The investigation is active and ongoing. Episode Six "Rockville/Ellington, Conn." Premieres Oct. 14 at 10 p.m. His death was also soon overshadowed by a gruesome double-homicide seven months later, in November 2000. In September 2019, the Georgia Supreme Court denied the AGs attempt to appeal. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Hilarie Burton in It Couldnt Happen Here Season 1 Photo Credit: SundanceTV. An official website of the State of Georgia. Jump to a detailed profile, search site with google or try advanced search. It started in the fall of 1998 when single mother Donna Brown was shot almost point-blank in the Taco Bell parking lot. WebBack in 1998, Donna Brown, a manager at the Taco Bell in tiny Adel, Georgia, was murdered in the parking lot after closing up for the night. WTXL ABC 27 Tallahassee, FL. In rural Shelbyville, Ky., a body is found in the river. Copyright 2021 WALB. The juvenile was taken into custody without incident. She said the support she got from other teams was 'overwhelming. Southern hospitality is a must. It was higher than in 96.5% U.S. cities. Unfortunately, Georgia is one of only 13 states that does not currently have a statutory compensation law to provide financial relief for years lost to wrongful conviction. (The US average is 22.7) Adel property crime is 69.0. Then a newspaper carrier came forward to finger Devonia as the murderer, but her testimony changed. Youd think this breakthrough, along with the unreliable witnesses and recanted testimony, would be enough to earn Devonia a new trial. Units were then dispatched to a nearby convenience store where Whitehead was found, also suffering from a gunshot wound. First, a quick recap. , or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app. More than eight years after DNA evidence revealed the state of Georgia sent the wrong man to prison for murder, Devonia Inman may finally have a chance to prove his innocence in court. In the riveting series, Burton Morgan attempts to understand the challenges the community faced investigating the crime, learns the lasting impact the crime has had on the fabric of the town, and ultimately calls attention to where justice currently stands. Police later found the car abandoned nearby with a distinctive homemade ski mask inside. Shamar Wilson, 19, Gerome Pickett, 17, and a 16 year old juvenile male were each charged with two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault. Bryant Kenney, age 50 of Adel, was arrested Wednesday. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onHorror Movies and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. City-data.com does not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of any information on this site. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure youre on an official state website. His release comes one month after a superior court judge granted Devonia Inmans petition for habeas corpus relief. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Preliminary findings of the autopsy is that Pennys death is ruled as a homicide. Violent Crimes - Murder Rape Robbery Assault. Wild Concerts: Park releases show schedule, EDITORIAL: Wild Adventures makes 2023 plans, Suspect arrested in Valdosta shooting death, Celebrating Ms. Jeanette: Tree planting honors Coody, Pepsi honors Stronger Together recipients. WebThe 2017 crime rate in Adel, GA is 524 (City-Data.com crime index), which is 1.9 times higher than the U.S. average. In the early morning darkness in little Adel, night manager Donna Brown locked up the Taco Bell and carried the 2023 Georgia Innocence Project. Devonias attorneys tried to call witnesses to show that another man, Hercules Brown, had actually committed and admitted to the crime. The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Adel is 102 to 1. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Justice, not victory, is our chief goal. So say GA attorney general defends murder conviction despite justices concerns Outlet: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Author: Bill Rankin Published: 12/19/2019 Read: Here We have more EXCITING NEWS in the Devonia Inman case! Hercules Brown worked at the very same Taco Bell as Donna Brown at the same time and would often work closing shifts. Officers found Pierce in the parking lot of a nearby business with a gunshot wound. Additionally, then-Presiding Justice Nahmias and then-Chief Justice Melton issued, reminding prosecutors of their power to ensure justice is served and urging the Attorney General himself to personally review Inmans case and determine whether justice was actually served by continuing to oppose Inmans efforts for a new trial. Devonias story of wrongful conviction is the subject of two podcasts: from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and. Finally, on December 20th, 2021, twenty-three years after he was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, almost eight years after a court first heard DNA evidence of his innocence, and two years after Georgia Supreme Court justices urged Georgia's Attorney General to "Let Justice Be Done," Devonia Inman was freed from prison and exonerated. True Crime Story: It Couldnt Happen Here is a compelling look at the way true crime impacts small towns. Chicago Mayor Lightfoot ousted; Vallas, Johnson in runoff, King asks Duke and Duchess of Sussex to move out of Frogmore so Prince Andrew can move in, Biden Mocks Marjorie Taylor Greene With 1 Simple Hand Gesture, A Nebraska high-school cheerleader competed on her own after the rest of her squad quit. The only evidence against Devonia came from witness testimony. Miss Virginia Gensie Bennett, 90, passed away February 20, 2023 in Adel, Georgia. It took a really long time to fix, even though it was so clear I wasnt guilty. To set the scene, Adel is a little town with a population under 5,000. Let Justice be done, Justice Nahmias said. This went against the courts original story that Devonia had murdered Donna Brown alone. On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, the GBIs Douglas Office received a request from the Adel Police Department to assist with a death investigation. Devonias story of wrongful conviction is the subject of two podcasts: Breakdown: Murder Below the Gnat Line from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Murderville from The Intercept, and Sundance TV featured the case in the premiere episode of their true-crime series, It