The clemency petition of Troy Davis has been denied by the Georgia Board of Paroles and Pardons. The decision came this morning after the board heard pleas from both sides of the case to either condemn Davis to death or let him live. Davis is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection Wednesday night at 7 pm.
The Your Black World Coalition, the NAACP, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Boyce Watkins and even former President Jimmy Carter, along with others throughout the world, have expressed their discontent about the case. Out of the nine original witnesses to the murder, seven have recanted or changed their stories. In spite of this evidence, the board still decided that Davis should be killed for his crimes
Davis’ sister, Martina Correia, said that having the execution of her brother scheduled repeatedly has been difficult. “It’s been like reliving a nightmare over and over. … But we believe in our brother’s innocence.”
The family of the officer who was killed, Mark MacPhail, was anxious to finally see Davis put to death.
“He’s guilty,” said MacPhail’s widow, Joan MacPhail-Harris. “We need to go ahead and execute him.”
She also expressed the anger that her family has about the death of Officer MacPhail:
“What a travesty it would be if they don’t uphold the death sentence. … It’s time for justice today. My family needs justice. He was taken from us too soon, too early.”
Thousands of people from around the world gathered in Atlanta to protest the execution of Troy Davis. Hundreds of thousands of letters and signatures were sent to the parole board, and people held vigil for Davis around the globe.
The parole board in Georgia has sole authority to deny or grant petitions for clemency. It has commuted just three death sentences over the past decade. The board chose to deny clemency to Davis in spite of the fact that numerous witnesses and even one of the original jury members, has expressed more than reasonable doubt about Davis’ conviction.












