i'm savannah guthrie in new york.and everyone here at nbc news, thanks for being with us. good night and have a good being with us. good night and have a good weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

i'm joined now on the phone by troy davis's sister kimberly, in savannah.phia, the man who convinced davis to turn himself in, pastor derek johnson. thank you both for joining us. kimberly, i want to start with you. how are you holding up? when was the last time you spoke to your brother and how is he holding up? >> i am doing just wonderful and me and my family are still holding our heads high. i spoke to troy about 4:00 this afternoon. you know, he was just so amazed. when he called on thursday we were talking about the over 650,000 petitions turned in to the parole board. he watched the march yesterday on the news and said it was so amazing to have so many supporters. he just wants to thank all of his supporters, thank everyone that believes in him and believes in justice. >> what has your brother told you about the case? >> i'm sorry. i didn't hear you. >> what has he told you about the case? >> he's always maintained his innocence. he told us he was not the one that shot the police officer. we stand behind that innocence and stand behind his word. >> e

wanted posters went up all over savannah and a reward to catch the cop killer.g hoops, troy davis was in atlanta, four hours away scared for his life. >> they had a shoot to kill order on him. >> reporter: derrick johnston, a pastor, got in touch with davis and volunteered to pick him up and drive him to savannah to surrender. he said troy insisted he was innocent. the pastor never told the story to a reporter and was stunned the d.a.'s office never interviewed him. >> you're with the man for four hours and you bring him back to savannah into police custody and they never interviewed you? >> never. >> never talked to you about your journey. >> never. >> if he admitted to the crime? >> nothing. and this is the one case where nobody wanted to know and i don't think now, looking back, that anybody cared. >> reporter: the pastor is now one of many who believe that facts be dammed. troy davis was going to be arrested for murder. as for the savannah police, they always said their witness interviews were taken properly and no coersion and prosecutors stood by the convi

wanted posters went up all over savannah and a reward to catch the cop killer.inflamed. after the shooting hoops, troy davis in atlanta, four hours away. his sister says scared for his life. >> they had a shoot to kill order on him. >> reporter: derrick johnston, a pastor, got in touch with davis and volunteered to pick him up and drive him to savannah to surrender. he said troy insisted he was innocent. the pastor never told the story to a reporter and was stunned the d.a.'s office never interviewed him. >> you're with the man for four hours and you bring to police custody and they never interviewed you? >> never. >> never talked to you about your journey. >> never. >> if he admitted to the crime? >> nothing. and this is the one case where nobody wanted to know and i don't think now, looking back, that anybody cared. >> reporter: the pastor is one of many who now believe that facts be damned. troy davis was going to be arrested for murder. as for the savannah police, they always said their witness interviews were taken properly and no coersion and prosecutors s

mark strassmann, cbs news, savannah, georgia. >> pelley: a new report out tonight links diabetes with a higher risk of alzheimer's. and we take you in search of rick perry's roots when the "cbs evening news." "cbs evening news." cium is best absorbed in small continuous amounts. confidence. available in color. depend for women is now peach. looks and fits like underwear. same great protection. depend. good morning. great day. is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur? [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are those great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. stickers? uh-uh. a superhero? ♪ kinda. [ male announcer ] and we think that's the best prize of all. ♪ can become romantic just like that. a spark might come from -- a touch, a glance -- it can come along anywhere, anytime. and when it does, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a

i don't know how many of you have ever been to savannah, in the old part of savannah, every single bloc has a park square. we know through the nexus study that there is never going to be enough money that we could economically unviable the fund through a community benefits program to provide as much part space as is needed in this neighborhood to serve this residential population. if we were to impose those fees, the nexus analysis would have given as a legal justification for, we would have had no development. it was a balancing act. the only way we can see to deal with that issue at meet the needs that have been identified in help the -- helped the development and control the flooding in the neighborhood and have permeability so the neighborhood does not fly all the time when we have the 100- year storm in the neighborhood is to try to create more park space. we have seen a tremendous opportunity on these large parcels to provide on site, in kind part space, community facilities. in many cases, as was referred to from the county transportation authority, there is the opportunity to do

savannah guthrie.hanks. >>> now to alabama where a federal judge upheld the toughest immigration law in the country. a law that tells elementary schools to investigate their kids. one commentator today called this arizona on steroids in terms of immigration. opponents of the law are promising a fight. nbc's kerry sanders in birmingham, alabama, for us tonight. kerry, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the state immigration law is now on the books here. but those who will have to enforce it are yet to figure out just how they will do that. today, police in alabama have new power. teachers have new responsibilities -- to check people's birth certificates and to enforce what, until now, was federal immigration law. not everyone welcomes the new authority. >> we don't believe that teachers in alabama public schools should be converted to immigration officers. it's not our job to police the children that come to public school every day. it is our job to teach. >> reporter: it is estimated more

