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. The only witness who did not recant was paid $5,000 for her testimony -- testimony that was directly contradicted by another person who had been with her at the time of the crime. 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. She determined that Inmans constitutional rights were violated, including by the prosecutions failure to disclose evidence suggesting Hercules Brown committed the crime. Devonia Inman, 43, was convicted in 2001 for armed robbery and murder of a Taco Bell manager in Adel back in 1998, according to the Georgia Innocence Project. In 1998, the manager of an Adel Taco Bell was robbed and shot in the parking lot of the restaurant. 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. But then another murder happens. Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Pierce was taken to South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta and later taken to Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Fla. Whitehead was pronounced dead at South Georgia Medical Center. When Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Kristina Cook Graham ruled that Devonias habeas could proceed, the AG tried to appeal her decision.. Devonia reached out to the Georgia Innocence Project, and they took on his case due to mounting evidence that he was likely innocent. With this nightmare behind him, Inman plans to rejoin his family in California and begin the journey of readjusting and healing. Episode Five "Shelbyville, Ky." Premieres Oct. 7 at 10 p.m. To set the scene, Adel is a little town with a population under 5,000. State of Georgia government websites and email systems use georgia.gov or ga.gov at the end of the address. ADEL A new true-crime documentary series hitting TV screens next week starts off with a look at a 20-year-old Hilarie Burton Morgan and Jessica Cino - It Couldn't Happen Here _ Season 1 - Photo Credit: SundanceTV. It started in the fall of 1998 when single mother Donna Brown was shot almost point-blank in the Taco Bell parking lot. 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. GAPS - Georgia Applicant Processing Service, Georgia Criminal History Record Restrictions, Obtaining Criminal History Record Information, The investigation is active and ongoing. In January 2014, DNA evidence was revealed to have linked a Hercules Brown to the incident. As Devonia sat in jail for over two years awaiting trial, Brown apparently went on to violently assault two people in the community and kill two other people and he is now in prison. Years go by until the police catch the killer, but some in town question if the suspect is even capable of committing this crime. Southern hospitality is a must. Tavares Askew, All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. Well revisit this point further down. Im glad I get to finally go home, and Im grateful to everyone who helped make that possible.. (The US average is 35.4) NOTE: The city of Adel, Georgia does not have FBI Crime Statistics. All three subjects were already in custody on previous charges, the press release states. The state had 30 days to appeal, but Georgias attorney general declined. No physical evidence linked Devonia to The first three episodes are now available to view on Screeners.com. Then a newspaper carrier came forward to finger Devonia as the murderer, but her testimony changed. An official website of the State of Georgia. Background based on a previous GBI release: On Sunday, April 14, 2019, just before 1 a.m., the Adel Police Department (APD) responded to a shots fired call at The Stage in the 100 block of West First Street. In the early morning hours of September 19th, 1998 the manager of a Taco Bell in Adel, GA was robbed and murdered in the restaurant parking lot. Adel, 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. Police later found the car abandoned nearby with a distinctive homemade ski mask inside. The other inmate was an employee at the Taco Bell; however, the trial court would not allow the jury to hear that and would not allow Inman to argue that the other man was the guilty party, the order showed. A habeas corpus petition was filed on behalf of Inman in 2018; claiming he was innocent and his constitutional right of wrongful imprisonment were violated. In June of this year, Katrina Cook Graham, chief judge of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, issued an order drawing adverse inference named another state inmate as the killer. But there was no real evidence linking him to Donnas murder. Hercules Brown worked at the very same Taco Bell as Donna Brown at the same time and would often work closing shifts. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. What is your favorite part of The Valdosta Daily Times? , or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app. 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. Now a superior court judge in Chattooga County has filed an order saying she Devonia Inman exited the Augusta But the judge at Devonias trial refused to allow the jury to hear the testimony about Hercules, and the prosecutor asserted there was not one scintilla of evidence linking Hercules to the crime. He was sentenced to life without parole, meaning he would die in prison. WebThere was no hard evidence connecting Inman to the murder, which had taken place around 2 a.m. on September 19, 1998. Donna had been working late and walked out of the shop alone after closing up. The investigation is active and ongoing. 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. WebAUGUSTA, GA. (WTXL) A man who spent 23 years in prison for a murder at fast-food restaurant in Adel, Georgia was released from prison. As a result, sometimes killers walk free, or in the case of the shows first episode, the wrong man might wind up behind bars. Each violation, according to Judge Graham, demonstrates the fundamental unfairness of Mr. Inmans trial, undermines the Courts confidence in the outcome of the trial and related conviction, and justifies granting habeas corpus relief.. ABC 27.1; Bounce TV 27.2; Grit 27.3; Ion Mystery 27.4; Court TV 27.4; Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onHorror Movies and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. The first episode deals with the death of Donna Brown, the manager of a Taco Bell in Adel who was killed in September 1998, said Chad Campbell, a spokesman for AMC Networks, which operates SundanceTV. His release comes one month after a superior court judge granted Mr. Inmans petition for habeas corpus relief. family and Georgias exoneree community. While Inmans future is bright, there is still a long road ahead. You can learn more, Instead, the AG continued to fight the case for another two years. Im glad I get to finally go home, and Im grateful to everyone who helped make that possible., Mistaken Eyewitness Identification Call 1-800-GEORGIA to verify that a website is an official website of the State of Georgia. Tavares Askew, 19, was charged with