By: BET Staff At BET.com
At 11:08pm EST, Wednesday night (September 21) Troy Davis was executed by the State of Georgia. It didn’t take long for stars in the hip hop community to send tweets of sympathy and support for the man who was put to death for killing Georgia police officer, Mark McPhail, in 1989.
Despite a glaring argument to support Davis’s innocence, years of appeals and a global public outcry were not enough stay the execution. Shortly before 10:30pm EST, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision upholding the government-sanctioned killing.
Before he was put to death the 44-year-old Georgia native reportedly maintained his innocence and requested that his family “look deeper into this case so you can really find the truth.”
Davis’s final words were directed at prison officials.
“May God have mercy on your souls” said Davis. “May God bless your souls.”
Soon after Davis was pronounced dead, many in the hip hop community reacted with heavy hearts.
Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons tweeted: “11:08PM: The time America lost a piece of her soul.”
Fellow music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs sent his own heartfelt tweet.
“May God have Mercy on their Souls.’ ‘May god bless your souls’ – Troy Davis RIP” Diddy tweeted.
Big Boi of Outkast who was at a rally to show support Davis sent a tweet from outside the prison in Jackson, Georgia.
“Just remember we fought til the end, peace and blessing.”
A Tribe Called Quest member Q-Tip called into question the nation’s justice system.
“No matter what side you stand on hopefully WE ALL c that the judicial system is broken. Peace,” Q-Tip tweeted.
In the aftermath of the execution, hip hop’s support for Davis continues and many more will likely eventually weigh in.