Neither petitions bearing the names of almost one million people nor requests from such high-profile figures as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict XVI convinced the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles to cancel the execution of Troy Anthony Davis scheduled to take place September 21.
With the Board presenting its announcement just one day before the planned execution, it appears that the two-decade-long struggle to free Troy Anthony Davis, following his conviction for the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark Allen MacPhail, may soon come to an end.
The Board listened to hours of testimony from Davis’ supporters and prosecutors before choosing to reject his appeal for clemency. The inmate’s case over the past twenty years has created a forum for debates over the constitutionality of the death penalty and raised many questions about effectiveness and fair practices where the American judicial systems is concerned. It has also forced the families of the slain Officer MacPhail and the imprisoned Davis to live with the ongoing pain generated by of a lack of closure.
The Call for Clemency
The call to grant Davis clemency in recent years has been based primarily on the absence of any physical evidence linking him to MacPhail’s murder and to the fact that seven out of nine witnesses, who originally identified Davis as the murderer, recanted their testimonies. Among those who have called for clemency due to what many perceive as “reasonable doubt” in the case is famed author and political activist Angela Davis:
“…The execution of Troy Davis will contribute to an atmosphere of violence and racism and a devaluation of life itself within our country,” said Davis. “If we can execute anyone, especially a man who may be innocent of any crime, it fosters disrespect for the law and life itself. This exacerbates every social problem at a time when the people of our country face some of the most difficult challenges regarding our economic security and future.”
Supporters of Davis have vowed to exhaust every possibility to stop the execution and at the very least have the inmate’s sentence changed to one of life imprisonment. However, as it stands at present Davis will be executed Wednesday by lethal injection at a prison south of Atlanta in Jackson, Georgia.
NEXT: Savannah Talks Troy Anthony Davis No. 16: Davis Executed
This is the 15th installment of Aberjhani’s Savannah Talks Troy Anthony Davis Series. For part one, please click here. To make sure you catch future installments, please sign up for a free subscription.
by Aberjhani, National African American Art Examiner
author ofThe River of Winged Dreams
and co-author of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
Read More of Savannah Talks Troy Anthony Davis
- Savannah Talks Troy Anthony Davis 1 The Inmate on Death Row
- Savannah Talks Troy Anthony Davis 2 The World and Mr. Davis
- Savannah Talks Troy Anthony Davis 3 The Slain Officer MacPhail
- Savannah Talks Troy Anthony Davis 4 The Grass Roots Response
- Savannah Talks Troy Anthony Davis 5 Race Death and Justice in America
- Savannah Talks Troy Anthony Davis 6 Supreme Court Says Yes
- Savannah Talks Troy Anthony Davis 7 Twentieth Anniversary
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