Troy Davis: Guilty or Not Guilty…?

Troy Anthony Davis was an American man convicted of having murdered the police officer Mark MacPhail in Savannah, Georgia in 1989. Many people and organizations believed Troy Davis was not guilty because of the lack of the gun used to kill the police officer. On the other hand, there are evidence and factors that provide reasonable certainty of Mr. Davis`s guilt. In connection with this, a video shows how prosecutor says he has no doubt about Troy Davis' guilt. Three of the most important reasons to believe that Troy Davis is guilty are witnesses, bullets recovered and Troy Davis`s past.

Seven witnesses testified they had seen Davis shoot MacPhail, and two others testified that Mr. Davis had confessed the murder to them. In a trial about homicide, testimonies like these are very heavy and definitively give a strong argument to be considered. Moreover, there were 6 other witnesses who testified in defense of Mr. Davis claiming for its innocence, one of these 6 witnesses were just Mr. Davis. Although there were “six” witnesses in favor of Mr. Davis, the other nine witnesses gave important arguments and opinions that supported the Mr. Davis`s culpability.

The murder weapon was not recovered but ballistic evidence presented at trial linked bullets recovered at or near the scene to those of another shooting in which Mr. Davis was also charged. He was convicted of murder and various lesser charges, including an earlier shooting. In July 1988, Mr. Davis pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon; he was fined $250 as part of a plea agreement in which a charge of possession of a gun with altered serial numbers was dropped. Davis maintained his innocence until his execution. In the 20 years between his conviction and execution, Davis and his defenders secured support from the public, celebrities, and human rights groups. Nevertheless, this past of shootings and trouble with the law did not help Mr. Davis  very much.

Mr. Davis had not only past problems with law; he also had problems in his normal life. Mr. Davis was the oldest child of a Korean War veteran Joseph Davis, and a hospital worker, Virginia Davis.  The couple divorced when Mr. Davis was very young.  Davis obtained his high-school equivalency diploma from Richard Arnold Education Center in 1987. A teacher noted that he attended school regularly but seemed to lack discipline. Davis's nickname at the time was "Rah," or "Rough as Hell" that is a very illustrative nickname about the kind of personality he had.

 

Due to factors like witnesses’ testimonies, ballistic evidence and Mr. Davis`s past, he was convicted to lethal injection. Witnesses identified Troy Davis as the person who killed the police in a parking lot. Also, recovered bullets were consistent with those of other shootings in which Mr. Davis was involved. Finally, Troy's past behavior was easily relatable to a potential murderer. All these reasons confirm that Troy Davis was guilty and needed to be punished for his crime.