. >>> and later, savannah guthrie's exclusive interview with author joe mcguinness, the man who moved next door to sarah palin while writing a book about her. you will learn more about palin's future plans. >>> while the president was out in ohio insisting over and over again that congress pass the bill, it seemed like the only democrats who were even willing to talk about it here on capitol hill were tearing it apart. >> that was senate minority leader mitch mcconnell today, noting the growing democratic resistance to the president's jobs bill. the white house dispatched advisers david plouffe and gene sperling to the hill today to convince dissenting senate democrats to support the president's legislation. complaints in recent days ranged from the bill includes too much spending to the bill includes too many tax cuts to it unfairly eliminates subsidies for oil companies while ignoring other big industries. after the private 90-minute meeting, senate majority whip dick durbin told reporters, "we're not going to get 100% of our caucus, but believe me, if it's up to the democrats to pa

. >>> and later, savannah guthrie's exclusive interview with author joe mcguinness, the man who movedt door to sarah palin while writing a book about her. you will learn more about palin's future plans. somewhere in america, a city comes to life. it moves effortlessly, breathes easily. it flows with clean water. it makes its skyline greener and its population healthier. all to become the kind of city people want to live and work in. somewhere in america, we've already answered some of the nation's toughest questions. and the over sixty thousand people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers. [ slap! slap! slap! slap! slap! ] [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum tum tum tum tums >>> while the president was out in ohio insisting over and over again that congress pass the bill, it seemed like the only democrats who were even willing to talk about it here on capitol hill were tearing it apart. >> that was senate minority leader mitch mcconnell today, noting the g

that officer, savannah officer, mark mcfail. but since his conviction, several wilts claim their testimony was coerced by police. this case has gotten the attention of the pope, gotten the attention of desmond due due, former president carter. these are his supporters marg yesterday in downtown atlanta. now it seems like it's up to the georgia pardon and parole board. they will consider an appeal on monday. meanwhile, mcphail's family and the prosecutor says davis is guilty no matter what anybody else says. >> we still have the seven of the nine witnesses who have recanted. we have people speaking the truth. >> i'm just disappointing that so many people have been led to believe that nobody has paid attention to these recantations. it is as i explained earlier it's not the case. it's not the case. on what ground are the recantations more believable than the testimony in court? none. none. >> and i want you to stay with us because at 9:00 eastern time, i will be speaking to the senior pastor of martin luther king jr. church, he he

troy davis has convicted of killing an off-duty savannah police officer in 1989, that officer's name 1991 conviction, seven of the nine witnesses against troy davis have either recanted or contradicted their testimony. davis supporters marched in downtown atlanta yesterday. the georgia pardon and parole board expected to consider an appeal on monday. mcphail's family and the former prosecutors say davis is guilty. davis' sister, his entire family have been saying all along he did not do this. >> we still have the seven of the nine witnesses that have recanted. we have people coming out speaking the truth and we know that the truth shall set him free. >> i'm disappointed so many people have been led to believe that nobody has paid attention to the recantations, it is simply not the case, and on what ground are the recantations more believable than the testimony in court? none. none. >> the mother of that savannah police officer, mark mcphail, she has been waiting on wednesday, the day troy davis is expected to be executed, scheduled to be executed. we'll hear her side of the story and

