against God because humans were made in the image of God, both male and female. Unlike the previous passage which required that the murderer be merely exiled, this verse required the murderer to be killed.

I imagine that proponents on either side of the death penalty question can find comfort in the Bible.

Rethabile Masilo (see photo) reached inside of his soul and created this poem for Troy Davis:

THE MESSAGE
(for Troy Davis)

Over the outer wall
a sun will rise, lighting
the same things it lights
whether or not another war
has been sparked, or
a market dried up and dead,
the same sun that sometimes
appears to linger above
a plot of land on which
his mother grows beans,
collards, in soil smeared with
blood, cleared with toil.
It’ll be so early one might
mistake it for a hanging night
moon.  On white picket fence
at an unearthly hour
on the morning of this last day,
a cock crows to tell the dead man
it’s time to go, while, somewhere
in the country, a postman
slides letters into mailboxes
whose arms, too, hang loosely
at the sides. A dog runs after
his jeep to the end of the street,
slinks back home dragging its tail.
 A day Jehovah won’t forget
that easily. A day nobody
is waiting for nor thinks should
materialise. A last day for a man
through whose skin, milling
with melanocytes, past whose
layers of vein and into
whose lumen a needle will
enter and leave its message.
© Rethabile Masilo

Too Much Doubt: Stop Death Penalty Execution of Troy Davis

This blog has been following the tragic story of Troy Davis for a couple of years now. It is a sad day in America as we learn that the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles voted to deny clemency to Troy Davis.

This means that very little is standing in the way of the state of Georgia executing a potentially innocent man this Wednesday, September 21 st at 7pm.

There is simply too much doubt in the case against Troy Davis to allow for this execution to go forward. However, it appears that the state of Georgia and Chatham County (Savannah) District Attorney Larry Chisolm don't intend to do anything to put brakes on a runaway justice system that is calling for Troy's execution. They have until the final moments before Troy's scheduled execution to put the brakes on this runaway justice system.

Amnesty International plans to fight the scheduled execution down to the last minute. This blog will join them in their call to action. We encourage all villagers to contact Georgia's District Attorney and urge him to stop the execution of Troy Davis.


Make the state of Georgia hear you! Tell them that executing Troy Davis will only deepen the cycle of violence and injustice.

Too Much Doubt for Us to Execute Troy Davis (VIDEO: Jasiri X)

Georgia's Board of Pardons & Paroles will hold a final clemency hearing tomorrow -- a final chance to prevent the execution of Troy Davis. The Board of Pardons claims that the execution would only take place if there is “no doubt” about the guilt of the man they are killing.


Our prayers are with both families who have been torn apart by this tragedy.  You see, we understand the grief and despair felt by Michael McPhail's mother.   Her son was the off-duty cop killed in August 1989.  McPhail's family is looking forward to the execution scheduled for September 21.   They feel it will be some form of 'justice' and 'closure'. 

However, this blog along with many other villagers think that there is 'too much doubt':

1. Of the nine original witnesses in the case, seven have either recanted or contradicted their original stories. One witness said in a CNN news interview "If I knew then, what I know now, Troy Davis would not be on death row."
2. Of the two witnesses who have not recanted, one of them (Sylvester Coles) was a suspect in the murder. A witness even claimed that Coles bragged at a party about having killed an off-duty police officer.
3. Nine individuals have signed affidavits indicting that the murder was committed by Sylvester Coles

Troy Davis survived three previous execution dates .... but, in order to do so again it will take action by all of us. Here are some ways that you can help.

1. Request clemency from the Board of Pardons
2. Sign Amnesty International petition to the Board of Pardons
3. Sign Your Black World petition to the Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and President Barack Obama
4. Send a message of support to Troy as he fights for justice on what may be the final days of his life: http://action.naacp.org/LettersOfSupport 
5. Sign the name wall, if you haven't already. And if you have, send it to your friends and family. Each name means a more united front for justice: http://action.naacp.org/Name-Wall
6. Tell everyone you know! Spread the word about this injustice on Twitter by using the hashtag #TooMuchDoubt. Be sure to tell your Facebook friends as well.
   

Please take action to help us save the life of Troy Davis.

Almost 50 Members of Congress Want Clemency for Troy Davis

Soulclap to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for telling us that four dozen members have asked the state Board of Pardons and Paroles to grant clemency for Troy Davis, who is scheduled to face execution on September 21st for the 1989 killing of off-duty Savannah Police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail.

