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JJS811 · #**101** 05-21-2009, 12:00 PM

Prosecutors hate to be proven wrong, especially in capital cases, as then too many questions are asked about the DP by Joe Public. They would rather kill an innocent person, than have questions asked about themselves and their motives, or people question the DP itself!

whisky 23 · #**102** 05-21-2009, 12:12 PM

Davis making final appeal Troy Davis files final bid to U.S. Supreme Court
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution © 05/19/2009)
Death-row inmate Troy Anthony Davis on Tuesday will file a last-ditch appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the final court that can consider whether Davis killed a Savannah police officer 20 years ago. Davis’ attorneys asked the high court to send their client’s case back to a federal judge for an evidentiary hearing on Davis’ innocence claims.

mammastalkin · #**103** 05-21-2009, 03:22 PM

The new prosecutor in Atlanta has not commented on the case. I think he is waiting to see if someone else solves the problem for him. As a DA, he could do all sorts of things including dismissing the charges. It isn't over yet.

Lordbew/us · #**104** 05-22-2009, 09:32 PM

I live in Georgia and have been following as much as possible the Troy Davis situation.
I sure pray that Troy Davis will get justice. I can't even begin to imagine how he and his family feels.

For those who feel moved to call or email the Georgia State Senators, Representatives and Governor Perdue, now is the time.

Death row inmate gains more support

Published: 05/21/2009

By Shannon McCaffrey
Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA - Twenty-seven former judges and prosecutors urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to order a federal appeals court to hear innocence claims from Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis.

In a friend of the court brief, the officials said the high court should grant the hearing being sought by Davis' lawyers to "prevent a potential miscarriage of justice."
Among those who signed the brief are former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson; ex-U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia; one-time FBI Director William Sessions and former Special Counsel Richard Ray.
Davis, now 40, was sentenced to die in the 1989 slaying of Mark MacPhail, an off-duty Savannah police officer. Davis' execution has already been postponed three times since 2007. In the most recent delay, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay less than two hours before he was scheduled to be executed on Sept. 23.
That stay was lifted and last month, a federal appeals court rejected Davis' calls for a new trial, clearing the way for his execution.
Officials have not yet set a new execution date. A spokeswoman for Chatham County District Attorney Larry Chisolm said he would not move forward with the plans to execute Davis until his appeals had been exhausted.
Lingering questions about his guilt have attracted international attention. Seven of nine key witnesses against Davis have recanted their testimony against him.
Prosecutors have maintained the case is closed.
On Tuesday, Davis' lawyers filed a last-ditch appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court asking the justices to issue a rare writ that has only been granted three times in the last 100 years. The appeal said that to execute Davis without a full and fair hearing on his claims of innocence would be unconstitutional.
The filing said Davis' new evidence of innocence "eviscerates the state's case against him."
"Despite substantial new evidence of his innocence, no court has ever held a hearing to assess the scores of new witnesses that show Mr. Davis is innocent," the appeal said.

4real4real · #**105** 05-22-2009, 10:21 PM

I'm with you I can't even begin to imagine what him or his family is going thru? Davis has so much support coming from the 4 corners of the world. What a relief to see he still has more.

JoLisaWalsh · #**106** 05-23-2009, 03:00 AM

everything crossed for Troy Davis.. may true justice be on his side...

**lisainengland** · #**107** 05-28-2009, 03:20 AM

I hope Georgia realises what its doing, Troy deserves the chance to prove his innocence.

JJS811 · #**108** 06-02-2009, 01:03 PM

E-mail just received from Amnesty International.

Dear (my name removed)

The Supreme Court will soon look at Troy Davis' petition for a new trial. While we will be disappointed if the courts once again fail to intervene in a case that is so overwhelmed with doubt and a lack of evidence, Troy needs us to keep knocking on doors until one finally opens up.

