As a basic principle, I don't think the government should be allowed to strap people down and kill them. Besides that, it's been proven -- not suggested but proven -- that again and again, innocent men have been convicted of capital crimes. In the case of Troy Davis, there are serious problems with the case; certainly enough to give me doubts. (And, though it sounds harsh, the victim's family is irrelevant to these questions.)

Solicitor Mark Osler was quoted in another CNN posting that we should show "mercy" to convicted killers. To which we might reply, did the killer show mercy to his victim? It appears that justice was sone in this case. Let it be so for other killers.

First of All i Strongly agree that death penalty should be Banned. The government had killed many innocents people in the past. i believe the president should get involve with this kind of situations. Sooner or later the State of Georgia will find the evidences that Troy Davis was innocent but when they do it wil be too late. He didnt deserve to be killed. 22 years in prison was enough for him. R..I .P Troy Davis

"Better ten guilty men go free than to convict a single innocent man." This quote explains the foundation of our system of justice in which a person must be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt before they can be convicted of a crime. Despite this extremely high standard, we know that many are lingering in our prisons for crimes they didn't commit. The statistics are clear that we've also executed innocent people through the years and will continue to do so as long as we stand adamantly behind a system of justice that is as imperfect as we are. Some who aren't in denial about the fact that we do execute innocents, take the position that it's somebody else or someone else's loved ones, so executing on occasional innocent person is a small price to pay for the sweet revenge of killing heinous murderers. I, on the other hand, believe that it's better that ten guilty murderers endure life without parole than to execute a single innocent man. We need to abolish capital punishment now and forever.

As a basic principle, yes, no one should be murdered by anyone and also as a basic principle innocent men should not be in jail but they are! Reasonable doubt is just what it is. If Troy Davis was so guilty, why did seven out of nine witnesses recant their testimony? Could it be that he paid them off? Hmmmm....I think not...Troy Davis was not well off nor was his family. So Melody Lott, think about that before you assume that everyone in jail is guilty. Good Day!

I think the issue was there was enough reasonable doubt for him not to get executed. I think in State of Georgia has the mentality of "who cares if it is him someone has to pay" It really set Georgia back 50 years. I use to love calling Georgia my new home now it just embarassing. How do you hire a new attorney when you sitting in prison. Where is the logic in that? Just because the jury found someone guilty of crime does not mean it so Casey Anthony case has told us that. I pray for the families. We all have to meet our maker and be accountable for everything we have done in our lives, I hope and pray that everyone involves can deal with it.

Davis was not innocent. He was convicted by a jury of his peers. He had 22 years to try to lie his way out of his punishment, but in the end, justice DID prevail. There was a lot more to this case than the country is aware of. Unless you were one of the jury members or directly involved with the case, you really don't know what other evidence was presented at the trial. Davis was convicted of other crimes as well. But you're not reading about that. The media and the bleeding hearts want you to believe that Davis was so innocent that it was a case of mistaken identity or some other ridiculous notion. Facts are facts. Davis was a gang banger, he dealt drugs, he beat people - including a homeless man that the police officer Macphail was trying to help! - So guess what people? DAVIS WAS NOT INNOCENT. Not by far.

As a country this is the system that is in place and has been for centuries. The death penalty in itself is in place to deter murders. This man was tried and convicted by a jury and unless you were on the jury then you do not know what was presented or what it was that convinced them to find him guilty. An innocent man, who chose to dedicate his life to protecting others was shot down in cold blood. No mercy for him or his family. He didn't get 20 more years to live. He didn't get to meet with his family and say his good byes. He didn't get a last meal. He didn't get to hold his son one last time. He didn't get to make a last statement. What would this counrty be without the death penalty. I hope we never find out. I surely believe that Troy Davis is roasting in hell at this very moment and it comforts me to know that.

I predict this article will set a record for the most comments, but at the end of the day nobody will have changed anyone else's opinion.

