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Who is Joey Watkins? Georgia man regains freedom after 22 years in prison as court overturns murder conviction

Now in his early forties, Joey Watkins faced charges of murder, firearm possession, and stalking for the 2000 murder of Isaac Dawkins

FLOYD COUNTY, GEORGIA: A resident of Floyd County, Georgia, has recently been cleared of a wrongful murder conviction in connection with the tragic 2000 murder of 21-year-old Isaac Dawkins, marking the end of a harrowing journey that spanned over two decades.

Joey Watkins, now in his early forties, found himself sentenced to life imprisonment, plus an additional six years, on July 2, 2001.

Throughout the last 22 years, Watkins steadfastly maintained his innocence.

What happened to Isaac Dawkins? 

On January 11, 2000, Isaac Dawkins was discovered with a gunshot wound to his head, a victim of a shooting while driving along Highway 27, situated between Rome and Cedartown. 

Watkins became a suspect due to his admission to the Rome Police Department that he had driven past Dawkins' vehicle on the night of the murder. 

He also revealed that both he and Dawkins had dated a woman named Brianne. However, the initial police investigation ruled him out as a suspect.

Watkins had a corroborated alibi. He informed investigators that he was driving his white pick-up truck to Cedartown and had simply passed by Dawkins' damaged car during his journey.

Several months elapsed without any significant progress in the case.

A new officer took up the reins of the investigation, which eventually culminated in the murder charge against Watkins and subsequently led to his conviction at trial.

Notably, Watkins was not the sole individual to face charges in connection with Dawkins' murder. 

The state of Georgia also brought accusations against a man named Mark Free for the same crime, but he was ultimately acquitted of all charges.

Joey Watkins challenges wrongful conviction  

While serving his prison sentence, Watkins took the initiative to reach out to the Georgia Innocence Project (GIP), aiming to challenge his conviction. 

In 2016, the true-crime podcast 'Undisclosed' played a pivotal role in bringing attention to his case.

The GIP’s new evidence shed light on the violation of Watkins' constitutional rights during his trial, casting doubts on the fairness of his conviction.

In response to these revelations, Watkins' co-counsel, Ben Goldberg, took action by filing a habeas petition in 2017. 

In this legal petition, Goldberg argued that Watkins should be released due to the emergence of newly uncovered evidence, which pointed to instances of juror misconduct and official misconduct during the course of the trial.

In 2018, Judge Don Thompson of Walker County dismissed the petition, ruling that Watkins had filed it too late. 

The GIP appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court, which deemed the dismissal improper and returned the case to habeas court, granting Watkins the opportunity to present his argument that both juror and official misconduct had tainted his original trial.

Watkins' conviction overturned

Following a three-day-long hearing on April 11, 2022, Walker County Superior Court Judge Don Thompson overturned Watkins' conviction and ordered a new trial.

Later that same year, on December 20, 2022, the Georgia Supreme Court vacated his conviction, rendering him eligible for a $75,000 bond after a successful hearing before Floyd County Superior Court Judge Bryan Johnson.

In a statement issued at the time, the GIP expressed gratitude for Judge Johnson's decision to grant Joey a bond, which allowed him to reunite with his family. 

Finally, on September 21, District Attorney Leigh Patterson filed a "nolle prosequi" motion, formally terminating all legal proceedings against Watkins and ultimately securing his long-awaited freedom.