Savannah's new District Attorney, Larry Chisolm, elected in 2008 on similar principles as President Obama, could be that opportunity. During Chisolm's bid for District Attorney, he laudably pledged to "increase the sense of fairness and transparency in the prosecution function." If there ever was a case that required both fairness and transparency, then this is it. Urge District Attorney Chisolm to make good on his pledge by re-opening Troy's case.

At the heart of this case is a brutal murder of a police officer that could go unpunished if an innocent man is put to death. The District Attorney has the power to re-open the investigation into this crime for which Troy was convicted. Only once we have all the facts on the table, can the courts truly begin to assess the fate of Troy Davis.

At this point, no court has bothered to answer:

why seven of nine prosecution witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony?
why no physical evidence links Troy to the murder?
why one of the two final witnesses has been implicated in many sworn statements as the real killer of officer Mark MacPhail?

Ask District Attorney Chisolm to re-open the investigation to uncover the truth behind officer MacPhail's murder.

You only have to look to May 19th, the Global Day of Action for Troy Davis, to grasp just how much more there is to this case than meets the eye. Supporters across the U.S. joined voices with advocates from 14 different countries around the globe to demand real action for Troy.

Your actions continue to mean so much. In fact, Troy Davis and his sister, Martina Correia, were so touched by the outpouring of your support that they joined a call with Amnesty activists and staff to give their 'thank yous' in person. Listen to Troy Davis' message to Amnesty activists (MP3).

We don't know how much longer this fight for Troy's life is going to last. But as long as there are people who can intervene to save Troy's life, then we will keep pushing for justice.

Remind District Attorney Chisolm there is still time to make good on his pledge.

In Solidarity,

Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn
Director, Death Penalty Abolition Campaign
Amnesty International USA

tweedybird · #**109** 06-12-2009, 07:23 PM

My copy and paste didn't work because of a box with a petition on it. Iamtroy.com

This show tonight is an interview with Bill Maher on HBO real time with Troy Davis. He is scheduled for execution and his case appears to be one of innocense. 7 of 9 witnesses recanted or contradicted their previous testimony.

JJS811 · #**110** 06-13-2009, 06:48 AM

Dear (my name removed).

Tonight I will be on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher talking about the most compelling case of innocence in several decades. I just met with Troy Anthony Davis, an African-American man in Georgia facing execution for a murder that all the evidence says he didn't commit.

I need your help to save Troy's life. Please visit our new campaign site, www.IAmTroy.com, to take action to stop his execution, which could be scheduled as soon as next month.

There is no physical evidence linking him to the crime and seven of the nine eyewitnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimonies. Some say they were coerced to lie by Savannah police. He has been on death row 18 years.

This NAACP campaign is not just online. NAACP organizers are on the streets and in the churches in Savannah, Georgia, working to persuade the new Chatham County District Attorney, Larry Chisolm, to reopen the case. Sign the petition now and organizers will hand it to the DA and Georgia's governor as well. This campaign is part of a larger NAACP program to reform our criminal justice system and end the mass imprisonment of our young people.

I hope you will also pass this e-mail along to your friends and ask them to sign the petition or buy an "I Am Troy" t-shirt and wear it to let other people know how they can help save Troy from wrongful execution.

Please, visit www.IAmTroy.com today and take two minutes to sign the petition.

With your help, we can save this innocent man's life.

Benjamin Todd Jealous
President and CEO
NAACP

**lisainengland** · #**111** 06-14-2009, 03:45 AM

Signed it and got all my family to as well. This is one fight we cannot lose. Did anybody see the programme, I cant get that channel over here.

JJS811 · #**112** 09-24-2009, 11:18 AM

The drummer from rock band Keane is to visit an inmate on Death Row following claims he is the victim of a "terrifying" injustice.

Keane's drummer Richard Hughes and Death Row inmate Troy Davis

Richard Hughes is visiting Troy Davis in Georgia as campaigners battle to save him from execution.
Davis, 40, is on death row at the Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson.
Last year he was just two hours from execution before being granted a reprieve.
He has always protested his innocence and has been on Death Row since 1991.
Last month the US Supreme Court ruled that he should be allowed a new hearing to establish his innocence.
He was convicted in 1991 of killing a police officer called Mark Allen MacPhail in Savannah, Georgia.