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wanted posters went up all over savannah. a reward to catch the so-called cop killer.l tensions inflamed. after the shooting, troy davis was in atlanta, four hours away. his sister said scared for his life. >> my brother decided to turn himself in, they had a shoot to kill order on him. >> reporter: he volunteered to pick him up and drive him back to savannah to surrender. troy davis insisted he was innocent. the pastor was never told the story to the reporter before was stunned. the d.a. office never interviewed him. you're with this man for four hours and they interviewed you? >> never questioned me. >> reporter: what he said, if he had a weapon, if he admitted to the crime? >> nothing. this is the one case where nobody wanted to know. and i don't think now, looking back, that anybody cared. >> reporter: the pastor is one of many who now believe that troy davis was going to be arrested for murder. as for the savannah police, they have always said their witness interviews were taken properly and no coercion and prosecutors have stood by the conviction. but a number of

a jury took just a few hours to decide his guilt in savannah, georgia. few more hours to decide on the death penalty. brenda forest was one of the jurors. >> he was definitely guilty. all of the witnesses, they were able to id him as the person who actually did it. >> reporter: there was no dna or physical evidence against davis. the primary reason he was convicted, witness testimony. the slain police officer's wife trusted the witnesses. >> they were just so adamant about what they saw, when they saw it. >> reporter: but this is how the juror feels today. >> if i knew then what i know now, troy davis would not be on death row. the verdict would be not guilty. >> reporter: what she knows now is this. almost all of the prosecution's star witnesses have changed their stories, some saying police pressured them to say troy davis did it. one of those people is darryl collins, a prosecution witness who signed a police statement implicating davis. >> i told them over and over i didn't see this happen. they put what they wanted to put in that statement. >> repor

i wish, i wish that the city of savannah would re-open the case. would look at all of the suspects. on cnn today with a woman who lives in fear for her life daily because she says that just a few years ago a man admitted to her that he was the actual killer. this was a man who was a suspect, this is a man who was one of the two remaining witnesses against troy davis. he says he admitted he was the actual killer and he just a few months ago threatened her life so she fled savannah. she finally decided that talking about that threat publicly perhaps would make her more safe. so here we are 22 years later, questions, people being threatened. former head of the fbi coming forward saying there's too much doubt. former warden of this prison coming forward saying there's too much doubt, this is not your usual case. our heart goes out to the macphail family. we want them to have closure and peace and want there to be justice. justice must be precise. >> i know this case has been important to you, personally, as well as to the naacp for a long time. am i right that in remembering you have me

in savannah. it's proof simply changing the color of the law -- you know, of law enforcement doesn't necessarily change the color of justice, if you will in this country. reality is we need people of all colors, black or white, who have the courage to do the right thing, and to stand up and say if there's doubt i will not execute. when in doubt we won't do it. we saw that from the former warden but not from the d.a. or chairman of the pardon dons. >> ben jealous, president of naacp saying he believes the state of georgia has executed an innocent man. stay with us. >>> he said the incident that night was not my fault. did not have a gun and when he told his friends to continue to fight and look deeper into this case so you can really find the truth. for those about to take my life, may god's have mercy on your souls, may god bless your souls. to the macphail family, he said, of course, i did not personally kill your son, father and brother. i am innocent. >> welcome back to "the ed show," in our co

the off-duty savannah cop was shot as he tried to stop the beating of a homeless man. a fight over a bottle of beer outside this bus station. davis was in the crowd but denied he was the killer. seven of the nine prosecution witnesses have now recanted. four who said they saw davis pull the trigger and three who claim davis told him he was the killer. all seven now allege pressure by police to blame davis. >> he tried to break up a fight and the fight went bad and a cop got shot and then he got blamed for it. >> reporter: dijon davis carerra is troy davis' nephew. his earliest childhood memories are prison visits to see his uncle. are you 100% convinced he is innocent? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: when i say the name troy davis to you, what goes through your mind? >> the man who killed my father. that's what goes through my mind. it's a man who took him from me. >> reporter: mark macphail jr. was 2 months old when his father, mark macphail, was murdered. what is your memory of your father? >> i grew up my entire life not knowing my dad. it's tough for a 5-year-old to ask

nbc's savannah guthrie who, as a lawyer, has covered her share of crime and punishment controversy is with us here in new york tonight. good evening. >> good evening. this was a terrible crime. a police officer who came to the aid of a homeless man being beaten by a group of men was shot dead on the street but the troy davis case is gathering worldwide headlines tonight because of persistent questions about whether he really was the man who pulled the trigger. to his last breath, troy davis, convicted of killing an off-duty police officer in 1989, maintained his innocence. >> he said, i want to say something to the mcphail family. i did not take your son, father, brother. [ chanting ] >> reporter: many believe he was innocent. for four hours after his scheduled execution, thousands of people all over the world held their breath during final appeals. there was lingering doubt about the conviction, even from world leaders. no dna linked davis to the crime and seven of nine eyewitnesses recanted their testimony. but shortly after 10:00 p.m. the u.s. supreme court denied davis's appeal an

