A Georgia man who was wrongfully convicted of murder in 2001 walked free last week, and a podcast is being credited with helping to bring attention to his case.
“All this weight has been lifted,” Joey Watkins said in a Sept. 22 statement. “I can’t even begin to express what I feel like right now. I’m finally an adult. I’m free.”
Watkins was initially accused of fatally shooting Isaac Dawkins, 21, while he was driving on a highway in Rome, Georgia, on Jan. 11, 2000, one year after the incident occurred.
Prosecutors pointed to Watkins as the alleged driver of a small, blue car that was involved in the shooting.
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He was sentenced to life in prison despite having an alibi that his defense team confirmed through phone records and several people, according to the Georgia Innocence Project (GIP), which advocates for the wrongly convicted.
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Mark Free, the alleged shooter in Dawkins’ death and passenger in the small, blue car, was tried separately and acquitted on all charges, according to GIP.
Watkins maintained his innocence for over 22 years, and in April 2022, Walker County Superior Court Judge Don Thompson overturned his conviction, therefore granting Watkins a new trial.
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The Supreme Court of Georgia unanimously affirmed Thompson’s ruling in December 2022, and Watkins was released on bond in January 2023. He was officially exonerated on Sept. 21 after the Floyd County district attorney decided not to pursue further charges against him.
“Words cannot describe how grateful I am,” Watkins said.
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Watkins received national support after his case was featured on the “Undisclosed” podcast, according to the GIP.
The podcast…
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