Troy is very likely innocent, yet has been on the brink of execution, only last-minute reprieves keeping him alive.

Keane drummer Richard Hughes

However, the authorities failed to produce a murder weapon or any physical evidence linking Davis to the crime.
Now seven of the nine witnesses against him have recanted or changed their initial testimonies in sworn affidavits.
And thousands of people have signed an Amnesty International petitionin support of the prisoner.
"I am totally against the death penalty, and the case of Troy Davis is a terrifying illustration of the reasons why," said Hughes.
"Troy is very likely innocent, yet has been on the brink of execution, only last-minute reprieves keeping him alive.

"He continues to fight for the chance to prove his innocence."
Hughes travels to Georgia with Amnesty International to meet Davis at the weekend.
They will travel with Alistair Carmichael, an MP and chair of the UK parliamentary group for the abolition of the death penalty.
Amenesty's Kim Manning Cooper said: "Even those who don’t agree with Amnesty’s stance in opposing all executions ought to be shocked by this case."
Mr Carmichael said: "The case against Mr Davis is fundamentally unsound."
Georgia is one of 35 US states to retain the death penalty.
From 1973 to the present 135 people have been released from Death Row on the grounds of innocence.
Some 3,300 prisoners remain on death row in the USA.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Wor...fore_Execution

mammastalkin · #**113** 12-20-2009, 05:20 AM

Troy Davis case raising novel legal issues

By Bill Rankin

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
5:38 p.m. Friday, December 18, 2009
Condemned inmate Troy Anthony Davis filed the legal equivalent of a Hail Mary when he petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a hearing on his innocence claims.
But in August, for the first time in nearly half a century, the nation’s highest court took a case filed directly to its docket that had not come up from a lower court on appeal. Once again, Davis, who sits on death row for killing an off-duty Savannah police officer in 1989, was spared execution. And since the reprieve, Davis’ lawyers say a new witness has come forward on his behalf.
“It was just stunning,” said U.S. Supreme Court historian Lucas A. “Scot” Powe, a professor of law and government at the University of Texas at Austin. “But I understand why the court did it. It was Davis’ last chance. He had exhausted all other possible appeals.”
The high court ordered a judge in Savannah to hold a hearing, receive testimony and make findings as to whether new evidence clearly establishes Davis’ innocence.
This assignment was given to U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr., who was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994. Davis’ legal team recently provided Moore with a new affidavit from a Savannah woman who said a key prosecution witness, Sylvester “Redd” Coles, told her he was the one who actually shot and killed Officer Mark Allen MacPhail.
Davis’ supporters, led by Amnesty International, have mounted a global campaign on his behalf. Former President Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict XVI have said Davis should not be executed. Before the Supreme Court made its extraordinary decision, 27 former judges and prosecutors filed a motion on Davis’ behalf and asked the high court to intervene.
In court filings, state Attorney General’s Office lawyers reminded Moore that five separate courts and Georgia’s parole board have rejected Davis’ claims. They predicted that Davis will not be able to prove his innocence at the as-yet unscheduled hearing.
In an order he issued soon after getting the case, Moore noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has never found that the Constitution recognizes a “free-standing innocence claim” such as the one raised by Davis. For this reason, the judge requested the parties to suggest what burden of proof should guide his decision.
Jason Ewart, a member of Davis’ legal team, said Davis is eager to finally present his recantation testimony in court for the first time. But the lawyer acknowledged they “are working on a blank slate. We’re really now talking about what the law should be here.”
Ewart said Davis’ new evidence is powerful. “It essentially eviscerates the evidence presented at trial and presents evidence that wasn’t available at that time,” he said.
In court filings, Davis’ lawyers continue to contend the actual killer was Coles. In a prior interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Coles denied being the triggerman.
Coles went to police shortly after MacPhail was shot dead in a Burger King parking lot. MacPhail, a 27-year-old former U.S. Army ranger, had rushed to the scene responding to the wails of Larry Young, who was being pistol-whipped.
Prosecutors said Davis was with Coles when Coles began harassing Young, demanding Young to give him a beer. Davis then began hitting Young with his pistol. After arriving at the scene, MacPhail was shot before he could unholster his firearm.
When Coles told police Davis was at the scene, Davis became the prime suspect.
At the 1991 trial, nine prosecution witnesses testified they saw Davis at the scene, saw him shoot MacPhail or were told by Davis he killed MacPhail. But since then, seven of these witnesses have recanted, saying police pressured them into falsely fingering Davis.
Coles is one of the two key witnesses who has not recanted his testimony. Since the trial, Coles has confessed to five separate friends and family members that he killed MacPhail, said a court filing by Davis’ legal team.
The most recent person to come forward is Quiana Glover, a Savannah woman who said she was at a friend’s house in June when Coles told her he killed MacPhail, according to her affidavit. Glover said she had known Coles since she was a young girl.
According to Glover’s affidavit, a woman who was with Coles at the party told him he was drinking too much and to slow down. “This [expletive] is killing me,” Coles replied.
When Glover said she asked what Coles was talking about, he said, “Man, looky here, I’m the one who killed that [expletive]. But if they want to hold Troy’s [expletive] then let them hold him. Besides, I’ve got kids to raise.”
Glover said that several days later she was at a sports bar when she saw a married couple, Hollis Mitchell and Alicia Blakely, wearing “I Am Troy Davis” T-shirts and asking people to sign a petition they were going to give to the local district attorney.
Glover said she signed the petition and then, after hesitating, told them what she said Coles had told her, her affidavit said. She gave them her cell phone number and was later contacted by an investigator for Davis’ legal team, who took her sworn statement.
Glover did not return phone calls last week seeking comment.
In a telephone interview on Thursday, Blakely recounted meeting Glover at the sports bar.
“She came up to me and said she had something to tell me,” Blakely said. “She said, ‘I know who killed that police officer.’’’
http://www.ajc.com/news/troy-davis-c...ng-246538.html

