I'm sure everyone has already seen the drama that unfolded last night as Troy Davis' last appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied and he was finally put to death by the state of Georgia.
"Davis was convicted in 1991 of killing MacPhail, who was working as a security guard at the time. MacPhail rushed to the aid of a homeless man who prosecutors said Davis was bashing with a handgun after asking him for a beer. Prosecutors said Davis had a smirk on his face as he shot the officer to death in a Burger King parking lot in Savannah."
Link.
This is third time Davis' execution had been halted since 2007. Apparently the game clock finally ran out on him in spite of seven witnesses from the original trial changing or recanting all or part of their testimony. That's what's so crazy about this whole story. I'm really surprised that the Supreme Court didn't at least grant a new trial. Having said that, I really don't know the complete facts of the crime and trial other than what I've read and seen on television. Maybe the correct man was punished. What if the correct man wasn't?
There's something very wrong, in my opinion, with a country that allows the state to execute people. Talk about the ultimate government intrusion, to take away all that someone is and will ever be. Putting aside that the death penalty has never been a deterrent to crime, I believe that the possibility of killing one innocent man is justification enough to trash the whole system. Alas, America demands an "eye for an eye."
That's my opinion, what's yours?
2 comments:
It's state sanctioned murder, and if murder is a crime, then we, as a state, as a nation, should not tolerate it.
Agreed.
Post a Comment