The letter signed by the Congressional representatives can be read here.

This blog hopes that the momentum to get Troy Davis off death row continues in the next few days. Please do anything that you can to help this cause!

Troy Davis Scheduled for Execution on September 21st

We are very sad to learn that the state of Georgia plans to execute Troy Davis on September 21st. Most villagers know that Troy Davis has been on death row in the state of Georgia since 1991. He was convicted on August 19, 1989 of the murder of Georgia police officer, Mark MacPhail.

On August 24, 2010, the conviction was upheld, with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia declaring, “Davis is not innocent.” The judge did not say that Davis is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, implying that the standard for exoneration had been lifted unreasonably high.

The Supreme Court refused to hear his final appeal -- even though many of us feel that Troy Davis is innocent of all charges.

Georgia's Board of Pardons & Paroles will hold a final clemency hearing in the next week or so -- a final chance to prevent the execution of Troy Davis. The Board of Pardons claims that the execution would only take place if there is “no doubt” about the guilt of the man they are killing.

Many villagers think that there is 'plenty of doubt':

1. Of the nine original witnesses in the case, seven have either recanted or contradicted their original stories. One witness said in a CNN news interview "If I knew then, what I know now, Troy Davis would not be on death row."
2. Of the two witnesses who have not recanted, one of them (Sylvester Coles) was a suspect in the murder. A witness even claimed that Coles bragged at a party about having killed an off-duty police officer.
3. Nine individuals have signed affidavits indicting that the murder was committed by Sylvester Coles

Troy Davis survived three previous execution dates .... but, in order to do so again it will take action by all of us. Here are some ways that you can help.

1. Request clemency from the Board of Pardons
2. Sign Amnesty International petition to the Board of Pardons
3. Sign Your Black World petition to the Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and President Barack Obama
4. Organize locally for Troy. Sign up now to rally in the coming days to stop the execution of Troy Davis.
5. Tell everyone you know! Spread the word about this injustice on Twitter by using the hashtag #TooMuchDoubt. Be sure to tell your Facebook friends as well.
   

Please take action to help us save the life of Troy Davis.

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal by Troy Davis

The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis, clearing the way for the state to resume planning for Davis’ execution.

The justices refused to order the federal appeals court in Atlanta to examine Davis’ case and they declined to do so themselves.

In 2009, the high court ordered a federal judge to examine evidence Davis said would show he was innocent of the 1989 killing for which he has been sentenced to death.

But the judge decided last year that Davis had failed to clear his name. At the moment, executions are on hold in Georgia after federal agents seized the state’s supply of a key lethal injection drug.

Death Row Inmate Troy Davis Fails to Prove Innocence

Soulclap to NAACP Wichita Branch for sharing breaking news about a death penalty case that this blog has been tracking over the past couple of years.

Judge William T. Moore ruled that Troy Davis did not "clearly establish" his innocence. Because of the ruling, the State of Georgia will make plans to carry out the death sentence and set a new execution date.

The June evidentiary hearing was not a new trial, Troy Davis had no presumption of innocence and was limited in what able to be presented. And while he was still able to produce four witnesses who testified under oath that they lied at Troy's trial and yet others implicated the alternative suspect, he was unable to meet the very high standard set to prove his innocence.

Troy Davis's legal team has stated that they plan to appeal the ruling.

Troy Davis Fights Death Penalty in Federal Court

Villagers should know that an evidentiary hearing for death row inmate Troy Davis is taking place today in a Savannah federal district court. According to his sister, Martina Correia, Mr. Davis is in a great spirit and prayerful about the pending outcome.

“Troy is in total prayer, asking God to deliver him. He says people keep asking him why he’s not upset or broken down by now. It is because he believes God is protecting him," said Ms. Correia. [SOURCE]

Today's hearing was ordered last year by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Troy was sentenced to death for the 1991 killing of Mark McPhail, a police officer in Savannah, Georgia. We have posted before that the State of Georgia should not kill Troy Davis because there is no physical evidence tying him to the crime and seven out of nine witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony.

The high court ordered a federal judge in Georgia to determine whether there is evidence "that could not have been obtained at the time of trial (that) clearly establishes petitioner's innocence."

For more information please log on to: www.troyanthonydavis.org or read past Electronic Village blog posts.

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Troy Davis

Villagers will be happy to know that the U.S. Supreme Court today announced that Troy Davis will finally get his day in court ... and a chance to prove his innocence. The court ordered a federal judge in Georgia to review the overwhelming evidence of Troy's innocence.

