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U.S. Circuit Court grants Troy Davis stay of execution

On Friday, Oct. 24, the Eleventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay of execution for Troy Davis who was convicted of the Aug. 19, 1989 murder of 27-year-old Savannah police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail.

The stay was granted on the same day that more than 100 members of the clergy sent a letter to Gov. Sonny Perdue stating, "We are distressed by the inability of the appeals courts to provide a hearing or new trial to examine evidence that Troy Davis did not murder Mark MacPhail. We are distressed that in a case based solely on witness testimony the unprecedented number of witness recantations has not impressed the courts enough to re-examine the case.

"We are distressed that the appeals process has become so restrictive that the bar for proving innocence has become virtually unattainable. Finality and procedure must never be deemed of higher importance than questions of innocence and truth in the pursuit of justice, especially when human life is at stake."

Of the nine witnesses who originally gave testimony against Davis, seven have since recanted or admitted they lied. Davis has asked repeatedly for a new trial in view of these revelations.

In the past year, his execution has been rescheduled twice as appeals were made. Davis' execution most recently had been scheduled for Monday, Oct. 27.

by Stephanie Ramage | Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 9:39 AM in News and Politics | Comments (0) | Permalink

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