Condemned Inmate Troy Davis Has Much Support, Little Hope

The Denver Post

ATLANTA — Yet another appeal denied, Troy Davis was left with little to do Tuesday but wait to be executed for a murder he insists he did not commit.
On Tuesday, he lost his most realistic chance to avoid lethal injection, as Georgia's pardons board rejected his appeal for clemency. As his scheduled execution tonight neared, his backers resorted to far-fetched measures: urging prison workers to strike or call in sick, asking prosecutors to block the execution — even considering a desperate appeal for White House intervention.
He has gotten support from hundreds of thousands of people, including a former FBI director, former President Jimmy Carter​ and Pope Benedict XVI​, and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling gave him an unusual opportunity to prove his innocence last year.
State and federal courts, however, repeatedly upheld his conviction for the 1989 killing of Mark MacPhail, an off-duty police officer who was working as a security guard in Savannah when he was shot dead rushing to help a homeless man who was being attacked.
Davis' attorneys say he was convicted based on flawed testimony that has been largely recanted by witnesses, but prosecutors and MacPhail's relatives say they have no doubt the right man is being punished.
"Justice was finally served for my father," said Mark MacPhail Jr., who was an infant when his father was gunned down. "The truth was finally heard."
As Davis' attorneys considered filing another appeal, his supporters planned vigils and rallies around the world. Nearly 1 million signed a petition seeking clemency, according to Amnesty International.
"Allowing a man to be sent to death under an enormous cloud of doubt about his guilt is an outrageous affront to justice," said Larry Cox, who heads Amnesty International USA.