Troy Davis case

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Troy Davis case

Convicted cop killer Troy Anthony Davis has been scheduled to die Oct. 27.

About 90 minutes before Troy Davis was scheduled to be executed in September, the U.S. Supreme Court granted Davis a stay of execution. Here, Virginia Davis, mother of Troy Davis , hugs Lynn Hopkins of Decatur outside of the Georgia Department of Corrections in Jackson, Ga.

Davis supporters gathered to protest his execution in September.

The Rev. Al Sharpton and other Troy Davis supporters react in September to the news of the stay of execution.

Davis, 39, is on death row for the Aug. 19, 1989, killing of Officer Mark Allen MacPhail. The only thing that can stop Davis' execution is U.S. Supreme Court issuing a stay of execution. Davis maintains he did not commit murder, "I am an innocent man," Davis said over a speaker phone at a recent rally. "Until I'm free, justice is not done."

Mark Allen MacPhail was 27 when he responded to a fight outside a Savannah bus station and was shot repeatedly.

MacPhail was a former Army ranger with a wife and two young children. From left in this July 1989 photo: MacPhail, daughter Madison MacPhail, age 1 a the time, son Mark Allen MacPhail, Jr., 3 weeks old, and wife Joan MacPhail. Joan MacPhail said it sometimes took an hour for her daughter to fall asleep after his murder.

Since Davis' trial, seven of nine key prosecution witnesses who testified against him have recanted their testimony. Here, Tonya Johnson, expresses regret during a July 2007 interview for not having told the whole truth during Davis' murder trial. Johnson has come forward with new testimony implicating a different suspect. She said she was afraid for her safety, fearing the other suspect would harm her.

Prosecutors say they are certain in Davis' guilt. Russ Willard, a spokesman for the Georgia Attorney General's Office, said the federal courts have considered "all of these alleged inconsistent statements" and rejected them. "The state has no problem carrying out the lawful sentence against Troy Davis, " Willard said. Here, prosecutor David Lock addresses the judges in 2007.

Troy Davis' mother, Virginia Davis, talks outside the courtroom. His sister, Martina Correia clutches a bible (left). "I want people to understand that justice for Troy is justice for Officer MacPhail and his family," Correia said.

MacPhail's mother, Anneliese MacPhail, 74, said she is "disgusted" by the outpouring of support for Davis. "It's tearing me apart to see my son's name dragged through the mud because of all of this." Here, about 17 Georgians, including Paige Howell of Atlanta(foreground), stage a "Die-In" in front of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole on Sept. 23.

Kathy McQuary (left), sister of Mark Allen MacPhail, attends a court hearing. "You hear time heals all wounds," McQuary said in 2007. "Not exactly true. It kind of dampens it, but when something like this comes back up, it's like reliving it all over again."

Troy Davis supporter Jessica Peifer, left, is comforted by Davis' older sister Martina Correia, right, during an Amnesty International rally in Atlanta on Sept. 11.

In 2007, Anneliese MacPhail said she was "worn out" by the lengthy appeals process. "We want peace," she said. Here, Anneliese MacPhail (center), listens to proceedings in 2007.

Members of the Davis family sit on one side of the front row (left) and members of the MacPhail family sit on the other side.

Attorneys for Troy Davis go over case materials the night before a hearing at the Georgian Terrace Hotel in Atlanta on Sept. 11. A copy of the Savannah Evening Press from August 21, 1989 sits in a chair with other case materials.

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About 90 minutes before Troy Davis was scheduled to be executed in September, the U.S. Supreme Court granted Davis a stay of execution. Here, Virginia Davis, mother of Troy Davis , hugs Lynn Hopkins of Decatur outside of the Georgia Department of Corrections in Jackson, Ga.

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