and there's been an absolute lack of curiosity on behalf of the district attorney in savannah. you know, got kind of a glimpse into the culture among some law enforcement here, when i sat down with the ward here and asked him to let "60 minutes" and msnbc and cnn and others who had expressed interest several weeks ago. and he ended the conversation by saying he had been on law enforcement in savannah 22 years, as if this should matter. as if a former law enforcement official in savannah, he shouldn't be more interested than anybody in making sure that the right killer is brought to justice. justice has to be precise. when justice becomes blunt, when it just seems like anybody will do, then we've slipped into vengeance of the worst kind. and the reality is that the supreme court of the united states should not be in the business of allowing sacrifices to move forward. and that's what this may be. when there's this much doubt, we just may be simply killing the wrong person for the sake of killing somebody. and that is terrifying. >> president of the naacp with us tonight, ben jea

i don't know how many of you have ever been to savannah, in the old part of savannah, every single bloc has a park square. we know through the nexus study that there is never going to be enough money that we could economically unviable the fund through a community benefits program to provide as much part space as is needed in this neighborhood to serve this residential population.

in savannah. and you know, it's proof that simply changing the color of the -- of law enforcement doesn't necessarily change the color of justice, if you will, in this country. the reality is that we need people in there of all colors, black or white, who have the courage to do the right thing and to stand up and say if there's doubt i'm not going to execute. when in doubt, don't. we saw that from the former warden but we couldn't get it from the d.a. or the chairman of the board of pardons. >> president and ceo of the naacp, ben jealous with is tonight, saying that he believes that state of georgia has executed an innocent man. former georgia prison warden allen ault and our own rachel maddow when we come back. stay with us. you're watching msnbc. >>> he said that night it was not my fault, i did not have a gun. that's when he told his friends to continue to fight and look deeper into this case so you can really find the truth. for those about to take my life, may god have mercy on your soul, may

he was convicted of killing savannah police officer mark macphail.rters say the conviction was based on flimsy evidence. he's scheduled to be put to death wednesday. his clemency hearing is monday. macphail's family and prosecutors claim davis is the killer. macphail's mother tells us she'll never feel closure in the case but she hopes, still, for peace. >>> two u.s. hikers jailed in iran could be freed within hours. a lawyer for josh fattal and shane bauer say that he is very hopeful the release will happen today. the pair was detained in 2009 after straying across the iraqi border into iran. an iranian court convicted them of spying. they insist they were just hiking. >>> fierce fighting rages as libyan option forces battle for control of moammar gadhafi's hometown today. gadhafi loyalists are putting up stiff resistance to maintain control of sirte. opposition leaders say at least eight anti-gadhafi fighters have been killed and 30 others wounded. revolution areas trying to win two other gadhafi strongholds. >>> new york mayor michael bloomberg sa

in savannah.color of the law -- you know, of law enforcement doesn't necessarily change the color of justice, if you will in this country. reality is we need people of all colors, black or white, who have the courage to do the right thing, and to stand up and say if there's doubt i will not execute. when in doubt we won't do it. we saw that from the former warden but not from the d.a. or chairman of the pardon dons. >> ben jealous, president of naacp saying he believes the state of georgia has executed an innocent man. stay with us. somewhere in america, a city comes to life. it moves effortlessly, breathes easily. it flows with clean water. it makes its skyline greener and its population healthier. all to become the kind of city people want to live and work in. somewhere in america, we've already answered some of the nation's toughest questions. and the over sixty thousand people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers. >>> he said the incident that night was not my fault. did not h

davis was convicted of killing savannah policeman mark macphail 22 years ago. since davis' trial, seven of the nine witnesses against him either changed their stories or recanted their testimony, raising doubts that have gone global. anti-death penalty protesters are out in force tonight in georgia and over time, the pope, nobel peace prize laureates, desmond too tou and jimmy carter have been among those who have appealed for leniency or a new trial. the original prosecutor in the case say they are executing the right man tonight. >> there are two troy davis cases. there is the legal case, the case in court, and the public relation case. we have consistently won the case, as it's been presented in court. we have consistently lost the case as it's been presented in the public realm, on tv and elsewhere. >> cnn's david mattingly is outside the prison in jackson, georgia. davis -- sorry, david, what can you tell us about what's going on? >> reporter: candy, look, what's happening here right now, just in the last half hour, we've seen hundreds of people gathering

