On September 23, 2008, the US Supreme Court stayed the execution of Georgia death row inmate Troy Anthony Davis "pending the disposition of the petition for a writ of certiorari." Davis had been scheduled to be executed at 19:00 EST that day. According to his lawyers, key witnesses who claimed they saw Davis kill an off-duty police officer in 1989 have recanted their testimony and others say another person has since confessed to the killing. The Supreme Court had previously denied a petition for certiorari in the case, and the Georgia Supreme Court denied Davis's request for a new trial in March 2008. The Supreme Court later denied certiorari, but the execution was again stayed by the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The Supreme Court later denied another stay request, and Davis was executed on Wednesday.



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