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I hope this finally puts to rest all the claims of unfair trials and Davis not getting a fair shake. After all, he was scheduled to die by lethal injection this past summer - 18 years after he killed Savannah Police Officer Mark Allen McPhail in cold blood. Thanks to Amnesty International and a group of celebrities that glom on to any death row inmate, Davis got another chance at a reduction in sentence. Thank goodness the Supreme Court in GA still has some sanity...
The Georgia Supreme Court today rejected Troy Anthony Davis’ appeal of his death sentence in the 1989 shooting death of off-duty Savannah police officer Mark Allen MacPhail.
The 4-3 ruling, written by Justice Harold Melton, found that Chatham County Superior Court Judge Penny Haas Freesemann did not err when she denied Davis’ extraordinary motion for a new trial without first hearing evidence.
His lawyers argued they had new evidence that proved Davis’ innocence.
The State Supreme Court issued a stay of execution Aug. 3. The state Board of Pardons and Paroles suspended its consideration of Davis’ petition for clemency pending the court’s ruling.
Davis was sentenced to death in the slaying of MacPhail. The victim, working off-duty at the Greyhound bus terminal, was slain as he rushed to the aid of a man being beaten.
Maybe the McPhail family will finally get some peace after 18 years of waiting for justice...
Update - Amnesty International Responds...
Well of course AI would respond because they were the instigating force in building up outrage over a convicted cop-killer who has lived 18 years longer than his victim.
Here's what Amnesty International whined...
"The claim that evidence in Davis’ favor was not sufficient to reopen his case is simply stunning," said Larry Cox, executive director of AIUSA. "In turning a blind eye to the realities of the case, the legal system has shrugged off the very notion of justice at every level, from Savannah to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Board of Pardons must recognize that a blind adherence to technicalities cannot trump a concerted search for the truth, especially when a human being’s life is at stake.
Psst - Hey Larry - Davis has gotten so many breaks from the legal system that it has reached the level of ridiculous. Sixteen years ago a jury of Davis' peers found him guilty of murder of an off-duty police officer and sentenced him to death. Sixteen Years - THAT's what is stunning. Justice for Officer McPhail and his family has been denied for 16 years.
Here's some more wails from AI:
"With this decision, the Supreme Court is ignoring the fundamental flaws that underlie the death penalty in Georgia and in Troy Davis’s case," said Jared Feuer, Southern Regional Director of AIUSA. "As a result, we will continue to advocate for a re-examination of his sentence and of Georgia’s use of capital punishment. Officer MacPhail’s life was cut tragically short, and his family and the people of Georgia deserve justice. This will not be accomplished by executing a man with a strong case of innocence."
Davis imposed the death penalty on Mark McPhail. McPhail didn't get years of legal reviews or celebrity endorsements for sparing his life. But thanks for reminding us that this is not about justice - it's all about opposition to the death penalty. AI is using the murder of Officer McPhail as a political tool and placing a convicted cop-killer in the role of the victim. THAT is ignoring justice.
But don't fret - the Board of Pardon and Parole has stated they will review the case at some point in the future. So Troy Anthony Davis gets to breathe fresh air while Mark Allen McPhail's family waits for the justice they have been seeking for 16 years.
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