SELF IMPROVEMENT

Troy Davis was executed by lethal injection and pronounced dead at 11:08 p.m. ET on September 21, 2011 in Jackson, Georgia. His execution came 20 years after being convicted in 1991 for the shooting death of police officer Mark MacPhail in 1989. I have questions as a concerned citizen and as a Criminal Justice Major. Was justice served? Did the justice system fail Mr. Davis? Did the state of Georgia execute an innocent man?

Here are some of my concerns regarding troy davis execution . There was no murder weapon and no physical evidence linking Mr. Davis to the crime. There was also recanted testimony from the prosecution witnesses. However, the recanted testimonies were not heard in a court of law. As I progress through my education in the Criminal Justice field, I have been taught the importance of physical evidence. A successful crime investigation depends on the collection and analysis of various kinds of evidence. As I have learned, the Locard’s Exchange Principal dictates that physical and biological evidence can be found at the crime scene. The perpetrator always leaves something behind by having contact with the victim or objects at the crime scene.

So back to  troy davis case . I am baffled there was NO physical evidence? We have a shooting in a parking lot that included a homeless man, the officer and the shooter? Do you mean to tell me that there was not some kind of trace evidence left behind? There was not a hair or a fiber left on the officer’s body? Where did the weapon go? There were shell casings found that were linked to Davis from an earlier shooting that day for which he was convicted for. But there was no weapon recovered. There was no physical evidence linking him to the death of the officer. Was this an immaculate crime?

A former federal district judge and FBI Director, William S. Sessions said there was “pervasive, persistent doubts” about Davis’s guilt. Sessions also highlighted the problem with witness recantation, allegations of police coercion and the obvious lack of physical evidence. He had even urged a state pardons board to commute the sentence to life in prison. Since the original trial in 1991, 7 of the 9 witnesses that linked Davis to the shooting have either recanted or changed their story. There was a key witness that told police he had not seen the shooter’s face but then two years later told the jury he was confident it was Davis. It was found in repeated statements from the witnesses from the original trial that they had been coerced by the police or there were promises of leniency for their own troubles. There was clearly a problem with eyewitness identification also. According to the Innocence Project, eyewitness misidentification is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions nationwide. Barry Scheck the co-director for the Innocence Project said 75% of the 273 exonerations were misidentifications. He also stated that in 38% of these mistaken identities, multiple eyewitnesses misidentified the same person.

He had convinced hundreds of thousands of people of his innocence. He had famous supporters like Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI, the NAACP and several other Amnesty figures. There was a petition with one million signatures, but the court system would not find him innocent. His supporters held vigils outside the Georgia prison and as far as London and Paris. There were no more retrials, no more appeals and no clemency. Mr. Davis was executed. Even in the moments before his death, Troy Davis maintained his innocence. He addressed the officer’s family stating that he was not the one who personally killed your son, your father, your brother. I am INNOCENT! He also asked that his family and friend’s continue his fight. His last words were “For those about to take my life God have mercy on your souls and may God bless your souls”.

I truly believe like thousands of others that have been following this case that Georgia executed an innocent man. It saddens me to see how “unjust” our so-called justice system is. There were serious doubts about his guilt. I thought here in the United States, the land of the free, guilt had to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt? I don’t know about you America, but I have some serious doubts that the justice system failed to protect an innocent man. It shows me our justice system is flawed. How many other innocent people will be executed? Now I just pray that the Davis family can somehow find peace and comfort during their time of mourning. They must know Troy is in a better place and he is not suffering. I hope that one day we do indeed find the real killer and that you Mr. Davis can finally rest in peace.