In this post, I'll link to news coverage; commentary in the next post.
"Davis Is Executed in Georgia," by Kim Severson for the New York Times.
Proclaiming his innocence, Troy Davis was put to death by lethal injection on Wednesday night, his life — and the hopes of supporters worldwide — prolonged by several hours while the Supreme Court reviewed but then declined to act on a petition from his lawyers to stay the execution.
Mr. Davis, 42, who was convicted of murdering a Savannah police officer 22 years ago, entered the death chamber shortly before 11 p.m., four hours after the scheduled time. He died at 11:08.
This final chapter before his execution had become an international symbol of the battle over the death penalty and racial imbalance in the justice system.
“It harkens back to some ugly days in the history of this state,” said the Rev. Raphael Warnock of Ebenezer Baptist Church, who visited Mr. Davis on Monday.
Mr. Davis remained defiant at the end, according to reporters who witnessed his death. He looked directly at the members of the family of Mark MacPhail, the officer he was convicted of killing, and told them they had the wrong man.
“I did not personally kill your son, father, brother,” he said. “All I can ask is that you look deeper into this case so you really can finally see the truth.”
He then told his supporters and family to “keep the faith” and said to prison personnel, “May God have mercy on your souls; may God bless your souls.”
The latest updating AP filing is, "Carter: Execution exposes flaws in death penalty," by Greg Bluestein.
Former President Jimmy Carter said in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday he hopes Davis' execution "will spur us as a nation toward the total rejection of capital punishment."
"If one of our fellow citizens can be executed with so much doubt surrounding his guilt, then the death penalty system in our country is unjust and outdated," Carter said.
Davis was executed late Wednesday night for the 1989 murder of off-duty Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. His supporters say he was the victim of mistaken identity, while prosecutors and MacPhail's family said justice was finally served after four years of delays..
"If one of our fellow citizens can be executed with so much doubt surrounding his guilt, then the death penalty system in our country is unjust and outdated," said Carter, who urged Georgia's pardons board to block the execution.
Davis was scheduled to die at 7 p.m., but the hour came and went as the U.S. Supreme Court apparently weighed the case. More than three hours later, the high court said it wouldn't intervene. The justices did not comment on their order rejecting Davis' request for a stay.
Hundreds of thousands of people signed petitions on Davis' behalf and he had prominent supporters. His attorneys said seven of nine key witnesses against him disputed all or parts of their testimony, but state and federal judges repeatedly ruled against him - three times on Wednesday alone.
When asked Thursday on NBC's "Today" show if he thought the state had executed an innocent man, civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton said: "I believe that they did, but even beyond my belief, they clearly executed a man who had established much, much reasonable doubt."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has extensive coverage, including, "Davis appeals fail; executed for ‘89 murder," by Bill Rankin and Rhonda Cook.
This week, Davis’ legal team mounted an aggressive effort to try and stop the execution. It first asked the state Board of Pardons and Paroles to grant Davis clemency, a request that was denied Tuesday.
The lawyers, joined by U.S. congressmen, former Department of Corrections officials and the Innocence Project, asked the parole board to reconsider. The board denied that as well.
Davis’ lawyers next asked the Department of Corrections to let Davis take a polygraph test, but they were rebuffed at the prison gate on Wednesday morning.
“We came here to try and prove Mr. Davis is innocent and unfortunately we were denied that opportunity by the Department of Corrections,” said Stephen Marsh, one of Davis’ lawyers, after he was turned away from the prison in Jackson, about 50 miles south of Atlanta.
Davis’ supporters even called for President Barack Obama to stop the execution, though only the state parole board or a court could do so. At a Monday news conference, White House spokesman Jay Carney, when asked about Davis’ case, declined to weigh in.
“Well, as you know, the president has written that he believes the death penalty does little to deter crime but that some crimes merit the ultimate punishment,” Carney said. He referred questions about the pending Davis execution to the U.S. Justice Department.
The case was one of the most popular topics throughout Wednesday on the social media Twitter site.
Journal-Constitution journalist Rhonda Cook witnessed the execution and writes, "Watching an execution: AJC reporter was inside the death chamber."
Warden Carl Humphrey began the process by reading the execution order signed by Chatham County Judge Penny Haas Freesmann. "The court having sentenced defendant Troy Anthony Davis on the third day of September, 1991, to be executed….”
Then he asked Davis if he has any final words.
Yes, the condemned man said and he raised his head so he could look at Mark MacPhail Jr., who was an infant when his father was murdered, and William MacPhail, the dead officer’s brother.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Davis said.
Mark MacPhail, who was leaning forward, and his uncle did not move. They stared at the man who killed their loved one.
“I did not personally kill your son, father and brother,” Davis said. “I am innocent. “
He asked his family and friends to continue to search for the truth.
And to the prison officials he said “may God have mercy on your souls. May God bless your souls.”
He then lowered his head. He turned down an offer for a prayer.
Within minutes, Troy Anthony Davis slipped out of consciousness and in 14 minutes he was dead.
A three-drug cocktail ended his life. First pentobarbital put Davis in a drug-induced coma. The paralytic pancuronium bromide was second. Potassium chloride stopped Davis’ heart.
“The court ordered execution of Troy Anthony Davis was carried out in accordance with the laws of the state of Georgia,” the warden announced.
Curtains in the death chamber were closed and we were quickly ushered out.
The AJC also has a timeline of the night, "Troy Davis, from gurney, proclaims innocence before execution."
Six retired corrections officials, including Allen Ault, the former director of the prison system, also asked the board to reconsider its decision. "We write to you today with the overwhelming concern that an innocent person could be executed in Georgia tonight," they wrote in a letter.
But the parole board, in a brief statement released this morning, said it would not reconsider its decision to deny clemency.
"Troy Davis’ Lawyer: The State of Georgia Legally Lynched An Innocent Man," by James Crugnale at Mediaite.
Following the controversial execution of Troy Davis, his lawyers spoke out passionately about what they perceived as a grave injustice and characterized his punishment as a “legalized lynching.”
“I witnessed something that was horrible, a tragedy,” Davis’ lawyer Thomas Ruffin Jr. said. “This night, the state of Georgia legally lynched a brave, a good and indeed, an innocent man,”
“He made clear in very calm and honest way that he didn’t kill officer Mark MacPhail,” Ruffin added. “He addressed the family and made clear that he didn’t have a gun on the night of August 18, 1989. He called upon the MacPhail family, his family and friends and all of those who have want what’s right to prevail and what’s wrong to be crushed.”
Jason Ewart, who also represented Davis during the case added that he hoped his death would not be in vain and that the death penalty would be reformed as a result of his case.
“This case struck a chord in the world, and as a result the legacy of Troy Davis doesn’t die tonight,” Ewart said. “Our sadness, the sadness of his friends and his family, is tempered by the hope that Troy’s death will lead to fundamental legal reforms so we will never again witness, with inevitable regret, the execution of an innocent man as we did here tonight.”
Earlier coverage of the Troy Davis case begins at the link; commentary on the execution, in the next post.
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