GA Supreme Court Hears Troy Davis Arguments ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - New evidence has cast doubt on the 1991 conviction of Troy Davis, and that's why he should get a new trial. That was the argument of Davis' lawyer today before Georgia's Supreme Court.

But prosecutors say the new evidence is unreliable.

Troy Davis has spent the last 16 years on death row for killing Savannah police officer Mark McPhail. Since then, seven of nine witnesses have recanted their testimonies. Davis' lawyer, Jason Ewart, argued that the number of recantations is grounds for a new trial:

EWART: I think it's a novel issue, an extraordinary issue. This court has not decided a case with so many recantations.

But David Lock, Chief Assistant District Attorney of Chatham County, says the new affidavits are unreliable, and should have been brought up earlier in the appeals process:

LOCK: It's the state's position that this evidence does not meet the criteria established in the decisions of this court. And the state cannot understand that if the counsel actually believed that it was true, how they could sit back and not present evidence of actual innocence to the trial court.

The Supreme Court has until the end of March to return a decision.
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