Is Troy Davis dead? The answer is now yes.
Lynn Hopkins (L) comforts Carolyn Bond after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to issue a stay of execution for convicted cop killer Troy Davis at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Georgia, on Wednesday, September 21, 2011.
The state of Georgia executed Troy Davis late Wednesday night for the murder of an off-duty police officer in 1989, MSNBC reports. The execution came despite 11th-hour legal appeals and an international campaign to save an inmate many believed to be innocent.
The case of Davis, a black man convicted of murdering police officer Mark MacPhail outside a Burger King restaurant in Savannah, attracted international attention and stirred debate about race, justice and the role of the death penalty in society.
The pope, South Africa's Desmond Tutu and former President Jimmy Carter are among thousands of influential dignitaries, and more than 600,000 people in total, who signed a petition seeking to stop Davis' execution.
In the end, their efforts made no difference.
Troy Davis was executed by lethal injection and declared dead Wednesday at 11:08 PM.
The case has been followed closely on social networking sites, and Twitter erupted Wednesday night with the news. Here are some glimpses of the conversation:
"#TroyDavis made more impact to American history than he could have ever imagined. God Bless his soul," by @aNightinRome
"a prayer for peace for all those involved #troydavis," by @rovingrev
"Just proof that the judicial system can work both for and against someone. #TroyDavis #TooMuchDoubt," by @Stephstraface
DISCUSSION: What are your thoughts on the execution? Did Troy Davis deserve to die? Leave your comments below.
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