The family of and attorneys for Troy Davis of Georgia are pumping up their efforts to save his life and potentially clear his name. Troy Davis is scheduled to be executed by the State of Georgia next week.
Davis was convicted of killing a Savannah police officer in 1991. His trial was based almost exclusively on witness testimony, and of the nine individuals who testified against him, seven have now recanted claiming they were "intimidated" by the investigating officers. There is no physical evidence. One of the two remaining witnesses is himself a suspect and has been implicated in the murder by numerous others.
Davis has attempted habeas corpus petitions and state appeals. His first habeas petition was handled by underfunded defense attorneys without capability to properly investigate and his follow up was dismissed for [alleged] procedural insufficiency.
The last quote from the article linked below is the one that scares me the most:
"The execution of an innocent man is not unconstitutional," said Jason Ewart, Davis' attorney, "so we face an uphill battle."
(Information gathered from the LA Times.)
Folks, Troy Davis may very well be innocent. At the very least, he was sentenced to death on the word of several clearly unreliable witnesses without additional corroboration (no murder weapon or DNA, etc.). If you can, please contact the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Governor's office, etc. to voice your objections. For those of you in Georgia, your voice will mean even more.
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