it's not proportional savannah. >> what do you think? >> it's close. >> we'll be right back.h arthritis pain. that's a coffee and two pills. the afternoon tour begins with more pain and more pills. the evening guests arrive. back to sore knees. back to more pills. the day is done but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. just 2 pills can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lara who chose 2 aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. for dentists, the choice is clear. fact is, more dental professionals brush with an oral-b toothbrush than any other brush. trust the brush more dentists and hygienists use, oral-b. ♪ like so many great pioneers before me, guided only by a dream. i'm embarking on a journey of epic proportion. i will travel, from sea to shining sea, through amber waves of grain, and i won't stop until i've helped every driver in america save hundreds on car insurance. well i'm out of the parking lot. that's a good start. geico, fifteen minutes could save you fifteen pe

savannah guthrie is here with more about the interview with the author. hi. >> a lot of people know joe mcginniss. he has been writing books since his book on richard nixon. now he focused on alaska's famous politician. to get the story, he got very close to his subject. the rogue, a 318 take down of palin by best selling author joe mcginniss paints a scathing portrait of the woman that could have been vice president. >> an utter fraud. an absolute utter fraud. >> you call her a tenth grade mean girl. >> oh, that's -- those are kind words, compared to what you would hear in wasilla today. the thing i found, savannah, that really surprised me was that the people that know her best like her least. >> mcginniss spent four months in alaska, claims he spoke to approximately 200 people, a mix of old associates, acquaintances and former friends. but the book was causing controversy before he wrote one word. >> she had a problem with you living next door. >> she did, and i don't know why she did. >> really, you don't know why? >> i really don't. >> but the experi

in savannah.s proof that simply change the color of the law, you know, of law enforcement doesn't necessarily, you know, change the color of justice, if you will, in this country. the reality is, that we need people of all colors. black or white. who have the courage to do the right thing. and to stand up and say, if there's doubt, i'm not going to execute. when in doubt, don't. we saw that from the former warden that we couldn't get it from the d.a. or chairman or the board of pardons. >> president and ceo of the naacp, ben jealous with us tonight, saying that he believes that the state of georgia has executed an innocent man. former georgia prison warden allen ault and our own rachel maddow when we come back. [ female announcer ] introducing new pronutrients from centrum. omega-3s go beyond heart health. probiotics go beyond digestive balance. and fruit & veggie has antioxidant properties. new pronutrients from centrum. help make nutrition possible. can make it from australia to a u.s. lab to a

of troy davis who was convicted of killing an off duty police officer the convicted killer of a savannah police officer now has an execution date according to his attorney a judge signed the execution for troy davis today davis is now set to be executed somewhere between september twenty first in september twenty eight. c. after years of trials appeals and pleas davis is now scheduled to be executed in the state of georgia at the end of the month it's a case that we told you about before where the inmates accused of shooting off duty police officer mark mckay macphail and savannah bus station now since day one davis has maintained his innocence but several eyewitnesses identified davis at the time as the shooter during this trial and he was sentenced to death however no physical evidence has ever been presented tying him to the shooting back in two thousand and ten a u.s. district judge heard from two original witnesses who came forward admitting that they falsely incriminated davis but despite the revelations of the several witnesses and fabricated their testimony the judge called the n

davis was convicted for a failed 1989 shooting of savannah police officer mark mcfail. he has maintained his innocence and seven of nine witnesses in his case recanted their testimony later. as a show of support for davis, in the streets of atlanta, his case has inspired protests all across the world. groups like amnesty international and the naacp are leading a campaign to save his life. the former district attorney in the case, spencer lawton, says the conviction must stand. lawton claims that davis used the same gun to shoot another man earlier in the evening before he gunned down the officer. the officer's mother tells cnn she has no doubt that davis pulled the trigger in both shootings. >> i tell you that he shot that guy before and the casings are the same. i think those are pretty good evidence. >> justice and closure ohm comes for you when troy davis is finally executed? >> i will never have closure because that can't be. but i may have some peace, which i hope for. i certainly need it. >> officer mack fail's mother speaking to our reporter earlier today. later

