USA - Georgia. The Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta today stayed the execution of Troy Anthony Davis

The Appeals Court for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta today stayed the execution of Troy Anthony Davis, who was scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection Monday evening. "Upon our thorough review of the record, we conclude that Davis has met the burden for a stay of execution," the court said in a ruling issued by Judges Joel Dubina, Rosemary Barkett and Stanley Marcus. It marks the 3rd time in 16 months he has won a stay shortly before his scheduled execution. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court said it would not hear Davis' most recent appeal. Davis, 40, sits on death row for the Aug. 19, 1989, murder of police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail. Since Davis’ trial, seven of nine key prosecution witnesses have recanted their testimony. The court gave Davis' lawyers 15 days to file their legal brief and state attorneys another 10 days to respond. Davis' lawyers expressed relief over the court's decision. "This is the 1st step toward a court hearing to consider the new evidence - something we have been asking for for almost a decade now," attorney Jason Ewart said.