Georgia Man Exonerated After 22 Years for Wrongful Murder Conviction
Joey Watkins, a man from Floyd County, Georgia, has been exonerated after spending 22 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Watkins was originally convicted in July 2001 for the murder of 21-year-old Isaac Dawkins in 2000. He was sentenced to life in prison on charges of murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm, and stalking.
Throughout his time in prison, Watkins maintained his innocence. "I didn’t think it was real at 19. I knew I was a suspect, but I didn’t really take it serious because I didn’t do this. I didn’t commit the crime. When the conviction came through, it was the worst day of my life," Watkins said during a news conference.
The Georgia Innocence Project took up Watkins' case, revealing that law enforcement had identified him and his friend Mark Free as suspects based on their connection to a small blue Honda seen engaging in "aggressive driving" near the crime scene. Despite Watkins presenting an alibi that was later confirmed by cell phone records, he was convicted. Mark Free, who was allegedly the passenger in the car, was acquitted on all charges.
In a 2018 hearing, Watkins argued for his release, citing newly discovered evidence of juror and prosecutorial misconduct. During the original trial, prosecutors used cell phone location data to place Watkins near the crime scene. However, it was later revealed that one of the jurors conducted an out-of-court test that influenced their decision to convict Watkins. Despite this new information, the petition for Watkins' release was initially dismissed due to the time that had elapsed since the trial.
The Georgia Supreme Court later reversed this decision, allowing Watkins' appeal to be heard. "Over three days in February and March of 2022, Joey was finally able to argue to the Walker County Superior Court his conviction should be overturned due to compelling evidence of juror misconduct and prosecutorial misconduct," stated the Georgia Innocence Project.
On January 3, 2023, Watkins was offered a $75,000 bond and was required to wear an ankle monitor as a condition for his release.