mammastalkin · #**114** 04-27-2010, 12:50 PM

"A federal judge has scheduled a June 30 evidentiary hearing for Troy Anthony Davis, the death-row inmate who claims he did not shoot and kill a Savannah police officer in 1989..."
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/june...et-498204.html

mammastalkin · #**115** 05-04-2010, 02:32 PM

After 19 years on death row, two scheduled executions, innumerable court hearings, rallies and teach-ins, Troy Davis will finally get his day in court on June 23. In line with the most recent Supreme Court ruling, the U.S. Federal District Court in Savannah, Ga., will hear evidence as to Davis’s innocence. Davis was convicted in 1991 of the 1989 murder of police officer Mark Allen MacPhail. While no gun was found and no physical evidence linked Davis to the crime, the prosecution produced nine witnesses who testified to Davis’s guilt.
http://www.pslweb.org/site/News2?pag...s_iv_ctrl=1261

mammastalkin · #**116** 06-20-2010, 01:21 PM

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Death penalty appeals from condemned inmates usually hinge on technicalities, legal hiccups and procedural errors. But this week a federal judge will hear evidence from a death row inmate convicted of gunning down a Savannah police officer that will center on a more fundamental question: is he innocent?

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2010/06/20/1169...#ixzz0rQH2bCf4

JJS811 · #**117** 06-20-2010, 03:33 PM

The second hearing is planned to take place on Wednesday June 23 at 10 a.m. It is not going to be the same as a new trial, however, because the burden of proof is on Davis to prove his innocence, while in a new trial the burden of proof lies on the prosecutor and the defendant is assumed innocent until proven guilty.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/36113/

mammastalkin · #**118** 06-23-2010, 01:36 PM

..."But lawyers for Davis, whose execution has been postponed three times, contend that a number of key prosecution witnesses who testified they saw Davis shoot and kill MacPhail have recanted their trial testimony. Others who testified Davis told them he killed MacPhail have also backed off that trial testimony, the witnesses have said in sworn affidavits...."

