Trono Davis

Trono Davis has spent nineteen years, nearly all his adult life, in prison in The Bahamas, including eight years spent on death row. He is currently serving a life sentence in The Bahamas after his automatic death sentence was found to be unlawful. He has become a respected, well-liked member of the prison community who has embraced opportunities for learning and self-development. We are helping Trono to appeal for clemency so that one day he can be released.

Trono's story

Trono was arrested at the age of 20, following a shooting at a house party. At trial, he was found guilty and convicted of murder. He was a young person with no previous convictions but the mandatory nature of the death penalty for murder in The Bahamas meant that neither of these factors could be taken into account. The judge had no option but to sentence Trono to death.

Whilst on death row, Trono was confined to his cell with limited contact to other prisoners. He was not able to work or participate in programmes. Conditions were poor, his cell was rat infested and contained a manual toilet that could only be flushed when a water hose was brought to him. He was only allowed out of his cell for one hour a day and that was for exercise in a 12 feet by 45 feet space surrounded by slop buckets and bottles containing other prisoners’ urine.

Trono has also described the harrowing experience of being housed next to the gallows and of spending the last moments with a cell mate who was taken away to be executed.

In August 2012 the Secretary to the Governor General wrote to say they had received my petition for release. From that date to this present time I haven’t heard from them.

Mandatory death penalty challenged

The Death Penalty Project assisted Trono in appealing against his death sentence by bringing a challenge to the mandatory death penalty in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) in London.  In 2006, the JCPC declared the mandatory death penalty unconstitutional, meaning that not just Trono, but all those on death row in The Bahamas, could be re-sentenced. Trono’s death sentence was quashed and a year later the Supreme Court of The Bahamas re-sentenced Trono to life imprisonment.

Since being in prison, Trono has taken immense steps to facilitate his rehabilitation. He has enrolled in countless courses and programmes – including parenting and public speaking. An active member of the prison community, Trono participates in the choir and in drama productions and has worked in both the prison chaplaincy department. We are now  working with Trono’s local legal team to petition the Governor General to grant him clemency and reduce his life sentence. If successful, Trono will finally be given a chance to build a life beyond the prison walls.