Georgia Sets Execution Date for Troy Davis

By Jonathan Shapiro

Atlanta, GA – An execution date has been scheduled for Troy Davis, a Georgia inmate who has won widespread support for his claims of innocence in the 1989 slaying of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail.

A Chatham County judge has signed the death warrant for Troy Davis, setting an execution date for September 21st.

It's the fourth time since 2007 that state officials have scheduled the Georgia inmate to die.

Meanwhile, the state Board of Pardons and Paroles has scheduled a clemency hearing for September 19th, which will give Davis' legal team one last chance to delay execution.

However, WABE legal analyst Page Pate says the date will likely hold.

"I think the lawyers have done an incredible job of pursuing every possible legal avenue that they could, but I think we're at the end of the line," said Pate.

In March, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution by rejecting an appeal by Davis, who has maintained his innocence.

Several eyewitnesses who had initially linked Davis to the killing have since recanted their original testimony.

While appealing the charge, Davis has attracted support from high-profile figures like former President Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict XVI who have called on Georgia officials to spare his life.