After four previous stays of execution, and one last minute appeal that reportedly took place after the IV’s for a lethal injection were inserted, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously declared there was not enough evidence to halt the execution of Troy Davis. As a result, Davis was executed by the state of Georgia, and died at 11:08 PM EST.
By all accounts, Troy Davis was not a nice man at the time of his arrest. According to the case notes, Davis and a friend were involved in two altercations outside a pool party in Savannah, Georgia. The first occurred as they were leaving the party, when a group in a passing car allegedly shouted racial slurs at the two. Davis’ response was to fire a shot into the passing car, striking the face of passenger Michael Cooper. A short time later, they came upon a friend, Sylvester “Redd” Coles, arguing with a homeless man named Larry Young. As the group engaged in pistol-whipping Mr. Young, an off duty policeman Mark MacPhail tried to intervene and was shot twice and killed. The following day, Redd Coles went to the police and informed them he had seen Davis in possession of a .38 calibre handgun, and that Davis was an active participant in the beating of Mr. Young. An arrest was made, charges were brought, and Davis was convicted of the murder of Mr. MacPhail and sentenced to death by electrocution. Continue reading »
