Funeral of Troy Davis Takes Place Today

More than 1,000 attend Troy Davis funeral

Funeral directors bring the casket of Troy Davis into the Jonesville Baptist Church before his funeral in Savannah, Ga., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011. Davis died by lethal injection for the 1989 slaying of off-duty Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton) (CBS/AP) Last Updated 3:46 p.m. ET

SAVANNAH — More than 1,000 family members and supporters gathered in Georgia on Saturday to say farewell to Troy Davis, who insisted even until his execution that he was innocent. The funeral at Jonesville Baptist Church in Savannah opened with a slideshow of photos of Davis in his blue-trimmed prison uniform with his mother, sister and other family members. The service, which lasted three and a half hours, took on a political tone with speakers calling for the death penalty to be abolished. "Troy's last words that night were he told us to keep fighting until his name is cleared in Georgia," said Benjamin Jealous, head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a leading civil rights group. "But most important, keep fighting until the death penalty is abolished and this can never be done to anyone else."

An undated photo of Death Row inmate Troy Davis. (Credit: AP/Georgia Dept. of Corrections) The 42-year-old Davis was executed Sept. 21 for the 1989 slaying of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. Courts ultimately upheld his death sentence, despite emotional pleas for his life from thousands across the globe. The Saturday funeral was also attended by Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International, and comedian and activist Dick Gregory. Davis' 17-year-old nephew, DeJaun Davis-Correia said his uncle, who spent hours helping him with homework over the phone, would want his loved ones to stay upbeat. "You really shouldn't be sad all the time, you should be happy and be positive. That's the attitude my uncle instilled in me," he said. Blue and white roses were placed on the casket because of Davis' love for the Dallas Cowboys pro football team. The Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached, delivered the eulogy. "I did not come here all the way from Atlanta to tell you this is God's will," said Warnock, who served as a spiritual adviser to Davis on death row. "God's will is not revealed in this tragedy." On Friday at a church memorial Davis was remembered as a gentle man who faced his execution with grace and dignity. More than 250 people, including NAACP president Benjamin Jealous and comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory, jammed the New Life Apostolic Temple in Davis' hometown of Savannah for the memorial that served as a prelude to Saturday's funeral. Friends, pastors, anti-death penalty activists and Davis' lawyer all took turns at a podium behind his closed casket, decorated with a spray of white and purple flowers. Supporters remember Troy Davis at memorial Longtime friend Earl Redman, who said he'd known Davis since age 8, told the crowd Friday that during prison visits Davis would often say that he expected to die in the death chamber. "He looked me in the eye and he told me, 'Don't let me die in vain. Don't let my name die in vain,"' Redman said as a church usher tore paper towels off a roll for teary attendees to dry their eyes. The Rev. Randy Loney, a Macon pastor who often visited Davis in prison, said he was always struck by Davis' gentle nature despite the death sentence looming over him. Referring to the catchphrase adopted by his supporters — "I am Troy Davis" — Loney said he came to realize that "in a lot of ways, we are not Troy Davis." "We did not wake up every morning and go to sleep every evening with the specter of the executioner in our eyes," he said.

A line of people wait outside the Jonesville Baptist Church before the funeral of Troy Davis in Savannah, Ga., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011. (Stephen Morton/AP Photo)

Family, friends celebrate Troy Davis' life at funeral

STORY HIGHLIGHTS "I am Troy Davis," chant those at the funeral Davis is called an innocent man put to death Many speak out against the death penalty He was the "soul of something profound," says his lawyer
(CNN) -- It was inevitable that the fiery politics of the death penalty would punctuate Saturday's remembrance of Troy Anthony Davis. His 20 years of claims of innocence on Georgia's death row earned him millions of supporters who believe the state wrongfully executed him on the night of September 21. Saturday, Davis' family and closest friends gathered inside the Jonesville Baptist Church to celebrate his life. A mass of flowers covered Davis' closed casket. Two photos flanked it -- one a color portrait of a young boy who grew up on the streets of Savannah's Cloverdale neighborhood and the other a black and white photo of a young man in a suit attending his murder trial. Those in attendance repeatedly chanted: "I am Troy Davis," the slogan adopted in the campaign to spare his life and one that went viral on social media networks. "Look at those last two lines of your program today," said Benjamin Jealous, president of the NAACP. "I am Troy Davis. And I am free." Jealous and other friends and advocates for Davis, including his lawyer, Jason Ewart, voiced Davis' last words before he was put to death by lethal injection. That he was sorry for the family of police Officer Mark MacPhail, but that he was innocent. "We're going to keep on fighting until his name is finally cleared and Georgia admits what it has done," Jealous said. "We're going to keep on fighting until the death penalty is abolished and this can never be done to anyone else." MacPhail was shot in the early morning hours of August 19, 1989, in the parking lot of a Burger King just a few miles north of the church where Davis was memorialized. Davis was tried and convicted for MacPhail's murder and sent to death row in 1991. But he and his family had always maintained that the jury convicted the wrong man. The MacPhails said they lived in agony as legal proceedings dragged on year after year. The case became controversial after several of the witnesses who testified against him at trial later said they were coerced to speak against Davis. It was battled in many courtrooms before his execution. But in the end, Davis lost all his appeals. "We are gathered here in a place of the most unjust execution of mankind," Ewart said. "Jesus was killed on the cross, not because he was guilty, but because we are. "Many have spoken of Troy as a symbol," Ewart said. "He was the soul of something profound." Ewart, a young antitrust lawyer signed onto defending Davis shortly after graduating from Emory University's law school in Atlanta. "I met him seven years ago. When I met him I was young. I was green," he said. "From the very first conversation I had with Troy I knew he could be my older brother, my friend, and eventually, he became just that." Raphael Warnock, pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, invoked the 1994 book the made Savannah famous. "It's midnight in the garden of good and evil," he said. "But I am so glad God does his best work at midnight. When the adversary has our backs against the wall, that's when God does his best work. "Strange things happen in Savannah, Georgia," he said. "This city of cobblestone streets and verdant town squares ... you have become the ground zero for the struggle to abolish the death penalty once and for all. Savannah, Georgia, the world is watching you." Davis' mother, Virginia, died in April. She was not around to see the execution of her son, an act that would have surely been wretchedly painful to bear. Davis' sisters, Martina Correia and Kimberly Davis, attended the funeral Saturday, as did Correia's son De'Jaun Davis-Correia. Davis-Correia, born prematurely, said his uncle Troy was afraid to hold him when he was first born. He weighed only 3 pounds, 8 ounces. "He thought he would break me," Davis-Correia said. But he grew into a strong young man, he said, through his uncle's guidance. He spoke of how Davis, from death row, used to help his nephew with homework, even put his tests and exams on his calendar. People tell him now that he's a little version of his uncle. And that makes Davis-Correia, the nephew of an executed man, very proud. For all his life, his uncle lived 300 miles away, behind brick walls. But, he said, "It was always like he was home with us." The funeral was open to the public, but Davis was to be buried Saturday with only his family at his graveside. And then, just before people began streaming out of the church well into Saturday afternoon, a message recorded by Davis thanked his supporters all over the world for their efforts on his behalf. "Everything we do today will clear the way for a better tomorrow," Davis said. "We can correct all the wrongs if we band together. Don't give up the fight." The voice of the dead had filled the sanctuary.

