Lawyers clash at close of hearing on whether Ga. death row’s Troy Davis can prove innocence
By Russ Bynum, APThursday, June 24, 2010
Ga. hearing for Troy Davis closes on second day
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Attorneys for a Georgia man on death row for slaying a police officer have told a federal judge that new evidence shows police ignored the real killer in a rush to judgment nearly 21 years ago.
But as the two-day hearing came to a close Thursday, prosecutors argued that Troy Anthony Davis’ lawyers were rehashing old testimony already rejected by a jury and blaming another man for the crime through hearsay accusations that no trial court would consider.
The hearing in U.S. District Court gave attorneys who are handling Davis’ appeal a rare opportunity to make a case for his innocence.
The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the hearing for 41-year-old Davis, who was sentenced to death for the 1989 slaying of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail.
