Prisoner gets reprieve two hours before execution

The US Supreme Court gave a reprieve to a Georgia inmate less than two hours before he was to be executed for the 1989 killing of an off-duty police officer.

Supporters of 39-year-old Troy Davis have called for a new trial as seven of the nine witnesses who helped put him on death row recanted their testimony.

A roster of big-name supporters, including former president Jimmy Carter and South Africa Archbishop Desmond Tutu, have taken up Davis’ cause.

They insist that the 39-year-old deserves a new trial. Amnesty International is also involved, helping organise rallies as far away as Paris.

Protesters had arrived by the busload to protest against the execution, carrying signs with slogans like Justice for Troy Davis and wearing blue T-shirts emblazoned with I am Troy Davis.

A crowd of about 50 erupted in cheers when the stay was announced.

Civil rights leaders the Reverend Al Sharpton had accompanied members of Davis’ family to the protest, including Davis’ mother, Virginia.

Prosecutors have labelled the witness statements “suspect,” and courts had previously refused requests for a new trial.

The stay will remain in effect while the court considers Davis’ appeal. Davis wants the high court to order a judge to hear from the witnesses who recanted their testimony and others who say another man confessed to the crime.

A divided Georgia Supreme Court has twice rejected his request for a new trial, and had rejected his appeal to delay the execution yesterday afternoon. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles also turned down his bid for clemency.

Davis was convicted of the murder of 27-year-old officer Mark MacPhail, who was working off-duty as a security guard at a bus station.

MacPhail had rushed to help a homeless man who had been pistol-whipped at a nearby parking lot, and was shot twice when he approached Davis and two other men.

Witnesses identified Davis as the shooter, and at the 1991 trial, prosecutors said he wore a “smirk on his face” as he fired the gun.

But Davis’ lawyers say new evidence proves their client was a victim of mistaken identity. Besides those who have recanted their testimony, three others who did not testify have said Sylvester “Red” Coles – who testified against Davis at his trial – confessed to the killing.