troy davis is set to die for the murder of a police officer in savannah.porters delivered more than 600,000 petitions to the georgia pardon and parole board seeking to stop the execution. cnn's gary tuchman has the davis story. the reason so many are calling for his life to be spared. >> it's anything but a routine question. >> how scared of you are possibly being executed? but it's relevant because the man i'm talking to x troy davis, may soon be a dead man. a jury took a few hours to decide he was guilty of murdering a police officer in savannah, georgia. a few more hours to decide on lethal injection. brenda forest was one of the jurors. >> he was definitely guilty. all of the witnesses were able to i.d. him as the person who actually did it. >> there was no dna or physical evidence against davis. the primary he was con viced, witness testimony. the slain police officer's wife trusted the witnesses. >> they were just so adamant about what they saw, when they saw it. >> but this is how the juror feels today. >> if i knew then what i know now, troy davis

davis was convicted of killing savannah police officer in 1991. ever since that time, several witnesses have recanted their testimony. they say they were coerced by police into testifying. among those on the parole board will be the senior pastor at martin luther king jr.'s church in atlanta. >> i'm saying there's entirely too much doubt for an execution. the parole board will decide what it wants to do, but i'll tell you this much. at each turn of the case, some sector of the justice department has pressed pause. this very board of pardons and paroles stayed the execution a few years ago. i believe it was 2007. on another occasion it was the supreme court who said too much doubt, let's pause. then it was the 11th circuit that said too much doubt, let's pause. not one witness, not two, not three, not four -- >> seven. >> seven witnesses have recanted their story. >> someone who certainly doesn't want to hit pause again is the mother of that slain officer mark manage macphail. i got to talk to her about what it's been like to go through three previ

troy davis possibly wasn't the killer that night. >> well, back in 1989 officer mark macphail in savannah, georgia, was off duty. he was moonlighting as offering security to a couple of businesses there. he saw a homeless man being beaten up and he came to that homeless man's aid and chased after the man's assailant and that assailant turned and shot him and killed him on the spot. officer macphail never even drew his weapon. at the time of the murder, there were multiple witnesses that police had brought together and there was a very quick trial about this. the jury was able to reach a verdict in a matter of hours and in a matter of another few hours were able to reach a verdict for the death penalty. so, they were very definitive at the time of his guilt and of the need for an execution here. but in that time, it's been his family that really has kept the belief in his innocence going. they have been responsible for networking, for getting other people to look at the case and we saw this as a slow-acting volcano that has been erupting over the last 20 years coming to a head over the las

davis was convicted of killing a police officer in savannah in 1989.e changed their stories saying they were pressured by police to testify against davis. they are joined by hundreds of thousands of people who have signed petitions calling for clemency. his only hope now is that the state board of pardons and paroles will agree. >>> house speaker john boehner is taking aim at president obama's new job bill mincing new words last hour. boehner was emphatic saying tax increases are off the table when the special congressional debt committee gets down to work. repeating a familiar gop refrain, he said tax increases destroy jobs. what the 12-member super committee should do instead is implement reform that could lower tax rates for individuals and corporations while closing loopholes and credits in existing laws. >>> a marine medal of honor recipient said he is no hero. soon the world long him as one. how did a cokoe from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®. [ male announcer ] each of these

davis was convicted in 1989 of murdering mark mcphail, an offduty police officer in savannah. in the years since, eyewitnesses recanted their testimony. there were claims that another man confessed to the crime. and support for clemency for davis spread internationally. from former fbi director william sessions to pope benedict xvi. many, many people believed there was just too much doubt here to put a man to death. for her part, the mother of the murder victim said she wanted closure. >> i have been through hell. especially the last couple of years when everything was kind of building up and we had to go to court again and again. so i need some peace. >> courts rejected davis' pleas, including at the 11th hour tonight, the u.s. supreme court. troy davis was 42 years old and he is the 35th person to be executed in the united states this year. >>> we turn now to a murder trial in progress in florida where the defense today began its efforts to convince a jury that a millionaire developer did not murder his wife. he admits to having shot her. he told the 911 operator as much. bu

i went to savannah and had a rally. we talked to people on the jury. you had people on the jury that convicted him that said if they knew the ballistics that they were told that was on some of the shells did not match what they were told were troy, they wouldn't have convicted him. any one of them would have hung the jury. what all of that, to me the matter wasn't just whether he was innocent. the matter was that there was enough reasonable doubt that you do not execute the man. that is why i have passion. the legal precedent that establishes in this case is that on eyewitnesses, no matter how flawed they may be, is a basis of a capital case. we cannot tolerate that in the 21st century. >> do you believe, reverend sharpton, the fact that it was a cop killing, whoever did the killing was killing a cop, whether it was him or another guy theoretically, in the killing of that police officer was out there moonlighting, trying to make extra money for his family. he's an innocent. this guy is doing his job. he tried to help a homeless guy not get beat to hell

