Guardian UK: Troy Davis: 10 reasons why he should not be executed

[marmar]

......(snip)......


1. Of the nine witnesses who appeared at Davis's 1991 trial who said they had seen Davis beating up a homeless man in a dispute over a bottle of beer and then shooting to death a police officer, Mark MacPhail, who was acting as a good samaritan, seven have since recanted their evidence.

2. One of those who recanted, Antoine Williams, subsequently revealed they had no idea who shot the officer and that they were illiterate – meaning they could not read the police statements that they had signed at the time of the murder in 1989. Others said they had falsely testified that they had overheard Davis confess to the murder.

3. Many of those who retracted their evidence said that they had been cajoled by police into testifying against Davis. Some said they had been threatened with being put on trial themselves if they did not co-operate.

4. Of the two of the nine key witnesses who have not changed their story publicly, one has kept silent for the past 20 years and refuses to talk, and the other is Sylvester Coles. Coles was the man who first came forward to police and implicated Davis as the killer. But over the past 20 years evidence has grown that Coles himself may be the gunman and that he was fingering Davis to save his own skin. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/21/troy-davis-10-reasons

[Blue Owl]

1. Haste makes waste

C'mon Georgia, get some hard facts before you get that extreme.

[Blue_Tires]

6. It's political now...

Even though they know they are in the wrong, no self-styled "tough on crime" governor will want to look weak before the electorate...

[midnight]

2. K&R

[Booster]

3. Georgia, now's the time to show the other states how it should

be done. Fairly. You can do it. Just gather up your guts and give this man at least a stay of execution. Who will it hurt?

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. For my views on this

http://nadinbrzezinski.posterous.com/on-troy-davis-and-the-death-penality

[marmar]

5. Very profound.

nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. thanks

at this point I just do not feel like posting these things here any more.