Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis lost his life this week, but the public relations battle over his death continues.

A man who stayed on the sidelines of that battle this week for the first time spoke publicly about the case.

Spencer Lawton was the Savannah District Attorney who prosecuted the Davis case in 1991 and since then he has refused to comment on it.

With the execution, however, Lawton, now retired, is strongly defending the punishment.

He calls the doubt around Davis' guilt "manufactured" and calls the media coverage of the case a "circus."

Lawton says, he doesn't know how the case will affect the future of the death penalty debate.

However, he says, "To the extent that the Troy Davis case is held out as an example of the unfair application of the death penalty, to that extent, the debate will be a dishonest one."

Lawton disputes the extent to which witnesses recanted and points to gaps in their tesimony.

Meanwhile, death penalty opponents plan to use the case as a rallying point to end capital punishment.

Tags: Troy Anthony Davis, Chatham County, Troy Davis, GPB News, Spencer Lawton