Troy was sentenced to death for the 1991 killing of Mark McPhail, a police officer in Savannah, Georgia. We have posted before that the State of Georgia should not kill Troy Davis because there was no physical evidence tying him to the crime and seven out of nine witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony.

The high court ordered a federal judge in Georgia to determine whether there is evidence "that could not have been obtained at the time of trial (that) clearly establishes petitioner's innocence."

"The substantial risk of putting an innocent man to death clearly provides an adequate justification for holding an evidentiary hearing," said Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for the court. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer concurred with Stevens.

Davis' attorneys have delayed his execution three times by raising doubts about those witnesses. But state and federal courts have denied Davis' request for a new trial, and Georgia officials have repeatedly rejected calls for clemency.

The case has attracted worldwide attention, with calls to stop Davis' execution from former President Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Desmond Tutu.

Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas dissented from the decision to order an evidentiary hearing.

Scalia said, "every judicial and executive body that has examined petitioner's claim has been unpersuaded ... Davis' claim is a sure loser ... transferring his petition to the District Court is a confusing exercise that can serve no purpose except to delay the state's execution of its lawful criminal judgment."

Davis' family said the ruling gives them hope that he could be exonerated.

"I'm always optimistic," said his sister Martina Correia, who has traveled around the world advocating for his case. "This means he gets another chance. And we're going to keep fighting for that chance."

State officials welcomed the ruling.

"Hopefully, this hearing will resolve the doubts about the verdict handed down by the Chatham County jury 18 years ago," Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker said in a statement.

Villager's Voice: Today is a good day! The Supreme Court is finally going to give Troy a chance to present this evidence and prove his innocence! That's a victory for Troy and his family — and for all villagers.

Larry Chisolm: 'Reopen the Troy Davis Case'

The U.S. Supreme Court delayed a decision on whether to grant Troy Davis an appeal until after it returns from recess in September. The court's decision (or non-decision) should be taken as a good sign. It gives us hope that at least some Supreme Court Justices may finally be waking up to the strong claims of innocence in this case and want to take more time to weigh the facts.

Troy's case continues to inspire the support of millions of activists and countless leaders speaking on behalf of human rights, including former President Jimmy Carter and Archbishop Desmond TuTu.

Our activism has already put the U.S. Supreme Court and Georgia officials on the fence. Now we've got to do all we can these next couple of months to guarantee justice for Troy Davis!

Villagers, we must continue to beat the drums if we hope to get Troy Davis off death row. Davis currently has a final appeal before the US Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court rejects Troy's final appeal, his case returns to Savannah, Georgia, where a new District Attorney will have some life or death decisions to make. DA Larry Chisolm was elected in 2008 and campaigned on a platform to "increase the sense of fairness" in his office.

I ask all villagers to call on DA Chisolm to do everything in his power to prevent an execution, and urge him to reopen the case against Troy Davis, since most of the witnesses responsible for his conviction have now recanted.

Please take a moment to share your VILLAGER VOICE on this death penalty case down below.

Let Troy Davis Speak

NAACP President Ben Jealous just sent out the following message:

---

Dear Wayne,

A few hours ago, I met with Troy Davis on death row.

As you know, he is facing the death penalty in Georgia for killing a police officer -- but since his trial, seven out of nine witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony. And with no physical evidence to link him to the crime, it is likely he is innocent.

Besides the fact that Troy is facing execution for a crime that he may not have committed, he also told me that he is being denied the right to speak out on his own behalf despite the fact that others in his position are allowed to do so.

Please contact Commissioner Brian Owens of the Georgia Department of Corrections to demand that he remove the gag order on Troy Davis.

In my meeting with Troy, I discovered that 60 Minutes, Dateline, and the Associated Press have all been denied media access to Troy. When Georgia won't let the media talk to the accused man, it is a flagrant abuse of his First Amendment rights.

In fact, the case of Troy Davis highlights how broken our criminal justice system is... and why we must reform it. Today, more than 60% of the people in prison are people of color. African Americans make up more than 40% of those on death row. This summer, the NAACP will launch a campaign to reform our country's criminal justice system with the goal of making our communities safer, improving police performance, saving money, and keeping more of our young men and women out of prison. But Troy can't wait for this summer. We need your help now.

