Supreme Court puts Troy Davis appeal on hold

The U.S. Supreme Court has recessed for the summer without taking action on Georgia death row inmate Troy Anthony Davis' latest appeal, likely delaying any action on the convicted cop killer's case until the fall.

Davis, of Savannah, was convicted in 1991 for the slaying of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. Supporters say he deserves a new trial after several key trial witnesses recanted their testimony.

Davis' lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court after a lower federal court denied his request for a new trial in April. The Supreme Court won't reconvene until September.

Davis' case has become a rallying point for death penalty opponents worldwide. A petition signed by 60,000 supporters was turned into Chatham County's District Attorney's office today. His supporters also include former President Jimmy Carter, Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu and Pope Benedict XVI.

(Associated Press)

Date set for death row inmate's appeal

An appeals court will hear arguments on whether death row inmate Troy Anthony Davis can file a second federal challenge to his conviction.

A three-judge panel from the 11th U.S. Circuit of Appeals will convene December 9 to consider what the defense calls new evidence.

Davis was sentenced to death for the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail.

Courts have intervened three times since July 2007 to stop the execution. Davis was scheduled to die October 27 but was granted yet another stay of execution.

Anti-death penalty rally

Hundreds rallied on the steps of the Capitol in Atlanta Thursday evening to protest the pending execution of Troy Anthony Davis. Davis is set to die by lethal injection on September 23, unless the state Board of Pardons and Paroles grants a new trial. The Board will consider a petition for new trial on Friday.

Davis' conviction in the 1989 shooting death of off-duty Savannah Police Officer Mark MacPhail, has spurred controversy about the reliability of eye witness testimony. Seven of nine witnesses who testified during the original trial have since recanted. Those witnesses now say they were either mistaken or were threatened by police.

Davis’ family and supporters say there is no physical evidence linking Davis to the crime. Earlier this year, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 against granting Davis a new hearing on the evidence.

Shuja Graham, 51, (top left) was exonerated after spending more than half his life on California's death row at San Quentin Prison. Graham was 18 years old when he was convicted and sent to jail.

As execution looms, lawyers seek new trial

Attorneys for a convicted cop killer set to be executed next week have asked a judge to hear new evidence. 38-year-old Troy Davis is set to die by lethal injection on Tuesday. He was convicted of killing Savannah Police Officer Mark MacPhail in 1989.

Davis says he’s innocent, and his lawyers have asked a Chatham County judge to hear affidavits by witnesses who say they lied or exaggerated when they testified that Davis shot MacPhail. Davis' lawyers also say other witnesses have signed affidavits naming another man as MacPhail's killer.

Prosecutors argue that the evidence cited by Davis’ lawyers doesn't meet the high legal standard required to grant another trial.

Clemency hearing set for convicted cop-killer

A clemency hearing has been scheduled for a man set to be executed for the murder of a Savannah police officer. Human rights advocates claim Troy Davis may be innocent. Supporters say Davis, who is black, was convicted of killing Mark MacPhail, who was white, without any physical evidence. Davis’ lawyer will tell the state Board of Pardons and Paroles on July 16th why his client's life should be spared. Davis is scheduled to be given a lethal injection the next day at the state prison in Jackson.