Death penalty opponents say, they hope Wednesday's execution of Troy Davis will be the catalyst for a renewed fight to end capital punishment in the US.

Davis' defenders tried to put the most positive spin on a failed 20-year attempt to overturn the Savannah man's conviction and sentence.

Amnesty International Director Larry Cox says, his group's effort to abolish the death penalty will start again this morning.

"We will begin to double, triple, quadruple our efforts to make sure that the day will come sooner when we never have to go through this again for anybody for any reason," Cox says.

Davis galvanized an international movement to end the death penalty.

Ultimately, his detractors say, that movement proved more successful in the court of public opinion than in the court of law.

Tags: Troy Anthony Davis, Amnesty International, Troy Davis, GPB News, Larry Cox