One of the most controversial death penalty cases in the state’s history ended Wednesday night as Georgia executed Troy Anthony Davis, a convicted cop killer who adamantly maintained his innocence.
Davis, found guilty of murder in the 1989 shooting of Columbus High graduate Mark A. MacPhail, was pronounced dead at 11:08 p.m.
The waiting game played out from Columbus to the state prison in Jackson where police in riot gear stood guard as Davis supporters gathered.
Early in the day it appeared Davis’ appeals had run out, but then the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review the case, delaying the execution that had been set for 7 p.m. Wednesday.
At 10:04 p.m., MacPhail’s mother, Anneliese MacPhail, got a call from the Georgia attorney general’s office saying the stay was denied, paving the way for the execution.
Twice during the delay, MacPhail was interviewed live by CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
“I would like to close this book,” she told Cooper. She said the ordeal has been “hell.” Read the full story here.
