By: Jackie Jones
The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to review Troy Davis’ case today and may render a decision by June 29.
While hopeful, many death penalty opponents and civil rights activists are not expecting action favorable to Davis.
Davis was convicted in 1991 of killing an off-duty Savannah, Georgia police officer, largely on the basis of eyewitness testimony, and was subsequently sentenced to death. But seven of the nine witnesses who implicated Davis in the murder have since recanted, and other witnesses have come forward to say another man had confessed to killing Officer Mark MacPhail. Further, Davis has no previous criminal record, and there is no physical evidence linking him to the crime.
Restrictions on federal appeals prevent Davis from having a hearing in federal court on the reliability of the witness testimony used against him, and Davis remains on Georgia’s death row.
Supreme Court Set to Review Troy Davis Verdict....
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