That’s what it says. The cause of death on Troy Davis’ death certificate is homicide. The legal definition of homicide is
The killing of one human being by another human being.
So that’s what this country has come to. In the face of overwhelming testimony casting serious doubt on the guilt of Troy Anthony Davis, the Georgia state board of pardons and parole, the Governor of Georgia, the Georgia Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States all refused to grant a stay of execution. So last night he was put to death.
He proclaimed his innocence one last time before being killed. His final words, as witnessed by an AP reporter:
“I’d like to address the MacPhail family. Let you know, despite the situation you are in, I’m not the one who personally killed your son, your father, your brother. I am innocent.Georgia state board of pardons and parole
The incident that happened that night is not my fault. I did not have a gun. All I can ask … is that you look deeper into this case so that you really can finally see the truth.
I ask my family and friends to continue to fight this fight.
For those about to take my life, God have mercy on your souls. And may God bless your souls.”
I say to those who took his life that – if there is a God – he, she or it should have no mercy on them whatsoever. Let the murder of this man be forever on their collective conscience and let karma treat deal with them with all of her might. And let her take Ann Coulter along for the ride.
Why do I bring Ann Coulter into this? Because this deather who, seemingly along with the rest of the Republican party of 2011, rejoices in the death of others. Last night, Coulter tweeted the following:
AnnCoulter Ann CoulterONE TROY DAVIS FLAME-BROILED, PLEASE – bit.ly/qPQnV7HOLD THE PICKLE, HOLD THE LETTUCE. FRYING KILLERS WON’T UPSET US. http://bit.ly/qPQnV7S. Ct denies Troy Davis stay. MacPhail’s family gets justice after a 22 year wait. Lovers of Cop Killers Inconsolable.Can MSNBC give us the full court press Troy Davis is getting for the next abortion by one of their employees?
Joseph Washington “I saw Sylvester Coles – I know him by the name Red – shoot the police officer. I am positive that it was Red who shot the police officer…
Tonya Johnson “Red then took both guns next door to an empty house and put them inside the screen door and shut the door … he threatened me after this happened. He told me that he wanted to make sure that I did not tell the police about the guns he hid in the screen door that morning. This is why I did not testify about the guns at Troy’s trial because I was afraid of what Red would do to me if I did. I have not told anyone about this until now because I was still scared… But I have decided that I must tell the truth.”
Anthony Hargrove “I know a guy named Red, from Savannah. His real name is Sylvester Coles. I’ve known Red for years and we used to hang out together. Red once told me that he shot a police officer and that a guy named Davis took the fall for it. He told me this about a year or so after the officer was killed…”
Gary Hargrove “I am sure that Red was facing in the officer’s direction when I heard the shooting. … I was never talked to by the police or any attorneys or investigators representing Troy Davis before his trial. I didn’t go up to talk to the police that night because I was on parole at the time and was out past my curfew so I didn’t want my parole officer to find out about that.”
Shirley Riley “People on the streets were talking about Sylvester Coles being involved with killing the police officer so one day I asked him if he was involved… Sylvester told me he did shoot the officer …”
Darold Taylor “I remember reading in the paper once about how a guy named Troy Davis got sentenced to the electric chair… One day when I was in the parking lot of Yamacraw drinking beers with Red. I told him about how I’d heard that he was the one who killed the officer. Red told me to stay out of his business. I asked him again if he killed the officer and Red admitted to me that he was the one who killed the officer, but then Red told meagain to stay out of his business.”
April Hester Hutchinson “Red turned to me and asked me if I would walk with him up to the Burger King so ‘they won’t think that I had nothing to do with it’. That’s exactly what he said… I told
[the police] that I saw Red talking to my cousin Tonya and that Red was real nervous. I did not tell them about what Red had said to me because I was scared he would hurt me. I was thinking that if he did that to a police officer, what would he do to me? I didn’t want to die like that officer, so I kept my mouth shut.”
Anita Saddler “When I saw Red and Terry, they were jumpy and couldn’t stand still. Their eyes were shifting around and they were looking everywhere. They walked up to us and Red asked us to go up to Burger King and see what happened. Like I said, they were real nervous and fidgety. Red had a gun which was stuck into his shorts. I saw the outline of his gun through his white shirt. I had seen him with a gun many times before.”
Peggie Grant (mother of April Hester Hutchinson) “A few hours later, April called me on the phone. She told me that she had had a conversation with Red where he asked her to walk up with him to where the officer was shot so that the police would think that he was with her and not think he did anything”
I usually wrap up my radio week on Thursday mornings with comedian John Fugelsang, and did just that today. But there were few, if any, laughs as we talked mostly about the killing of Troy Davis and the whole concept of capitol punishment.
I also spent some time this morning talking about the insanity of the “tea party” with Micheal Stinson (@symbolman on twitter). whose latest project is a reworking of the Lewis Carroll classic – but renamed mAlice in Wonderland: A Tea Party Fable. Just in case the tea party isn’t enough of a weird drug trip already….