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/witn...ny-555778.html

JJS811 · #**119** 06-24-2010, 02:41 AM

Troy Davis hearing could end today
State attorneys expected to complete their case today.

A man attorneys for Troy Anthony Davis contend killed a Savannah police officer bragged he was the one who committed the crime for which Davis was convicted, a Chatham County jail inmate testified Wednesday.

Sylvester "Redd" Coles told him, "Troy took the fall," for the slaying he committed, Anthony Hargrove testified.

Hargrove, who somewhat gleefully admitted he has "been in the system 20 years plus change," said he did not reveal the admission because he had legal problems in Florida, calling it "self-preservation."

Davis, 41, is in federal court here in Savannah on what his defense team contends is new evidence that may have resulted in his acquittal in the Aug. 19, 1989, slaying of Mark Anthony MacPhail.

http://savannahnow.com/news/2010-06-...ould-end-today

JJS811 · #**120** 06-24-2010, 02:56 AM

Crowds gather in Wright Square Troy Anthony Davis hearing

Flanked by family, spiritual counsel and at least 87 supporters, Martina Correia's eyes gazed Wednesday morning at the gleaming white marble of the federal courthouse downtown.

Correia's feet held no stammer walking across Bull Street and into the courtroom where her brother, Troy Anthony Davis, awaited the start of an evidentiary hearing that could help reverse a 1991 murder conviction for the 1989 shooting death of Savannah police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail.

She said her steadfast confidence was fueled by her faith and support echoed around the world.

"I slept like a baby," she said. "I went to church. I said my prayers. I have my faith and my support.

"I went home and knew I had to rest up for today."

http://savannahnow.com/news/2010-06-...-davis-hearing

JJS811 · #**121** 06-24-2010, 03:03 AM

Witnesses back off testimony against Troy Davis.

Savannah -- One witness after another raised their right hands Wednesday and swore to tell the truth, just like they did 19 years ago when their testimony helped put Troy Anthony Davis on death row.

This time, however, four key prosecution witnesses gave markedly different statements, either saying they never saw Davis kill a Savannah policeman or never heard him confess to the crime.

Also Wednesday, a 36-year-old prison inmate offered surprise testimony, saying in court for the first time that he witnessed another man shooting and killing Officer Mark Allen MacPhail as he rushed to help a homeless man being pistol-whipped in a Burger King parking lot late one summer night in 1989.

The extraordinary hearing, ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court last August, continues Thursday as lawyers for the state Attorney General's Office wrap up their side of the case.

Davis, 41, wearing a white prison uniform with a blue collar, was transferred from death row in Jackson to attend the hearing. He often sat back in his chair at the defense table, listening intently to testimony. Behind him in the packed federal courtroom sat members of his family and supporters. Across the aisle sat members of the MacPhail family.

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/witn...ny-555778.html

JJS811 · #**122** 06-24-2010, 03:46 AM

There is a blog being written by a member of AI: http://blogs.amnesty.org.uk/blogs_entry.asp?eid=6701

Hopefully that will be updated regularly so we get some news from the case quickly. Fingers crossed for Troy...

**lisainengland** · #**123** 06-24-2010, 04:27 AM

I have everything crossed and my thoughts are with troy and his family

JJS811 · #**124** 06-24-2010, 12:50 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=del1Tc5Qnzs

JJS811 · #**125** 06-25-2010, 05:25 AM

Savannah -- Condemned inmate Troy Anthony Davis got his day in court to present new evidence he contends proves he did not kill an off-duty policeman 21 years ago. After hearing all the evidence, a federal judge now must decide whether Davis should be spared from execution.

In closing arguments Thursday, a member of Davis' legal team contended police rushed to judgment and got the wrong man in the killing. But a state attorney countered that Davis had fallen far short of producing enough new evidence to convince anyone that he did not gun down Savannah police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail as he ran to the aid of a homeless man being pistol-whipped.

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/judg...er-556708.html