The Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole has denied clemency for death-row inmate Troy Davis.
Davis was convicted of the 1989 killing of Savannah, Georgia, police officer Mark MacPhail.
Davis is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at 7 p.m. Wednesday at a state prison in Jackson, Georgia.
"Monday September 19, 2011, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles met to consider a clemency request from attorneys representing condemned inmate Troy Anthony Davis. After considering the request, the Board has voted to deny clemency," the board said in a statement Tuesday morning.
The five-member parole board votes in a secret ballot.
Davis has gained international support for his long-standing claim that he did not kill MacPhail. International figures including Pope Benedict XVI, Desmond Tutu, and former President Jimmy Carter, entertainers such as Susan Sarandon, Harry Belafonte, and the Indigo Girls, and others have joined with Amnesty International, the NAACP and other groups in supporting Davis' efforts to be exonerated.
He has been scheduled to die three times before, most recently in October 2008, when the U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay two hours before he was to be executed.
Since Davis' conviction in 1991, seven of the nine witnesses against him have recanted or contradicted their testimony. There also have been questions about the physical evidence - and, according to some, the lack thereof - linking Davis to the killing.
Amnesty International reacted angrily to the clemency denial on Tuesday.
"It is unconscionable that the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has denied relief to Troy Davis. Allowing a man to be sent to death under an enormous cloud of doubt about his guilt is an outrageous affront to justice," Amnesty International said in a statement Tuesday.
"Should Troy Davis be executed, Georgia may well have executed an innocent man and in so doing discredited the justice system," the statement said.
But the victim's mother, Anne MacPhail, said she's satisfied that Davis will be executed.
"Well, justice is done, that's the way we look at it. That's what we wanted," the mother told CNN. "I am very convinced that he is guilty."
She said she would not attend Davis' execution but family members would be there.
Anne MacPhail said she has not forgiven the convicted of killing her son.
"Not yet, maybe sometime," she said.
The NAACP and Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty had joined Amnesty International in organizing support for Davis, setting up about 300 rallies, vigils and events worldwide in the past week or so. In addition, they said that more than 1 million people have signed a petition in support of Davis' bid to be exonerated.
In a 2008 statement, then-Chatham County District Attorney Spencer Lawton described how Davis was at a pool party in Savannah when he shot another man, Michael Cooper, wounding him in the face. Davis was then driven to a nearby convenience store, where he pistol-whipped a homeless man, Larry Young, who'd just bought a beer.
Soon thereafter, prosecutors said, MacPhail - who was working in uniform, off-duty, at a nearby bus station and restaurant - arrived. It was then, the jury determined, that Davis shot the officer three times, including once in the face as he stood over him.
Davis' lawyers, in a federal court filing, insisted that there is "no physical evidence linking" Davis to MacPhail's murder. They point, too, to "the unremarkable conclusion" of a ballistics expert who testified that he could not find definitively that the bullets that wounded Cooper and killed MacPhail were the same.
Georgia's attorney general, in an online statement, claimed that the expert said the bullets came from the same gun type and noted that casings at the pool party shooting matched - thus came from the same firearm as - those found at MacPhail's murder scene.
Two decades ago, a jury convicted Davis on two counts of aggravated assault and one each of possessing a firearm during a crime, obstructing a law enforcement officer and murder. The latter charge led, soon thereafter, to his death sentence.
While reviewing Davis' claims of innocence last year, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia found that Davis "vastly overstates the value of his evidence of innocence."
"Some of the evidence is not credible and would be disregarded by a reasonable juror," Judge William T. Moore wrote in a 172-page opinion. "Other evidence that Mr. Davis brought forward is too general to provide anything more than smoke and mirrors."
The parole board denied had denied Davis clemency once before. The board has never changed its mind on any case in the past 33 years.
Read more CNN coverage on the Troy Davis case
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I just love people always "forget" about the victims. You noticed how Amensty did not make one mention of this, only saying this idiot was innocent?
These people didn't forget the victim... they don't even care about the victim. To them, the victim is the criminal.
There is no DNA or physical evidence. I guess any black man will do........One is the same as another..........
What does it have to with supposedly undermining or forgetting the victim when you support an accused inmate where there is A LOT of doubt about his guilt/! Are you suggesting that we should just blindly execute a man who could *possibly* be innocent?
It's about time this moron gets his due! Whats wrong with capitol punishment is that it isn't carried out after judgement is passed! Victims have no rights in America only criminals!
People don't forget the victim. The whole notion of "victim's rights" is a farce. The victim's rights were violated when the crime was committed. That cannot be undone. What matters now are the rights of the accused. If you think that people have a right to revenge, or retribution, then I would suggest to you that you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of our criminal justice system and the way that it functions. The victim's rights are wholly irrelevant to the issue of whether or not there is doubt as to the guilt of the accused. How is the victim better served by the execution of an innocent man for the sake of revenge? That is not to say that Mr. Davis is innocent or not – I make no comment on that because i have neither seen the evidence nor heard the testimony. My point is simply that the victim's rights are not vindicated by executing an innocent man if the party responsible goes free – the victim's rights are wholly irrelevant at this point.
"I guess any black man will do........One is the same as another"_______________________________________ You guessed wrong. For you it's "any black man will not do".
How about a lie detector test.........was one ever given or did he request or refuse one?
Lie detector should be given to Satan's board members.....
Doesn't matter, it wouldn't be admissible if he had because the science behind it is not reliable enough at this point. Polygraph testing is pretty much useless.