two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault and is being held in the Baldwin County Jail. True Crime Story: It Couldnt Happen Here debuts 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, on the SundanceTV channel. Incentivized Witnesses, Murder WebJan 24, 2018 A man convicted of murder in South Georgia is innocent and should have a new trial because of spectacular failures by the criminal justice system before, during and Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. All three subjects were already in custody on previous charges, the press release states. Since the ski mask was never tested, the GIP was able to get a DNA test and guess whos DNA matched? After Devonias arrest, things relaxed a little in Adel for a while, until April 2000 when Shailesh Patel was found murdered in his brother-in-laws house, bashed with a television. Kenney was charged with murder and aggravated assault. The juvenile was treated for a minor injury and released. While Devonia was in jail awaiting trial, police arrested Brown on an attempted robbery and he had a homemade ski mask in his possession that was very similar to the distinctive homemade ski mask from 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. He was freed after wrongly being imprisoned for 23 years. WebEpisode One "Adel, Georgia" Premieres September 9 at 10 p.m. The biggest break in the case came when the police returned Donnas car to her family, and they found a ski mask inside that the police somehow overlooked. Devonia Inman, a Black teen with a history of run-ins with the police, was almost immediately targeted for the murder. 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. But heres where things get even crazier. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app. The agency said the By WALB News Team. ADEL, Ga. (WALB) - Three people have been indicted in the 2019 death of Emmanuel Whitehead, 18, in Adel, according to a press release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Call 1-800-GEORGIA to verify that a website is an official website of the State of Georgia. He says it was suicide, but her family believes it was murder. 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. She said the support she got from other teams was 'overwhelming. WebFebruary 24, 2022. 0354262 [3] Website. Unfortunately for Devonia, he had almost all of the odds stacked against him. Too often the heartbreaking events in these towns are largely overlooked because they lack the national media platforms and advocacy resources found in larger cities. Devonia walked out of Augusta State Medical Prison and into the arms of family just in time to celebrate his first Christmas as a free man in more than two decades. Adel is the type of place where everyone knows everyone, and maintaining a tight-knit community is important to the locals. WebSUMMERVILLE In 2001, Devonia Tyrone Inman was convicted of killing a woman in Adel. You can learn more here on our blog. Could the new guy in town be the one who who did it? The investigation is active and ongoing. By Editor | February 28, 2023 | 0. Without one, exonerees like Devonia Inman are left on their own, with virtually no support from the State, to rebuild their lives. It took a really long time to fix, even though it was so clear I wasnt guilty. WebHe was freed after wrongly being imprisoned for 23 years. 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.. Armed Robbery An adverse inference is a legal inference adverse to the concerned party made from that partys silence or the absence of requested evidence, according to uslegal.com. The City-Data.com crime index weighs serious crimes and violent crimes more heavily. Sep. 4ADEL The first episode of the gripping six-part series hosted by small-town native, advocate and actress Hilarie Burton Morgan ("One Tree Hill," "The Walking Dead," "Friday Night in with The Morgans"), "True Crime Story: It Couldn't Happen Here" will make its debut on Thursday at 10 p.m. on SundanceTV and AMC+. 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. He pleaded guilty to their murders to avoid the death penalty and is currently serving a life sentence. Hilarie Burton Morgan and Andrew Dunn It Couldnt Happen Here Season 1 Photo Credit: SundanceTV. The town of Adel is rocked by a brutal robbery homicide and locals quickly point to an outsider as the killer. WebCrime in Adel, Georgia. The True Crime Story Adel episode will be repeated at 3 a.m. and 12 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10, 1 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 12, and 12 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16, SundanceTV schedules show. ', Death toll keeps rising in Greece's deadliest train crash, See how your Pennsylvania county ranks on voter friendliness with this interactive scorecard, Hillsborough school board member "on the fence" as vote on boundaries looms, Girls basketball playoffs: Wildcats, Warriors move to region finals. Devonia Inman exited the Augusta State Medical Prison on Monday. On Saturday, December 19, 2020, the GBIs Douglas Regional Office was requested by the Adel Police Department to assist with a death investigation. Will wealth and status protect a killer, or will a determined police officer crack the case? Youd think this breakthrough, along with the unreliable witnesses and recanted testimony, would be enough to earn Devonia a new trial. The Georgia Supreme Court then denied Devonias request to appeal Judge McConnells decision., Judge McConnells decision meant that Devonia would remain wrongfully imprisoned sentenced to die behind prison bars and that no jury ever would hear that:. An official website of the State of Georgia. Following a June 2021 contested hearing, Judge Graham, . The GBI was requested by APD to assist with the investigation on April 14, 2019. Berrian was booked into the Cook County Jail. The case went back to the local district court to either re-prosecute Inamn, offer a plea deal or dismiss the charges. Adel, GA (February 21, 2020) On Thursday, February 20, 2020, arrest warrants were issued for the murder of Quinten Payne and Cody Robinson. Payne and Robinsons final cause of death will be determined during the autopsy by the GBI Medical Examiners Office in Macon. 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. Each episode sees Morgan meet with family members and local insiders as she explores the twists and turns of the case and uncovers the unique challenges of small-town justice. Judge Graham, California and begin the journey of readjusting and healing bright, there is still long. The local district court to either re-prosecute Inamn, offer a plea or. P.M. Thursday, Sept. 9, on the SundanceTV channel rewritten, or redistributed the City-Data.com index. 1998 when single mother Donna Brown was shot almost point-blank in the Taco Bell as Donna Brown was almost. To earn Devonia a new trial now to get a DNA test and guess whos DNA matched hilarie Morgan. 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