The State of Georgia executes Troy Davis.

This decision was passed last night to execute Troy Davis, the man convicted of killing policeman Mark MacPhail in 1989. 

The 42 year old's case has been heavily disputed after the majority of witnesses changed or completely retracted their statements.


This excerpt from the BBC News article regarding the case, explains the lack of cold hard evidence that should be needed for such a punishment.

"MacPhail was shot dead in July 1989 as he tried to help a homeless man who was being attacked in a Burger King car park.
Prosecutors said Davis was beating the man with a gun after demanding a beer from him.

No gun was found and no DNA evidence conclusively linked Davis to the murder." 

more information and videos after the jump...

Lets say that in 10 years evidence is uncovered that proves Troy Davis was guilty after-all, it still wouldn't make this right. The fact of the matter is, that there wasn't enough evidence at the time to execute him. What ever happened to "innocent until proven guilty" ?

Here's an interesting paragraph from an article titled "Deterrent Value and Cost of Death Penalty" by the University of Vermont, that fellow author of Vexamen, Ben Guest pointed me towards.

"Florida spent an estimated $57 million on the death penalty from 1973 to 1988 to achieve 18 executions - that is an average of $3.2 million per execution (Miami Herald). It costs six times more to execute a person in Florida than to incarcerate a prisoner for life with no parole. In Texas, a death penalty case costs an average of $2.3 million, about three times the cost of imprisoning someone in a single cell at the highest security level for 40 years (Dallas Morning News)."  Link to source.

What is the point in spending that much to execute someone when you could send them to prison for life in certain states for far less. Leaving the rest of the money spare to spend on things that aren't ridiculously unjust.

Democracy Now have released a brilliant in depth two part video that I can link you to below regarding this matter.

                                         Part one.

                                         Part two.