Girvies Davis

Girvies L. Davis (c. 1958 – May 17, 1995), a black man, was convicted by an all white jury of the murder of Charles Biebel, 89. The murder occurred in Belleville, Illinois on December 22, 1978. Davis allegedly confessed to the crime and was sentenced to death. There was no physical evidence or eyewitness testimony linking him to the murder. Davis, a 4th grade dropout, has been described as retarded and quite slow intellectually. After several days of questioning while in police custody, officers allege that Davis sent them a note from his cell stating that he wished to confess to a number of crimes. Subsequently, in the middle of the night, police took him out of his cell, and took him for a ride. Two officers drove him around for hours before stopping and pulling out a briefcase from the trunk of the car. Davis said the officers placed some papers on the hood of the car, took off their gun belts, and told him he could either sign the papers or run.

"I signed everything they had", Davis said. "I was fearful for my life. If they would have had more there, I would have signed more. I found out later I had signed statements for 10 murders and 10 attempted murders and my Miranda rights." When asked if he had read the papers before signing, Davis said, "Naw, I couldn't even read back then. I could barely sign my name."

The St. Clair County State’s Attorney, Robert Haida, conceded that some of the confessions were false as other people were convicted of those crimes. Davis denied ever sending a note from his cell or seeing it before trial. Haida conceded that someone else wrote the note, but suggested Davis dictated it to a cellmate. While on death row, Davis learned to read and write. He earned a high school equivalency certificate and became an ordained minister. He spent much of his time reading the Bible. A former police chief, a former prosecutor, and a retired judge worked to stop Davis’ execution, but Davis was executed in 1995 at the age of 37.

See also

* List of individuals executed in Illinois
* Capital punishment in the United States

References

* Terry, Don. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE3DD1F3CF932A25756C0A963958260 Diverse Group Tries to Stop Illinois Inmate's Execution] . "The New York Times" (1995-03-11). Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE4D81539F934A25756C0A963958260 Murderers Executed in 2 States] . "The New York Times" (1995-03-17). Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CEFD6143DF93BA25756C0A963958260 Georgia Killer And Illinoisan Are Executed] . "The New York Times" (1995-03-18). Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
* [http://www.icadp.org/page112.html In Memoriam: Girvies Davis] . "Illinois Coalition To Abolish The Death Penalty". Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
* [http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=1783 NEW VOICES: Illinois Execution in 1995 Now Seen in a New Light] . "Death Penalty Information Center". Retrieved on 2007-11-13.