An innocent man may be executed. You and I must work together to reform our country's criminal justice system, and we must start by saving the life of one man. Please contact Commissioner Brian Owens of the Georgia Department of Corrections today and demand he give Troy the right to speak.

Benjamin Todd Jealous
President and CEO
NAACP

---

I've sent my online petition. I also shared the information with my Twitter followers. Will you join us in this effort to change the policy enacted by the Georgia Department of Corrections?

Don't Kill Troy Davis

Let me start by saying that my prayers are with the family of Mark McPhail. He is the police officer shot in August 1989 for nothing more than doing his job. Sometimes, we fail to acknowledge McPhail's family as we discuss this case.

The State of Georgia sentenced Troy Davis to the death penalty for McPhail's murder over 15 years ago. Should Troy Davis be put to death by the State of Georgia? My answer is 'No'.




There is compelling evidence that Davis did not commit the crime. I don't think that we should have any doubt about killing a man. This case is full of doubt. Unfortunately, it appears that Troy Davis is reaching the end of the line.

He lost his appeal to the federal appeals court in April. The Supreme Court jumped in about 90 minutes before Davis was set to be executed back in September 2008. However, they turned down a hearing on his appeal in October.

A 30-day stay of execution expires this weekend, prompting Amnesty International and the AfroSpear to declare today a global day of action - a time for those who hate injustice to raise our voices and save this man's life.

Troy Davis expressed his gratitude to us in interview conducted on May 17th.

Villagers, here are the basic facts of the case:

In August 1989, Davis and a running buddy named Sylvester (Red) Coles spent a riotous, hell-raising night in Savannah. Eyewitnesses say Coles shot at two of his neighbors at a house party with a chrome .38 pistol, hitting and wounding one.

Davis wasn't at that party. But he and Coles met later and wound up in the parking lot of a Burger King next to Savannah's Greyhound bus station, where one of them harassed and pistol-whipped a homeless man.

When the man yelled for help, a cop named Mark McPhail - who was moonlighting as a security guard at the bus station - came running, and was shot to death at point-blank range.

The murder weapon was never recovered, but ballistics showed it was a .38-caliber handgun.

Coles, the owner of a .38, wasn't charged. Instead, nine eyewitnesses testified at trial that Davis was the shooter.

But seven of the nine have since recanted their testimony, with several signing sworn statements that they were coerced by cops.

One recanting witness, Dorothy Ferrell, said in a sworn statement that "I was scared that if I didn't do what the police wanted me to do, then they would try to lock me up again. I was on parole at the time."

And here's witness Darrell Collins: "I was only 16 ... After a couple of hours of the detectives yelling at me and threatening me, I finally broke down ... They would tell me things that they said had happened and I would repeat whatever they said."

And so it went with seven of the nine witnesses.

Of the remaining two, one initially told police under oath that he didn't know who shot McPhail - then reversed himself on the witness stand two years later, certain that Davis was the culprit.

The only other eyewitness is Coles, who went to the police the day after the shooting, accompanied by a lawyer and claimed Davis was the killer.

Coles never mentioned that he'd been carrying a .38-caliber pistol that night.

"[The police] bought Mr. Coles' story hook, line and sinker," Davis' attorneys argued in court. "And they went out into this community, and they rounded up witnesses everywhere they could find them, and they paraded them in here."

Three new witnesses now claim they heard Coles later take credit for the murder. But none of the new witnesses or sworn recantations have ever been heard in any court - and probably never will be.

The only remaining hope is a pardon from Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue - an act of mercy we should all demand to rescue Davis from an unjust death.

Other Available Resources:

1. Download a fact sheet on Davis' case


2. Read more about innocence on Georgia's death row


3. Where is the justice for me?: The case of Troy Davis, facing execution in Georgia


4. Listen to Troy tell his story


5. View the facts and timeline


6. Join the international discussion


7. Hear from Troy's sister


8. Visit Troy Davis' website

Next step is yours. How are you raising your voice in protest today?

Global Day of Action for Troy Davis

Drumbeats from Sojourner's Place inform us that Troy Davis' latest and last appeal for a new trial was denied and his stay of execution will expire on May 15, 2009.

Amnesty International has just released plans for a Global Day of Action for Troy Davis. Amnesty International has designated May 19th for groups and individuals around the world to organize demonstrations, vigils, teach-ins or any other public event in an effort to show Georgia that the executing Troy Davis "would be an unacceptable travesty of justice." As such they are asking the assistance of all in agreement with to be both visible and as loud as possible.

