• Aug. 19, 1989: At about 1 a.m., off-duty Savannah police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail is working security for a Burger King when a disturbance breaks out in the parking lot. MacPhail hurries to investigate and is shot and killed. He leaves a wife, an 18-month-old daughter and a 7-week-old son.

• Aug. 23, 1989: Troy Anthony Davis surrenders to police.

• Aug. 30, 1991: A Chatham County jury sentences Davis to death for the murder of MacPhail.

• Feb. 25, 1993: The Georgia Supreme Court unanimously affirms Davis' conviction and sentence.

• Dec. 14, 2001: Davis files a habeas corpus writ in federal court.

• May 13, 2004: Savannah federal court denies habeas corpus relief, saying "there is no danger of a miscarriage of justice in declining to hear the claim."

• Sept. 26, 2006: The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta affirms the lower court's denial of habeas corpus relief.

• June 26, 2007: Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu sends a letter to the state Board of Pardons and Paroles asking it to commute Davis’ sentence. He cites “mounting evidence that Davis may in fact be innocent.”

• June 29, 2007: Savannah judge sets a new execution date for Davis: anytime between noon July 17 and noon July 24.

• On or about July 15, 2007: In a letter from his U.S. envoy, Pope Benedict XVI notes problems with the evidence and asks Gov. Sonny Perdue to spare Davis’ life.

• July 16, 2007: With Davis' execution set for the next day, the state parole board issues a stay.

• March 17, 2008: By a 4-3 vote, the Georgia Supreme Court upholds Davis' death sentence, rejecting his request for a hearing.

• Sept. 12, 2008: The state parole board declines to grant clemency to Davis.

• Sept. 19, 2008: In a letter, former President Jimmy Carter tells the parole board that its decision not to grant clemency “risks taking the life of an innocent man and would be a grave miscarriage of justice.”

• Sept. 23, 2008: Less than two hours before Davis' scheduled execution, the U.S. Supreme Court grants him a stay.

Sept. 28, 2008: MacPhail's mother, Annaliese, reacts angrily to the latest stay: "My son is dead. Theirs is still alive. That's just the way I feel."

• Oct. 14, 2008: The U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Davis' appeal.

• Aug. 17, 2009: The U.S. Supreme Court orders a federal judge to hear evidence in Davis' case.

Sources: AJC files, Georgia attorney general's office, Associated Press, troyanthonydavis.org, markallenmacphail.org