Maybe Troy Davis really did murder Savannah, Ga., police officer Mark MacPhail in 1989, but the U.S. Supreme Court was right Tuesday to stay his execution until after a Monday hearing, stepping in to assure the state of Georgia doesn’t execute an innocent man.
The facts of the case against Davis should give even capital punishment advocates pause: He was convicted on eyewitness testimony alone, and seven of those nine witnesses have recanted. Three witnesses said another man admitted to the crime. The murder weapon was never found.
And is it too much to ask that if states must have death penalties, they not be used in cases where convictions are based entirely on eyewitness testimony?
Follow us