"(ATLANTA, GA; September 21, 2011) Tonight at 11:08 p.m. the State of Georgia executed Troy Davis for a 1989 murder that he always maintained he didn’t commit after what has been reported as a 3 to 2 vote by the board of pardons and paroles rejected his clemency bid. Since his original trial, substantial evidence has come to light pointing to Davis’ innocence. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations has conceded that the ballistics evidence used against Davis was unreliable, and one of the Jurors who sat on the case said that if she had known about that she would not have voted to give Davis the death penalty. Seven of the nine witnesses who identified him as the shooter have recanted their testimony. One of the two witnesses who maintain that Davis was the shooter is thought by many to be the real perpetrator and has made admissions to others that he committed the crime. The other remaining eyewitness had been up for twenty-four hours straight at the time he observed the shooting and reported on the night of the crime that he “wouldn’t recognize [the shooter] again.” Yet two years later, this witness identified Troy Davis in an in-court identification that required him to simply identify the only African-American sitting at the defense table. Misidentification was a factor in 75% of the 273 DNA exonerations. In 38% of these mistaken identification cases, multiple eyewitnesses misidentified the same person." http://www.innocenceproject.org

Too much doubt....... the state was seemingly more determined to kill Davis than to get at the truth. What was wrong with giving him a new trial? Several witnesses recanted (said that their testimony was coerced or given out of fear) and they have targeted another individual. If this individual actually committed the crime, then the people of Ga. have put to death an innocent man.

Latasha Coleman the pen is truly mightier then the sword WOW!

Apparently some people don't have the education to write without using foul language. Some can't even make complete sentences. Agree or disagree some people just have to bring it down to there level. So sad.

The U.S. Supreme court is in Georgia ? With people like LaTasha supporting him and making so much sense I can't believe they didn't just open the door and let him free. I even saw Big Boi on the news protesting. Wow.

White supremacist gang member Lawrence Russell Brewer was executed Wednesday evening for the infamous dragging death slaying of James Byrd Jr., a black man from East Texas.Byrd, 49, was chained to the back of a pickup truck and pulled whip-like to his death along a bumpy asphalt road in one of the most grisly hate crime murders in recent Texas history.Brewer, 44, was asked if he had any final words, to which he replied: "No. I have no final statement.".

Were there any protesters or public outcry that Brewer should be set free?

well I guess if we are going to talk about the Death penalty, lets talk about it! These two were both carried out on the same night....Was brewer innocent? Did he say he was? we have Courts and Jurors ...set up long ago....... thank god we don't, shot now shot some more then ask questions later like the days of OLE..... just sayin!

Didn't Davis also kill another guy that same day? Shot him in the face? I'm not totally sure of all the facts, but seems like I heard that. If that's so, he's DEFINITELY not innocent!!!

Greetings from Cascade Patch! Here's a column with facts that I think you all should consider. Charles Manson killed 11, Brian Nichols killed four. We know that from witnesses, pictures, admissions, etc. But they both live. Meanwhile, Troy Davis was in question for killing one person, witnesses recanted and he maintained he was innocent until the state executed him. Here's the column from Ray Metoyer. Would love to hear your comments: http://patch.com/B-tdh

Facts that only a few find pertinent to the cause were listed. The man was tried by a jury of his peers and was found guilty. The judge imposed the death sentence. Many have been put to death proclaiming their innocence right up until the end. It made them no less guilty I assure you. Unless you were either on that jury or sat non stop through that trial then you have no way of knowing all of the evidence or hearing all of the facts that were presented for them to make their decision upon. The man was given appeal after appeal and those people would not even consider a re-trial based on the fact that they had not been convinced either. This is and has been the United States system for years and years. Just because a group yells and chants and waves signs does not make this animal any less guilty.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore called Thursday for a total boycott of Georgia after the southern US state, defying global protests, executed convicted police killer Troy Davis. Moore also demanded that his just-released memoirs "Here Comes Trouble" be pulled from Georgia bookshops. Who cares. This should actually help the Georgia film industry. It may hurt our fast food sales a little. One local book seller responded " No great loss, we haven't sold any anyways". Pull your books in Georgia, I promise no one will notice loser.

Some eyewitnesses described the shooter as wearing a white shirt, some said it was a white shirt with writing, and some identified it specifically as a white Batman shirt. Not one witness said the man in the yellow shirt pistol-whipped the vagrant or shot the cop.
Several of Davis' friends testified -- without recantation -- that he was the one in a white shirt. Several eyewitnesses, both acquaintances and strangers, specifically identified Davis as the one who shot Officer MacPhail.
Now the media claim that seven of the nine witnesses against Davis at trial have recanted.
First of all, the state presented 34 witnesses against Davis -- not nine -- which should give you some idea of how punctilious the media are about their facts in death penalty cases.
Among the witnesses who did not recant a word of their testimony against Davis were three members of the Air Force, who saw the shooting from their van in the Burger King drive-in lane. The airman who saw events clearly enough to positively identify Davis as the shooter explained on cross-examination, "You don't forget someone that stands over and shoots someone."