[video] Troy Davis Case: Part One

http://www.amnestyusa.org/troy Troy Davis is at risk of execution as early as September 2011, even though grave doubts about his guilt remain. Part One "The Investigation" gives a thorough explanation of the case as well as the many problems with how the crime was investigated. With all legal appeals exhausted, Davis' fate will be in the hands of Georgia's Board of Pardons and Paroles. Once his execution date is scheduled, they will be presented with the option of permanently preventing his execution.

[video] Troy Davis Case: Part Four

http://www.amnestyusa.org/troy Troy Davis is at risk of execution as early as September 2011, even though grave doubts about his guilt remain. Part Four "Clemency" explains what clemency is and why it is appropriate for Davis' case. With all legal appeals exhausted, Davis' fate will be in the hands of Georgia's Board of Pardons and Paroles. Once his execution date is scheduled, they will be presented with the option of permanently preventing his execution.

[video] Extra: More on the Troy Davis Case

http://www.amnestyusa.org/troy Why is Amnesty International interested in the Troy Davis case? Troy Davis is at risk of execution as early as September 2011, even though grave doubts about his guilt remain. This video tells the deeper story of Troy Davis through the lens of human rights and death penalty abolition.

[video] The Troy Davis Case: An Animation

http://www.amnestyusa.org/troy Troy Davis is at risk for being executed in early September 2011. Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles will be holding a final clemency hearing, in which Davis' fate will be in their decision.

[video] The Back Story on Troy Davis

Author and human rights activist Jen Marlowe explains why death row inmate Troy Davis, whose execution date could be set any day, should go free.

[video] Troy Davis recap of crime by Martina Davis-Correia

Troy Davis is on Georgia's death row for the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail, despite a strong case of innocence. A new execution date might be set at any time. [video] Troy Davis recap of murder by Martina Davis-correia www.JusticeForTroy.org for more details

[video] Innocent Man Executed?

Troy Davis maintains his claim of innocence days before his scheduled execution by the state of Georgia.

[video] Evidentiary Hearing for Troy Anthony Davis

A timeline of the Troy Anthony Davis case and a look at what's to come at the evidentiary hearing on June 23, 2010 at the Tomochichi U.S. Courthouse in Savannah. VIDEO COURTESY: WTOC, WJCL-FOX28. Some pictures: Savannah Morning News Savannahnow.com

[video] Troy Davis Execution Day (execution)

p>Rev Al.Sharpton & National Action Network hold a vigil outside of the prison as Troy Davis is scheduled to be executed. Sep 25, 2008

[video] Judge Mathis Weighs in on the execution of Troy Davis

Audio recording from Troy Davis, who faces execution despite the fact that there was no physical evidence and 7 out of 9 non-police witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony.

Troy Davis speaks from death row

[video] Barack Obama on the Death Penalty

Get more information www.famousobama.com

[video] What Happens on Execution Day? A Death Penalty Documentary

This is a short, 10 minute documentary outlining the events that occur on execution day for those sentenced with the death penalty. It was filmed in Raleigh, North Carolina by Scott Langley. With the death penalty now being sought in the Casey Anthony case, and was used in the Death of Troy Davis we thought you might find this interesting. A doctor at the state prison walks viewers through the routine of preparing for and carrying out an execution from begining to end. We don't feel this documentary is particularly disturbing visually; however, if you find the subject matter uncomfortable it is recommended you don't watch this video.

[video] Troy Davis execution: Race vs rights on 'scales of injustice'

A U.S. death row inmate has been executed by lethal injection in the state of Georgia for the 1989 shooting of an off-duty policeman. Prosecutors maintained they were sure he was guilty. However, the weapon was never discovered and DNA tests failed to link him to the killing. Davis' supporters say capital punishment just isn't dealt fairly in the U.S.