In an effort to show Georgia that the whole world is watching, the Global Day of Action for Troy Davis will be marked by a rally on the Atlanta Capital Steps sponsored by Amnesty International and the NAACP. Other activities being organized throughout the globe include information tables, candlelight vigils, letter-writing campaigns, panel discussions, and public demonstrations. Suggested themes of this global initiative include: "Shout from the Rooftops" - emphasize your outrage at the injustice in this case; you could even hold a demonstration on a rooftop; and "We Are Troy Davis" – emphasize your solidarity with Troy.

I am inviting all villagers to participate in this Global Blogging Day of Action for Troy Davis by writing a post on May 19th. In doing so, include the graphic seen at the beginning of this post as a show of solidarity. This is an official event for the entire blogosphere registered at Amnesty International by Sojourner. I hope you will decide to participate by leaving a comment on this blog. You can also sign-up on Facebook.

It is also important for each of us to take other actions such as:

1. Urge Georgia Governor Perdue to exercise leadership on behalf of Troy Davis
   
2. Visit GFADP to see what activists are doing in Georgia.
   
3. Clergy and Religious Leaders can add their name to sign-on letter created by Amnesty International.
   
4. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. It's quick and easy using the ACLU's website.
   
5. Text "TROY" to 90999 to help spread the word with your cell phone.

Please do not contact the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles directly right now, as doing so could be detrimental to Troy's case. Instead, you are encouraged to contact Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.

Other Available Resources:

• Download a fact sheet on Davis' case
  
• Read more about innocence on Georgia's death row
  
• Where is the justice for me?: The case of Troy Davis, facing execution in Georgia
  
• Listen to Troy tell his story
  
• View the facts and timeline
  
• Join the international discussion
  
• Hear from Troy's sister
  
• Visit Troy Davis' website

Mark your calendar. I hope to see high villager turnout on May 19th. Will you join us?

Troy Davis Loses Death Penalty Appeal

Drumbeats from Sojourner informed us that Troy Davis' appeal was rejected by the federal appeals court in Atlanta yesterday. In the 2 to 1 opinion, the court ruled that Troy was unable to establish by clear and convincing evidence that a new jury would not find him guilty.

Troy was convicted of killing off-duty Savannah Police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail. The 27-year-old former Army Ranger was shot three times before he could draw his weapon. Davis’ innocence claims have attracted international attention. They rely largely on the recantations of key prosecution witnesses who testified at trial and on statements by others who say another man told them he was the actual killer.

See local news video report
The lone dissenter, Judge Rosemary Barkett, wrote:

To execute Davis, in the face of a significant amount of proferred evidence that may establish his actual innocence, is unconscionable and unconstitutional.

Troy is left with a 30-day stay of execution so that he can appeal to the US Supreme Court. His chances are slim when you consider that the US Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal last October.

I watch a TNT television series called Saving Grace. One thing that it showed me was that even divine intervention cannot stop death penalty executions. Even so, I hope that Troy Davis has a last chance angel like Earl.

What say u?

Ask Governor Perdue to Stop the Execution of Troy Davis

The state of Georgia seems determined to kill Troy Davis. We have been talking about Troy Davis with villagers since last September. I imagine that our prayers, calls, emails and such have had some impact as his execution has been stayed.

Troy Davis faces execution for the murder of Police Officer Mark MacPhail in Georgia, despite a strong claim of innocence. 7 out of 9 witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony, no murder weapon was found and no physical evidence links Davis to the crime.

The Georgia Board of Pardon and Paroles has voted to deny clemency, yet Governor Perdue can still exercise leadership to ensure that clemency is granted to Troy Davis.

We need to let Georgia officials hear from us again. Please join us in asking Governor Perdue to stop the execution of Troy Davis.

Despite this mounting evidence in favor of Troy’s freedom, he continues to wait on death row. I encourage villagers to watch and share this video with others. We are anxiously awaiting the court’s response to the latest round of arguments in Troy’s case that could be handed down at any moment. So the fate of Troy Davis is still very much in limbo.

Will you step up to support this young man?

Execution of Troy Davis Put on Hold by Federal Appeals Court

A federal appeals court has agreed to take up the case of a Georgia man on death row for allegedly killing a police officer despite strong doubts about his guilt.

Troy Davis, 40, is to get a new hearing on December 9, said the court, which has postponed his scheduled execution for the murder nearly 20 years ago of a white policeman.

