UPDATE: Parole board rejects reconsideration of Troy Davis clemency denial
The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles today denied a request to reconsider Tuesday's denial of clemency for Troy Anthony Davis in the 1989 murder of off-duty police officer Mark Allen MacPhail.
The decision came as Davis' supporters began eleventh hour efforts to halt his execution scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson.
Meanwhile, a group of Davis supporters Wednesday delivered 240,000 signatures asking District Attorney Larry Chisolm to pull the death warrant before tonight's 7 p.m. execution.
The group, calling themselves The Clemency for Troy Davis Campaign, also wants Chisolm to ask Chatham County Superior Court Judge Penny Haas Freesemann to do the same.
Chisolm late Tuesday said the matter was "beyond our control."
"The district attorney does not have the power or authority to withdraw an execution order," Chisolm said, adding there's no requirement for him to be a party to seek such an order.
"Superior court judges can issue the order without the involvement of the DA," Chisolm said. "The DA's office does not have exclusive control over any phase of the process."
Also today, attorneys for Davis were filing a last-minute appeal to halt his execution later in the day.
Defense attorney Brian Kammer tells The Associated Press he will file the appeal in Butts County Superior Court, south of Atlanta, when it opens later Wednesday.
The appeal asks a judge to block the execution. It argues that ballistic testing that linked Davis to the shooting was flawed.
Davis' lawyers have long argued Davis was a victim of mistaken identity. Prosecutors say they have no doubt that they charged the right person with the crime.
Go to savannahnow.com/troydavis to get complete coverage on the Troy Davis case.
