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.