On September 21, 2011, Georgia executed Troy Davis, who was convicted of murdering Mark MacPhail, a Savannah police officer, in 1989. The execution occurred though the Supreme Court previously issued a temporary stay of execution. After many requests for pardons and further hearings, the Court denied Davis' last request, thereby allowing the execution to proceed.
Davis' execution raises many questions concerning the effectiveness of the judicial system and capital punishment. Davis maintained his innocence throughout his execution. During the trial, the prosecution submitted testimony from eyewitnesses who claimed they saw Davis murder MacPhail. Davis, on the other hand, offered eyewitness testimony rebutting the Prosecution's witnesses. Davis also offered evidence that another individual confessed to the murder but was never investigated by the Police. Finally, Davis repeatedly maintained that he was never in possession of a weapon on the night in question.
Supporters of Troy Davis protested the execution outside of the prison in Jackson and outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Since the execution, Davis' supporters are vowing to continue their movement to abolish capital punishment. Many of the supporters claim trials with weak evidence or eyewitness testimony involve too many uncertainties to support capital punishment.
Although these questions specifically arose in Davis' trial, the fallout has a resounding effect in Charlotte, North Carolina. As I have previously noted, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation's (SBI) crime lab has been involved in numerous cases of corruption in which the SBI failed to deliver DNA results. This led Defendants to accept plea agreements to crimes they did not commit because they did not have access to evidence that could have potentially exonerated them.
These cases leave the public with grave concerns regarding the our law enforcement. The public rightly questions how many steps and procedures are overlooked, how many times corruption plays into a conviction, and has concerns regarding a plethora of other issues. More importantly, these cases demonstrate how thorough the justice system needs to be, especially in cases involving the lives of others.
As these issues are increasingly brought to the public's attention, there is an increasing awareness that more needs to be done to correct these problems. It's unfortunately clear that no immediate solution is at hand. If you find yourself involved in a criminal case, an experienced attorney must be retained to protect your rights and guide you through the legal process.
CharlotteObserver.com, Davis backers seek next step after execution, 09/22/11
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