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Rutgers Law Students Mourn Troy Davis By Rebecca E. Neely In spite of deep rooted and widespread protest, Troy Davis was executed last week by lethal injection for the 1989 murder of Mark MacPhail. MacPhail was a police officer in Savannah, Georgia. At the time of his death, he was working as a security guard at a local Burger King. He was shot once in the heart, and once in the face. Per authorities, Davis was beating a homeless man in the parking lot of the restaurant, and when MacPhail tried to intervene, Davis shot him. However, no gun was found and no DNA evidence linked Davis to the crime. He was sentenced to death in 1991.
In the twenty years that followed, Davis continued to maintain his innocence and drew global “support from the public, celebrities, and human rights groups,” according to Wikipedia. Among those supporting his cause were Amnesty International and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In addition, well known politicians and leaders, including former President Jimmy Carter, Rev. Al Sharpton, Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and former U.S. Congressman from Georgia and presidential candidate Bob Barr, and former FBI Director and judge William S. Sessions petitioned “the courts to grant Davis a new trial,” according to information at Wikipedia.com . In the last few years, three executions were scheduled, but each was stayed right before it was going to happen. Among those protesting and mourning Davis’s death were a group of Rutgers University law students. Two years ago, Davis contacted the students from death row, requesting that they continue to fight for his innocence. According to the September 22nd westward.patch.com article, “Rutgers Law Students Mourn Troy Davis in Newark”, during a remembrance for Davis last week following his execution, over two dozen law students and graduates had a moment
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of silence, with some holding blue or white candles. Some shouted, “No justice, no peace.” A female professor held a sign reading, “I am Troy Davis”. Victor Monterrosa, a first-year Rutgers law student, read the last letter Davis sent to supporters. He was quoted as saying: “It’s incredibly unjust. This isn’t a criminal justice system, it’s a punitive system.” Adam Axel, one of the former students who spoke with Davis in 2009 during an on-campus event about the death penalty case, was quoted as saying: “I’m just shocked. I just hoped that the Supreme Court would grant a last-minute stay.” He is now a public defender with Brooklyn Defender Services, and added: “I hope this creates a catalyst for change and the death penalty crumbles.” Funeral services are planned for Saturday, October 1st in Savannah. Hundreds are expected to be in attendance, including hip-hop label owner Russell Simmons, model and author Kimora Lee Simmons, rapper Big Boi, and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., according to the September 28th usatoday.com article, “Troy Davis funeral set for Saturday in Savannah, Ga.”
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