davis was convicted for the fatal 1989 shooting of savannah mark macphail. seven of the nine witnesses in his case later recanted their testimony. macphail's family has no doubt davis was the one who pulled the trigger. davis was accused of shooting another mannen earlier that same night. prosecutors claim the same gun was used in both shootings, but saves supporters say that expert ballistic testimony was inconclusive. >> there you see the show of support for davis in the streets of atlanta, groups like amnesty international and the naacp are leading a campaign to save his life. davis has supporters all over the world who believe he was wrongly convicted, including his sister kimberly davis and pastor derek johnson who drove davis on his way to turn himself in more than 20 years ago. i spoke with both of them earlier. >> he always maintained his innocence and you know, he told us he was not the one that shot the police officer. and we stand behind that innocence and stand behind his word. >> you know there's another family involved here, the family of the s

i have been to savannah and i think it is a long way from western soma, but you have these availability and making an open space makes a lot of sense and also the idea of splitting some of these blocks by having mid block connectors so that you break up what were all industrial blocks and i did -- by design wanted them to be very long. two other final things -- trees. i think there are fewer trees there than anywhere in san francisco. any kind of water features, if there is a way we could put something along those lines, i think it would soften things. those are some of my reflections and assured the other commissioners will have other ideas. >> i do not have any questions, but i want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all. this is the most mature piece of work i have seen in a long time because it was done comprehensively and is based on consensus. it shows a the best of what san francisco neighborhood planning has to offer when it comes from the bottom up. i recommend you put yourself out for whatever award you can get. its a peace and -- any plan would be to challenge -- i'm s

you've had all of these witness recantations: you literally have a man running around savannah, georgia the hearing. >> that's right. >> you were sitting this with members of the family. you heard three of the jurors that voted him guilty come before that board and say he should not be executed and that they did not have all the information. is that so? >> well, actually, one of the jurors at least testified on yesterday that i -- that i heard, and she said that if she knew then what she knows now she would not have voted the way she d.as a matter of fact, the district attorney down in savannah said that were he trying this case today, it would not be for him a death case, yet he went yesterday to argue for troy davis' death. this is a tragic day for the davis family, but it is a scar >> i want to get that right. let me -- let me interrupt you, reverend. one of the jurors testified, iio three have come forward, but one testified yesterday, and the d.a. that had said that he would not have prosecuted this case and reversed and went forward and argued for the execution. >> he shared with

troy davis was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1989 murder of savannah police officer mark macphail after witnesses testified davis shot macphail. but seven of the nine witnesses later recanted their testimony. and no dna evidence links him to the crime. >> it's over. it sounds terrible but i can finally close this book and hopefully get some sleep. >> reporter: after 22 years, officer macphail's family and prosecutors have never abandoned their belief that davis deserved the death penalty. kurt gregory, nbc news. >>> after spending more than two years locked up in iran, hikers josh fattal and shane bauer are finally free. yesterday they were released from prison into the arms of loved ones. nbc news tehran bureau chief ali aruzi has more from iran. >> reporter: after over 780 days in tehran's notorious prison, josh fattal and shane bauer finally get to taste freedom. during fast-moving events, their iranian lawyer was summoned to the judiciary to come and finalize their $1 million bail arrangement. once that has been done, omani and swiss delegates rushed to the prison to see how l

we have family in savannah. we know what they were doing.'t know what happened monday, what they're going to do. i'm being very, very cautious because it is the fourth time and every time something came up. no, i'm not going. that doesn't give me any satisfaction to see him die. that really doesn't. i will know when it's happened and there will be family members who will be there. that's enough for me. because like i said, i'm not out after blood. i'm after justice. i want my son to rest in peace. >> she did say that davis' execution would finally get her peace but she said she will likely never have closure since the death of her son. >>> about seven minutes to the top of the hour now. go to school -- but you don't have to leave the house. the growing popularity of cyber schools. stay with me. when a moment might turn into something more. and when it does men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven low-dose tablet you take every day,