Convicted murderer Troy Davis loses last ditch plea to prove innocence

Daily Mail ^ | 5:39 PM on 21st September 2011 | By Associated Press

[Niuhuru]

Georgia inmate Troy Davis's last-ditch request for a lie detector test to try to prove his innocence ahead of tonight's planned execution has been denied by Georgia Department of Corrections.

Defence lawyer Stephen Marsh said he had hoped the polygraph would convince the state pardons board to reconsider a decision against clemency, which was rejected yesterday.

Davis, 42, is scheduled to die at 7pm tonight. It is the fourth time in four years that Davis' execution has been scheduled by Georgia officials.

[Niuhuru]

Hoped request for polygraph would halt planned 7pm execution in Georgia

Davis convicted of killing off duty police officer Mark MacPhail in 1989

State pardons board threw out appeal for clemency yesterday

Defence lawyers say there is still 'lingering doubt' of Davis' guilt

Celebrities including Kim Kardashian join calls for execution to be called off

[shankbear]

Don’t kill people and you won’t get killed back......

[RitchieAprile]

That still leaves the Phila copkiller Mumia still drawing breath.

[americanophile]

Wait, Kim Kardashian has weiged in against it? OK, let’s call the whole thing off.

[ilovesarah2012]

I haven’t followed this case but it would be ashamed to execute an innocent man. And why is Charles Manson still alive???

[arderkrag]

[Hodar]

It is the fourth time in four years that Davis' execution has been scheduled by Georgia officials.

Dear Georgia officials;
I'm sure that anyone in a position of power in the Great Lone-Star State will be more than happy to help and advise you on how to handle these sort of cases. Although I do not claim to know any of these Texas officials personally; I can say with a certain amount of confidence that such help will be given freely, cordially and politely. Texas is pretty good at making the world a better place, one inmate at a time.

[Revel]

Lie detector tests are like flipping in coin in how accurate they are.

[DeaconRed]

At 7:30 He can take it up with GOD. . . . . .
Strike that; he will be begging lucifer for more ice water. . . . . . . .

[SeaHawkFan]

There are enough reasonable doubts as to his actual guilt that this execution should be canceled. Sentenced to death with only a couple of eyewitnesses and several people recanting their testimony; and jurors saying they would have changed their minds if they had all the facts; and even conservative legal professionals arguing for clemency?

This case is exactly why anti-death penalty have an argument; and I am very pro-death penalty.

[CodeToad]

Dittos. Emotion seems to have run this case.

[hinckley buzzard]

Yup. "Fry Mumia!"

[shankbear]

Due process was given at trial. Reasonable doubt was tested at trial. Every appeal has re-examined the issues. Minds can differ.

[Persevero]

“it would be ashamed to execute an innocent man.”

He has apparently already admitted to shooting another man in the face prior to the death of the policeman. So whether he killed the cop or not, I’d have no problem with him getting the death penalty.

[hallbrain]

What is your opinion based on? What you read in the news? Why hasn’t the news reported any of the hard (172 pages worth) evidence they have against him? All you hear is the recanted testimonies but what did the other 2 say? You never hear that.

[Gator113]

And to think, he could have been President.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

There are enough reasonable doubts as to his actual guilt that this execution should be canceled.

Agreed - reportedly seven of nine eyewitnesses have recanted their testimony, some saying they were intimidated by police and prosecutors. There is also reportedly no physical evidence tying this guy to the murder. I have no problem with the death sentence when the case is iron-clad. That's not this case. There seems to be a reasonable possibility that this guy is innocent.

[hinckley buzzard]

IDK the details here but he has had his execution put on hold three times already. Apparently whatever doubts linger are not all that reasonable, since the defense has had ample opportunity to make their case.

This isn't the 1950's, I assume the defendant's case has been well scrutinized. If they're down to trying to use a lie detector test at this late date, I'd say this guy has gotten due process.

It may happen, rarely, that an innocent man is executed. That's why I support the idea of the Innocence Project, to minimize horrible mistakes. I don't think it happens enough to suspend the use of capital punishment, just as I don't think the deaths of civilians in warfare (collateral damage)is good enough a reason to be a pacifist.

[SeaHawkFan]

You assume the prosecutor was seeking justice rather than just a conviction. Due process is no guarantee of an honest trial.

I base this history and personal experience.

Eyewitness testimony is infamously unreliable. There was no other evidence in this case; no DNA, no physical evidence - NOTHING.

This was a high profile case an it is very possible that the prosecutor wanted a conviction in the case more than he was interested in convicting the right person. After all this time, you think a prosecutor is more interested in admitting there were mistakes than in doing justice?

There are many instances when in the face of undeniable proof of innocence, a prosecutor will still claim he guy was guilty. It happens all the time.

[wiggen]

I think one needs be 100% sure on any sentence and death would call for an ever higher threshold.
Of course there are many on this site who believe in the infallibility of the justice system.