Couldnt Happen Here.. Years after Devonias trial, Georgia Innocence Project secured DNA testing on the homemade ski mask that was found in the Taco Bell victims car. In 2018, a legal team led by Tom Reilley and Tiffany Bracewell of Troutman Pepper, with GIP attorneys acting as consultants, filed a habeas corpus petition once again seeking freedom for Devonia. The victim, a single mother named Donna Brown, The killer stole $1,700 and the As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 5,571. New episodes of True Crime Story: It Couldnt Happen Here air Thursdays at 10/9c on SundanceTV. Great News! This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Following a June 2021 contested hearing, Judge Graham, . Episode Three "St. Augustine, Fla." Premieres Sept. 23 at 10 p.m. A young woman in St. Augustine, Fla. with everything to live for is found shot to death with the gun belonging to her boyfriend, a deputy sheriff. ADEL, Ga. (WCTV) A man is facing multiple charges after his wife's body was discovered in Cook County, the same day she was reported missing by a family member. State of Georgia government websites and email systems use georgia.gov or ga.gov at the end of the address. ADEL Three Valdosta men were indicted for felony murder by a Cook County grand jury this week in a 2019 shooting at a prom party here. You can learn more here on our blog. WebAdel, GA (May 11, 2020) - On Monday, May 11, 2020, an additional arrest was made for the murder of Quinten Payne and Cody Robinson on December 31, 2019. Additionally, then-Presiding Justice Nahmias and then-Chief Justice Melton issued extraordinary concurring opinions reminding prosecutors of their power to ensure justice is served and urging the Attorney General himself to personally review Inmans case and determine whether justice was actually served by continuing to oppose Inmans efforts for a new trial. Donna had been working late and walked out of the shop alone after closing up. (His) willingness to face contempt and disciplinary action father than provide testimony or even invoke his Fifth Amendment rights further justifies this Court drawing an adverse inference here, Graham said in the order. Other Georgia Exonerations. Similarly, a jailhouse snitch contacted law enforcement to say Devonia had confessed in prison, but again, his testimony was not the most sound, and he, too, later recanted. Use at your own risk. The GBI said that a Cook County grand jury indicted Dashay Antwan March, 28, Ra-Shay Marquez March, 23, and Taurian Javon Wetrz, 23, for themurder of Whitehead and aggravated assault on Deshone Pierce. (Photo: Georgia Innocence Project) At about 2 a.m. on September 19, 1998, 40-year-old Donna Brown was robbed and fatally shot as she left her job at a Taco Bell restaurant in Adel, Georgia. "I spent 23 years behind bars for something I didnt do, Inman said in a statement provided by the Georgia Innocence Project. The state had 30 days to appeal, but Georgias attorney general declined. The 2017 Adel Exoneree support services will be offered by the independent nonprofits After Innocence and the Northern California Innocence Project. All three subjects were already in custody on previous charges, the press release states. When an immigrant couple who settled in the Tennessee town of Cookeville is executed in their sleep and their house set on fire, investigators quickly identify a suspect with motive. For more than two decades, Inman has maintained his innocence, denying any involvement in the Taco Bell Murder. Adel, GA (January 1, 2020) On Tuesday, December 31, 2019, the GBIs Douglas Regional Office received a request from the Adel Police Department to assist with a death investigation. When a beloved chiropractor in Sauquoit, N.Y., dies suddenly under strange circumstances, investigators discover she's been murdered with a rare poison. He was sentenced to life without parole, meaning he would die in prison. Proudly powered by, The key witnesses who implicated Devonia recanted (save one incentivized and directly contradicted witness);, Hercules Brown confessed to people that Brown committed the Taco Bell murder; or, Hercules Browns DNA, and only his DNA, was found on the homemade ski mask recovered from the Taco Bell managers car., In September 2019, the Georgia Supreme Court denied the AGs attempt to appeal. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. As a result, sometimes killers walk free, or in the case of the shows first episode, the wrong man might wind up behind bars. WebWe found 14 TV stations broadcasting 57 digital TV channels in the Adel, Georgia, area, including local CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and CW affiliates. Inman is an inmate at Hays State Prison, located in Chattooga County. GAPS - Georgia Applicant Processing Service, Georgia Criminal History Record Restrictions, Obtaining Criminal History Record Information, Facebook page for Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Twitter page for Georgia Bureau of Investigation, https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, GBI Makes Arrest in Adel Murder Investigation. She determined that Inmans constitutional rights were violated, including by the prosecutions failure to disclose evidence suggesting Hercules Brown committed the crime. The killer stole $1,700 and the victims car. Alapaha Judicial Circuit Chase Studstill filed a motion to dismiss the underlying charges, which Chief Judge Clayton Tomlinson granted Monday morning. from The Intercept, and Sundance TV featured the case in the premiere episode of their true-crime series, Georgia Supreme Court Adopts Rule to Hold Prosecutors Accountable for Misconduct. In the series premiere, the town of Adel is rocked by a brutal robbery homicide and locals quickly point to an outsider as the killer. The Adel Police Department responded to a 911 call at 500 N. Gordon Avenue, Adel, Cook County, GA, in reference to an unresponsive person. An official website of the State of Georgia. All rights reserved. WebSUMMERVILLE In 2001, Devonia Tyrone Inman was convicted of killing a woman in Adel. In July 2021, a new judge was appointed to review the case and is considering the Hercules Brown evidence. Penny was taken to the GBI Medical Examiners Office for autopsy. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Evidence suggesting Hercules Brown, had actually committed and admitted to the.... 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