Georgia to execute death row inmate tomorrow, who could possibly be innocent

[Free Palestine]

Executed. Smoke and mirrors claims did not hinder justice today.

I'm sure krazen has done more research on this thread topic beyond reading its title.  I'm sure of it.

Certainly quite a bit more than the peanut gallery here, including you, obviously, since the reference flew over your head.

Yes, because we disagree with you, you can freely insult our maturity.

[King]

Are you implying that the jury that sentenced him to die was not majority black? Surely not.

Ah, so if the majority of the jurors are the same race as the defendant, then erroneous testimony and bad evidence is acceptable?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I don't know why people are so surprised clemency was denied.

Here's the supposed killer:




And here's the victim:




You figure it out.

Are you implying that the jury that sentenced him to die was not majority black? Surely not.

Just keep missing the point.

[Joe Republic]

Apologies if this is seen as tasteless, but this whole case just reminded me too much of this:

http://www.theonion.com/video/dna-evidence-frees-black-man-convicted-of-bear-att,14323/

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Another one of those scarily apt onion comments

"The girl in question will face the harshest legal treatment, she will be tried as a black adult"

[Napoleon]

Beyond disturbing.

[redcommander]

I no longer support the death penalty.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Pray for the living and the dead.

The living need it more now.

[justW353]

I no longer support the death penalty.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

With supporters like this, the death penalty barely even needs any active opponents.


Idiots all!!! 


I give it 15 years, maybe 20 at most, and in this manner the issue shall be decided.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Horrific.

Can someone who know about Georgia's judicial system explain me why all the appeals were rejected ? I mean, aren't such high doubts about his guilt a sufficient ground to suspend the procedure ?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I no longer support the death penalty.

I never supported it from the start.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

This is a VERY contradictory statement to make in a legal decision.

By saying 'additional' it suggests that there were doubts surrounding his conviction. Minimal or not, considering the 'beyond a reasonable doubt' standard as well as the fact that it was a capital case - the judicial diligence in this case was appalling. The response from all of the appeals were, the recantations weren't under oath or the evidence has been ruled inadmissible by **** court.

It's also interesting how the prosecutor spoke of the recantations, they were 'suspect' - so given that he clearly brought the 'character' of his witnesses into disrepute ... hmmmm?

I don't think it was an open and shut 'clearly innocent' case - and for me, that's not the point. If there is even a scrap of evidence to suggest that the conviction was based on flawed evidence, let alone coercion ... then a re-trial was warranted.

[Likely Voter]

This is very sad. Hopefully it will lead to more awareness that the system is flawed and a flawed system should never have death as an option.

It is of course ironic that those who most scream and yell about the state having too much power and how government cant get anything right are the same ones who most support (and at times applaud) the state having the power to kill.

[Miles]

Unacceptable. I've always been against the death penalty for this reason.

[Tender Branson]

A moral confession of failure from the state of Georgia.

Very sad to watch such a (racially charged) misjudgement of justice.

[Sbane]

I no longer support the death penalty.

Same here. I supported the death penalty but if this is how these cases are handled, then we might as well not have it. I don't want blood on my hands. And that is exactly what this is. Since this is being done in the name of the people, if a person is wrongly executed all the people are guilty.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Can someone who know about Georgia's judicial system explain me why all the appeals were rejected ? I mean, aren't such high doubts about his guilt a sufficient ground to suspend the procedure ?

[ilikeverin]

I no longer support the death penalty.

Same here. I supported the death penalty but if this is how these cases are handled, then we might as well not have it. I don't want blood on my hands. And that is exactly what this is. Since this is being done in the name of the people, if a person is wrongly executed all the people are guilty.

You might want to check out the Innocence Project.  They aren't all death penalty cases, but they show we still have a ways to go in making sure our court system is as fair as possible.

[hawkeye59]

Disgusting. Cases like these are a big reason I oppose the death penalty. An eye for an eye is not a fair legal system. The supreme court, or at least 5 of the justices, have blood on their hands.

[Guderian]

Can someone who know about Georgia's judicial system explain me why all the appeals were rejected ? I mean, aren't such high doubts about his guilt a sufficient ground to suspend the procedure ?

What doubts? State had 34 witnesses, including numerous friends and acquaintances. Later some of his homies decided to retract the testimonies to save him from the needle. Post-trial retractions are widely considered laughable as "proofs" of innocence, especially when there are dozens of witnesses who are not retracting.

And by the way the other victim was black just like Davis, just like the majority of jury that sentenced him to death in less than two hours. He lost the SCOTUS appeal 9-0, and never found one single judge in 20 years of trying that would believe his "ONE-ARMED MAN DID IT!!!" nonsense.

[greenforest32]

Nobody bothers to question the notion that killing someone for killing someone is really justice.

I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

I feel you

[Verily]

Can someone who know about Georgia's judicial system explain me why all the appeals were rejected ? I mean, aren't such high doubts about his guilt a sufficient ground to suspend the procedure ?

What doubts? State had 34 witnesses, including numerous friends and acquaintances. Later some of his homies decided to retract the testimonies to save him from the needle. Post-trial retractions are widely considered laughable as "proofs" of innocence, especially when there are dozens of witnesses who are not retracting.

And by the way the other victim was black just like Davis, just like the majority of jury that sentenced him to death in less than two hours. He lost the SCOTUS appeal 9-0, and never found one single judge in 20 years of trying that would believe his "ONE-ARMED MAN DID IT!!!" nonsense.

There weren't "dozens of witnesses". There were 9, of whom 7 recanted, one of whom confessed to the crime himself (not something you're likely to do to protect "your homie"). Take your racism elsewhere.

The fact of the matter is that jury convictions, even incredibly unjust jury convictions, are extraordinarily difficult to overturn, to the point of absurdity. The standard of overturning a jury conviction is literal "proof of innocence", which is just plain impossible for the vast majority of innocent convicts. The Supreme Court made their decision 9-0 because the standard of "proof of innocence" is impossible to meet. There may have been twenty years of appeals, but none of those appeals really stood much chance of exonerating the innocent. A big part of the problem is the irrational respect for jury verdicts.

(In answer the original question, declare a mistrial and start all over--he might well have been guilty, but it certainly was never proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Also, no death penalty regardless, obviously.)

[Grumpier Than Thou]

I no longer support the death penalty.

I never supported it from the start.

[Guderian]

There weren't "dozens of witnesses". There were 9, of whom 7 recanted, one of whom confessed to the crime himself (not something you're likely to do to protect "your homie"). Take your racism elsewhere.

The fact of the matter is that jury convictions, even incredibly unjust jury convictions, are extraordinarily difficult to overturn, to the point of absurdity. The standard of overturning a jury conviction is literal "proof of innocence", which is just plain impossible for the vast majority of innocent convicts. The Supreme Court made their decision 9-0 because the standard of "proof of innocence" is impossible to meet. There may have been twenty years of appeals, but none of those appeals really stood much chance of exonerating the innocent. A big part of the problem is the irrational respect for jury verdicts.

(In answer the original question, declare a mistrial and start all over--he might well have been guilty, but it certainly was never proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Also, no death penalty regardless, obviously.)

There were 34 witnesses, I suggest you start Googling for relevant legal documents and not Amnesty International & NAACP spin spread through media. You could start with the opinion of Clinton-appointed federal judge William Theodore Moore who found miraculous recantations to be "not credible or partly credible" and the Davis's magic unicorn defense as "largely smoke and mirrors".