US cop killer is executed

International outcry cant save convicted man; Troy Davis defiant till the time of lethal injection.

Proclaiming his innocence,Troy Davis was put to death by lethal injection Wednesday night,his life and the hopes of supporters worldwide prolonged by several hours while the Supreme Court reviewed but then declined to act on a petition from his lawyers to stay the execution.

Davis,42,who was convicted of murdering a Savannah police officer 22 years ago,entered the death chamber shortly before 11 pm,four hours after the scheduled time. He died at 11.08.

This final chapter before his execution had become an international symbol of the battle over the death penalty and racial imbalance in the justice system.

It harkens back to some ugly days in the history of this state, said the Rev. Raphael Warnock of Ebenezer Baptist Church,who visited Davis on Monday.

Davis remained defiant at the end,said reporters who witnessed his death. He looked directly at the members of the family of Mark MacPhail,the officer he was convicted of killing,and told them they had the wrong man.

I did not personally kill your son,father,brother, he said. All I can ask is that you look deeper into this case so you really can finally see the truth. He told his supporters and family to keep the faith,and to prison personnel,May God have mercy on your souls; may God bless your souls.

For Daviss family and other supporters gathered in front of the prison,the final hours were mixed with hope,tears and exhaustion. The crowd was buoyed by the Supreme Courts involvement,but crushed when it issued a one-sentence refusal to consider a stay.

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When news of his death came,the family left quietly. Daviss body was driven out of the grounds about midnight.

The appeal to the Supreme Court was one of several last-ditch efforts by Davis on Wednesday. Earlier in the day,Edward O DuBose,president of the Georgia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP said that Tuesdays vote by the Georgia parole board 3 to 2 to deny clemency to Davis was so close that he had hoped Davis might be saved from execution.

Daviss supporters also attempted to reach out to the original judge to rescind the death order,and to plead with President Obama for a reprieve. The case,which has been a slow and convoluted exercise in legal manoeuvreing and death penalty politics,saw over 630,000 petitions seeking a stay on the execution. Among those asking for clemency were former President Jimmy Carter,Archbishop Desmond Tutu,and 51 members of Congress.

But for the family of officer MacPhail,it was not an issue of race but of law. His widow,Joan MacPhail-Harris,said calling Davis a victim was ludicrous. We have lived this for 22 years, she said on Monday. We are victims8230; We are not killing Troy because we want to.KIM SEVERSON