Last-minute reprieve

The U.S. Supreme Court has granted stay of execution for a convicted cop-killer so that it can review the evidence and determine if a new trial is necessary. The stay came about two hours before the scheduled execution.

According to the Associated Press, via The New York Times, the court granted Troy Davis, a 39-year-old Georgia man convicted for the 1989 murder of Mark MacPhail, an off-duty police officer.

Davis’ Family and advocates of 39-year-old Troy Davis have long urged he deserves a new trial as seven of the nine witnesses who helped put him on death row have recanted their testimony. His supporters erupted into cheers and tears when the stay was announced at about 5:20 p.m.

The story underscores why government should not take it upon itself to exact revenge, to engage in its own premeditated murder as a way of offering a false sense of justice. Georgia insists on killing Troy Davis, even though seven witnesses have recanted — which, by any definition, has to be viewed as reasonable doubt.

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet