Troy Davis Clemency Denied: Victim's Kin Calls it Justice; Supporters Vow to Fight
A Georgia parole board has denied a clemency request by convicted cop-killer Troy Davis, whom many believe did not receive a fair trial, and now faces death by lethal injection. However, supporters are unlikely to give up just yet, insisting that there is simply too much doubt to execute Davis.
Laura Moye, the campaign director for Amnesty USA, which has been at the forefront of the heavy publicity of the case, could not be reached for comment.
However, she tweeted the following shortly after the announcement: "#TroyDavis: clemency denied. sad. outrageous! This is 'Day of Protest.' Wear black armband w/ 'not in my name.' ATL: capitol 7pm tonite."
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Official reactions from Amnesty and Ebenezer Baptist Church of Atlanta, which has been active in the Davis case since 2008, were expected to come during an 11 a.m. press conference in Atlanta.
CNN anchor Kyra Phillips spoke with the mother of Mark MacPhail, the off-duty police officer Davis was convicted of killing.
When asked what her reaction was to the clemency denial, Anneliese MacPhail said, "Justice is done. That's what we wanted."
Mrs. MacPhail had no doubts about Davis' guilt, saying she was "very convinced" Davis had killed her son.
Davis' case has attracted the likes of former President Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and former FBI Director William Sessions, and millions of other supporters, but that fact did not impress Mrs. MacPhail.
"Ninety-nine percent of those people don't know who Troy Davis was,” she said. "They don’t know the truth and what's relevant."
When Philips asked what she thought about Pope Benedict XVI weighing in on the case, Mrs. MacPhail said, "Do you honestly believe that he pays any attention to this?"
On Sunday, The Christian Post spoke with Rev. Raphael Warnock of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Warnock has been instrumental in rallying support for Davis' case.
"At its core, I think this case represents a serious moral issue," Rev. Warnock said. "If we're able to execute a man with this much doubt, that is not good for our moral health."
Davis is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.