The federal appeals court can either confirm the death sentence or send the case back to a lower court.

Davis has maintained his innocence and several witnesses at his 1991 trial have since recanted. Nine people who testified in Davis’s 1991 trial have recanted, saying they were pressured by police in the aftermath of the shooting. The murder weapon was never recovered and there was no DNA recovered at the scene.

His lawyers took the case all the way to the Supreme Court. In September, the high court halted Davis’s execution two hours before he was scheduled to die as it considered his request for a new trial.

But last month, the court refused to consider the constitutionality of executing a person when there is new, substantial evidence to show he was not guilty of the crime, thus opening the way for the state to reschedule his execution.

Now we wait to see what the federal appeals court has to say about the case. And Troy Davis lives another day...

25-Day Stay of Execution: Troy Davis

After the Supreme Court refused to hear the Troy Davis appeal for a new trial, Georgia scheduled a new date for his execution - Monday, October 27. However, this morning the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 25-day stay of execution.

Many Sojourners and villagers have been following this story, writing letters, and signing petitions urging that Troy's execution be stayed. We will continue to use our blog to keep you informed.

Execution of Troy Davis

As you may already know, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Troy Davis' case. Hence, Georgia Department of Corrections re-scheduled the execution for October 27, 2008.

Many of us believe that Troy Davis was improperly convicted. Davis is Black, and he is accused of killing a white police officer, Mark MacPhail, in Savannah, Ga., in 1989. There is no physical evidence linking him to the crime--no murder weapon, no fingerprints or DNA, no tests showing gunpowder residue.

Davis was convicted entirely because of eyewitness testimony. But seven of the nine witnesses who testified against Davis have since recanted, with many saying they were coerced by police who were frantic to pin the murder of a fellow officer on someone. Of the two witnesses who stick to their stories, one at first couldn't identify Davis for police, and the other, Sylvester Coles, was initially the cops' prime suspect. In the years since, five people have come forward to say they heard Coles admit he killed MacPhail.

The Atlanta district attorney sees it differently.

If you believe Troy Davis is innocent and will be wrongly executed, please act now.

Contact Carlo Musso. Dr. Musso's company has a contract with the GA Department of Corrections (GDC) to participate in executions. GDC policy dictates that two doctors must be present to allow for an execution to be carried out. This is of course in addition to the other medical professionals who facilitate executions including nurses that prepare the IVs through which poison will flow to Troy Davis' veins.

Please take a moment to send a letter (sample below) to Dr. Musso, president of Rainbow Medical Associates and ask him to remember his humanity and decide NOT to participate in the execution of a man who may be innocent.

The American Medical Associate Code of Medical Ethics explicitly provide that "A physician, as a member of the profession dedicated to preserving life when there is hope of doing so, should not be a participant in a state execution." With these letters, we can remind Dr. Musso of his oath to facilitate healing, not killing.

You can fax Dr. Musso the letter on (770) 692-4754.

You can send the letter to him via the Internet: copy and paste the letter in their online contact form

Here is the sample letter:

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SAMPLE LETTER

October 16, 2008
Carlo Musso, MD.
President, Rainbow Medical Associates
c/o CorrectHealth
9020 Peridot Parkway
Stockbridge, GA 30281

Dear Dr. Musso,

We are writing today to urge you and your company, Rainbow Medical Associates, to decline involvement with the pending execution of Troy Anthony Davis on October 27, 2008 at 7:00pm at Georgia Diagnostic & Classification Prison in Jackson, Georgia.

The execution of Troy Davis would be immoral and wrong. Almost all of the witnesses against him have recanted or changed their stories and no physical evidence was used to convict him. The courts and the parole board have failed to use their power to prevent this imminent miscarriage of justice. However, Troy Davis' execution cannot take place unless human beings participate. You can refuse to help the state of Georgia put Troy Davis to death.

The American Medical Association Code of Medical Ethics explicitly provides that "A physician, as a member of the profession dedicated to preserving life when there is hope of doing so, should not be a participant in a state execution." We implore you to remember your humanity and respect you and your firm's oath to facilitate healing, not killing.

We thank you in advance for choosing not to participate in the execution of a man who may well be innocent. Such an act would be irreversible, immoral and deeply damaging to the reputation of our state and the confidence in our justice system.

Sincerely,
Your Name
Address
Email or Phone Number

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If you aren't able to send a letter ... then please send a prayer for Troy Davis and his family.