Today Judge William T. Moore, Jr., ruled that Troy Davis did not “clearly establish” his innocence at the hearing held in Savannah on June 23-24. In a welcome development, Judge Moore did rule that it would be unconstitutional to execute an innocent person.
At the hearing, which was not a new trial, Troy Davis was still presumed guilty, and, with only witness recantations and no scientific evidence like DNA, he was unable to meet the very high standard set to prove his innocence.
The hearing did not erase doubts about Troy Davis’ guilt; for example four witnesses testified under oath that they lied at Troy’s trial and others implicated the alternative suspect.
For the moment, Troy’s death sentence stands, but an appeal of this ruling is likely, and we will post more details as they emerge.