Only God and he know the truth. I don't believe in the death penalty. Only God has the right to take anyones life. Whether guilty or not guilty, Man should not have the right to justify killing someone else. What if this man really is innocent? She I feel for the loss of the young man killed but to glorify taking someone else life! That makes those warrenting this and wanting this as guilty as the Killer!! God Help out country with its sick twisted Devilish laws!
Gods law? lol. For us not living in a fantasy world, I can say that I support the death penalty 100% when a child has been harmed. Casey Anthony got away with it, but maybe just maybe your gods law will catch up with her someday.
Fhuck God, in his azz
The Board members are followers of Satan.
To GoF, you must be an angry elf. Your time will come bobo! PEACE.
"The Board members are followers of Satan."___________________________________________ You're just upset the NAACP came up short again. That's what happens when your argument has no substance.
Most of you people wanting him spared the death penalty don't even care if he's innocent or not. You have your cause and its not even him. You're against a punishment. Honestly I think you are all hopelessly pampered and so useless in life that you have to find some kind of issue like saving murderers to feel like you have something to do... You want to do something constructive, go create a few jobs, already have? Go create some more. Most criminals wouldn't actually choose a life of crime if they had some kind of hope for a decent future because they can get a decent job.
i think that your tone is not respectful to people that are free to express their own opinion. This is a free country that is founded on principals and rights. The right to live is one of them. Life in prision is a punishment. Taking someones life is not democratic at all. we are the only western country that still thinks that murder is legal and not at the same time.
The Board should be called Satan's troopers......That is who they follow..
You're just angry because this killer is finally going to get served Justice.
You're right John. That is the level with which to look at this decision. All of the human garbage spouting their bilge here will also have to pay for their sin and it is coming soon and when the hurricanes and fires come, the hands that would have pulled them from the floods or the hands that would have given them water with which to douse the fire will not be around because they will have killed them in satanic sacrifices such as the Board is watering at the mouth for tomorrow night... Ignorant racist arrogance will meet cosmic justice and Teabagger thinking will be no more. Haleluyah Brother!!!
Over 2000 years ago a man who was also accused was put to death by a crowd who shouted "crucify him" much like what I have read above. I am curious as to how many of you who feel this man should die attend Church? How many of you stand there and profess your deep devoted Christianity, yet can spew such vile and insane comments. I know reading this probably means little to you, but I can only feel sorry for the emptiness that is in your soul. Perhaps someone harmed you and therefore, you have not healed. Putting a man to death, who may or may have not committed a crime, will not help justify your anger!. Get help from somewhere and only pray that this travesty of justice does not befall YOUR OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE. If that is at all possible, with the HATE AND ANGER you have exhibited from your comments.
I don't know whether he's innocent or not innocent, but what I do know is there is ONLY one difference from life in prison without parole and death, and that's you can't get back a death, once the person is dead, there is no fixing that, he's dead.
Of course, you're smarter than everyone else, and you never make mistakes, like out Criminal Justice System, never makes mistakes. LOL..
Our Criminal Justice System is also hypocritical, we know it makes mistakes, because we have all seen them recently in Florida, and in the past in California.
But while serving life in prison he can hurt a great many people. So those people who maybe stole a car radio or sold pot deserve to die by his hand... but the actual murderer doesn't?
Why is it that the NAACP and all kinds of people rights groups come out and show their support for things such as this but when reports come out about how bad we are doing in school, no one holds rallies or throws their support behind our children and their futures in this country of ours.
Stop choosing senseless battles to fight! Taxpayers dollars once again wasted on a bunch of foolishness!! He made his life choice when he chose a life of crime!
One big problem for the economy is all the whites who have jobs because of affirmative action. They slow things down, make mistakes, and generally act like molasses in an engine. If you've had experiencing working with whites, you know what I mean. If you haven't worked with whites, you should give it a try so that you can form a knowledgable opinion about it.
What has your hate speech have to do with this story?
Well he shot someone at a party pistol whipped a bum at a store, but a few blocks from that in Savannah GA in 89', there were just people ready to kill cops left to right. There must have been 4 other people shot in that same hour in that same neighborhood. So and primate with a pistol could have been responsible. But not this one who was actively on a violent rampage. He is the innocent primate, besides the original shooting and beating of homeless man but hes guilty of that none is arguing that, we are just arguing he killed the white cop because he is the only one that died. And the one that doesn't really matter in the first place.
So Casey Anthony kills her kid but evidence isn't there so she's innocent. Troy Davis supposedly shoots a cop, evidence isn't there and he's guilty. Things that make you got "Hmmmmmmmm.........."
May God have mercy on your soul Mr Davis. You took a life and ruined many...and were convicted of those crimes. Now it's time to answer for those decisions you made. It's gonna be real hot!
This execution will diminish us all. When the government kills a man in the name of the people, we are all tainted.
We cannot proclaim our selfs as a democratic country, and bring democracy to other countries and condemn other countries for approving death penalty if we have it in our own home. Let's fix what's broken, let's replant what's rotten.
This decision is major disservice to this country – equal to high treason and should be punished the same way that they propose to punish Troy. The amount of karma this racist decision will add to this country's already very heavy load will bring about earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires and all form of disasters and suffering. When that happens I don't want to hear the fascist-racists crying about the effects because they have it all coming and then some – now get used to cosmic justice you redneck low-lives!!!
He was convicted by a majority black jury. Not one decision in the myriad appeals decisions in this case have even remotely addressed the race of the accused. How do you arrive at the conclusion that race has anything to do with the present situation? If he were white, would you still think this was a racist decision based on the facts that have come out and the manner in which they have been decided?