Judge stands by decision to exclude testimony in Troy Davis case
A federal judge on Thursday ruled he will stand by his decision to exclude key testimony in the case involving condemned inmate Troy Anthony Davis.
During a hearing in June, U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. barred testimony from a woman who was going to say that Sylvester "Redd" Coles told her that he, not Davis, shot and killed a Savannah police officer in 1989. Moore ruled out Quiana Glover's testimony because Davis' lawyers did not subpoena Coles to testify on his behalf.
"By intentionally presenting unreliable hearsay while keeping [Coles] out of court, [Davis] was seeking to prevent the court from receiving all the evidence, rather than providing the court with a record on which the most accurate determination could be made," Moore wrote.
Davis' case has received international attention because a number of key prosecution witnesses have recanted their testimony since the trial. The U.S. Supreme Court granted Davis the extraordinary hearing to prove his case. Moore has yet to issue a final ruling.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
