Barr: Troy Davis merits clemency | savannahnow.com - Bob Barr:
Sep. 14, 2011 - "Davis was convicted in 1991 of the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. But there was no physical evidence brought to trial to support his conviction: No murder weapon, no DNA evidence, no surveillance tapes.
"Nine so-called eyewitnesses testified in the trial, and it was on the basis of their testimony that Davis was sentenced to death. Seven of those witnesses, however, have since recanted or materially changed their stories. The jury, for instance, relied on two people ... who testified that Davis had confessed to the shooting; both have since said they were lying.
"[The] U.S. Supreme Court took the extraordinary step of ordering a lower court to conduct an evidentiary hearing in the case. But the federal judge ... then required Davis to prove that he was innocent."
"Nine so-called eyewitnesses testified in the trial, and it was on the basis of their testimony that Davis was sentenced to death. Seven of those witnesses, however, have since recanted or materially changed their stories. The jury, for instance, relied on two people ... who testified that Davis had confessed to the shooting; both have since said they were lying.
"[The] U.S. Supreme Court took the extraordinary step of ordering a lower court to conduct an evidentiary hearing in the case. But the federal judge ... then required Davis to prove that he was innocent."
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