I oppose capital punishment and am horrified by the practice, so I opposed Troy Davis' execution whether or not he was innocent or guilty, Corfe.
His case was especially troubling since so many of the witnesses who originally claimed he pulled the trigger recanted their testimony:
Quote:
Troy Davis | Amnesty International USA
The case against him consisted entirely of witness testimony which contained inconsistencies even at the time of the trial. Since then, all but two of the state's non-police witnesses from the trial have recanted or contradicted their testimony.
Many of these witnesses have stated in sworn affidavits that they were pressured or coerced by police into testifying or signing statements against Troy Davis.
One of the two witnesses who has not recanted his testimony is Sylvester "Red" Coles — the principle alternative suspect, according to the defense, against whom there is new evidence implicating him as the gunman. Nine individuals have signed affidavits implicating Sylvester Coles.
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I'm glad that Troy Davis at least got to know that thousands of people supported him and did not want the government to kill him. I hope his needless death will help move the U.S. away from capital punishment, a bloodthirsty practice that robs people of life unnecessarily and reminds me of other atrocities humanity has committed over the years: Roman gladiator killings; the Inquisition; drawing and quartering.