Troy Davis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Troy Davis
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| Born |
Troy Anthony Davis
October 9, 1968 |
| Died | September 21, 2011 (aged 42) Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, Jackson, Georgia, U.S.
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Troy Anthony Davis (born October 9, 1968 – died September 21, 2011) was a man whose legal case became very well-known. He was accused of a serious crime involving a police officer in Savannah, Georgia, in 1989. Troy Davis always said he was innocent, even until his death.
For over twenty years, many people supported Troy Davis. This support came from the public, famous people, and groups that protect human rights. Organizations like Amnesty International and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) worked to help him. Important leaders and politicians also spoke out. These included former President Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. They asked the courts to give Davis a new trial. Several times, dates were set for his execution, but each time, they were stopped at the last minute.
In 2009, the Supreme Court of the United States asked a lower court to look at new evidence. This evidence might have shown that Davis was innocent. A special hearing was held in June 2010. During this hearing, Davis's lawyers presented statements from seven of the nine witnesses. These witnesses had originally said Davis was the person who committed the crime. However, they later changed or took back parts of their earlier statements. Some of them suggested that another person, Sylvester "Redd" Coles, might have been involved.
The state's lawyers presented their own witnesses. These included the police officers who investigated the crime and the original prosecutors. They said the investigation was done carefully and fairly. The court decided to uphold the original conviction in August 2010. The judge said that some of the new statements were not truly taking back earlier testimony. After this, more appeals were made, even to the Supreme Court, but they were all turned down. A fourth date was set for his execution on September 21, 2011.
Nearly one million people signed petitions asking the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to stop the execution. However, the Board said no. On September 21, 2011, after a final appeal to the Supreme Court was denied, Troy Davis was executed.
The Execution Day
Jay Carney, who was the White House Press Secretary, announced that President Barack Obama would not get involved in the case. The President could not pardon Davis, but he could have ordered a federal investigation. This might have caused a delay in the execution. Troy Davis asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop his execution. About an hour after his execution was supposed to happen, the Supreme Court said they would review his request. This delayed the execution for a short time. However, after several hours, the Supreme Court denied Davis's request.
On Twitter, a social media site, there were 7,671 messages sent every second. This happened in the moments before news of Davis's execution came out. It made his death the second-most-active event on Twitter in 2011.
More than 1,000 people attended his funeral in Savannah, Georgia, on October 1, 2011.
See also
In Spanish: Troy Davis para niños
