Despite serious doubts about his conviction, the state of Georgia executed 42-year-old Troy Davis on Wednesday. Davis, who maintained his innocence until the end, told the family of Mark MacPhail that he was not responsible for the officer’s death and did not have a gun at the time. According to reports, he asked for mercy for those about to kill him and asked his friends and supporters to continue working to get to the truth of officer MacPhail’s death. Davis was pronounced dead at 11:08 p.m. ET.

Throughout the day, Davis’s attorneys and supporters called on various courts to intervene, with the Supreme Court ultimately rejecting a stay which delayed the execution, originally scheduled for 7 p.m.

On Tuesday, Davis met with Wende Gozan Brown, Media Relations Director of human rights organization Amnesty International on behalf of the Abolish the Death Penalty Campaign. Davis asked that the following message be delivered:

“The struggle for justice doesn’t end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I’m in good spirits and I’m prayerful and at peace.”

Officer MacPhail’s family expressed a similar sentiment. Following news of Davis’s death, CNN interviewed his mother, Anneliese MacPhail, who said, “It sounds awful, but it’s kind of a relief that it’s over for me now. In my mind, [justice] has been served. There is no reason to celebrate or do anything because it is not good for both families. I’m sure his family is suffering terribly right now, too. But that’s the way he did it, and that’s the way it ends now. It’s not our doing.”

On Tuesday (September 20), the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole announced that it had, for a second time, denied clemency for Troy Davis, who is scheduled to be executed Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Jackson, Georgia.

As we mentioned in our previous post, Davis has maintained his innocence in the 1991 murder of officer Mark MacPhail, and seven of the nine witnesses have recanted their previous testimonies. In addition, numerous individuals, including international figures such as Pope Benedict XVI, Bishop Desmond Tutu and former President Jimmy Carter, have pursued exoneration for Davis.

But millions of petitions were not enough for the parole board who issued a statement Tuesday announcing it had “met on Monday to consider a clemency request from attorneys representing condemned inmate Troy Anthony Davis. After considering the request, the Board has voted to deny clemency.“

Amnesty International issued a statement following the Board’s:

It is unconscionable that the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has denied relief to Troy Davis. Allowing a man to be sent to death under an enormous cloud of doubt about his guilt is an outrageous affront to justice. Should Troy Davis be executed, Georgia may well have executed an innocent man and in doing so discredited the justice system.

Although 48-year-old death row inmate Duane Buck may have been recently granted a 30-day reprieve without challenging his guilt, another black man can only wish for a similar fate.

Troy Davis, a Georgia death row inmate since 1991, has been issued his fourth execution date of September 21, 2011 (SEE OUR PREVIOUS POST). Davis was convicted of the August 19, 1989, murder of Savannah, Georgia, police officer Mark MacPhail.

No physical evidence connects Davis to the crime, and seven of the nine original witnesses have changed their stories, some citing pressure from law enforcement for the initial testimonies. He has always maintained his innocence, but state and federal courts seem determined to take his life even though Sylvester “Red” Coles is the alternative suspect and nine individuals have signed affidavits implicating him as MacPhail’s murderer.
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