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Georgia Innocence Project: GA Supreme Court Rules In Favor of Joey Watkins & Johnny Lee Gates!
From Georgia Innocence Project website:Johnny Lee Gates has spent 43 years imprisoned for a crime he did not commit; 26 of those years were on death row. Learn more about Mr. Gates’s case here.
In 2018, Georgia Innocence Project and our co-counsel at the Southern Center for Human Rights successfully argued to Muscogee County Superior Court Senior Judge John Allen that Mr. Gates deserved a new trial for a number of reasons, including new DNA evidence, Brady violations, destroyed physical evidence and race discrimination. After a multi-day hearing, Judge Allen granted Mr. Gates’s Extraordinary Motion for New Trial, holding that the new exculpatory DNA evidence, when considered in light of the other evidence in the case, probably would have produced a different verdict at trial.
Judge Allen also made searing findings regarding new evidence demonstrating undeniable and profound race discrimination by the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office in several death penalty trials in the 1970’s and 1980’s in order to secure all white juries.
In 2018, Georgia Innocence Project and our co-counsel at the Southern Center for Human Rights successfully argued to Muscogee County Superior Court Senior Judge John Allen that Mr. Gates deserved a new trial for a number of reasons, including new DNA evidence, Brady violations, destroyed physical evidence and race discrimination. After a multi-day hearing, Judge Allen granted Mr. Gates’s Extraordinary Motion for New Trial, holding that the new exculpatory DNA evidence, when considered in light of the other evidence in the case, probably would have produced a different verdict at trial.
Judge Allen also made searing findings regarding new evidence demonstrating undeniable and profound race discrimination by the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office in several death penalty trials in the 1970’s and 1980’s in order to secure all white juries.
From GIP email received today:
Joey Watkins was convicted in 2001 of a murder he did not commit. He was 21 years old and has spent almost 20 years wrongfully imprisoned. Learn more about Joey’s case here, check out this great 11 Alive news clip explaining his innocence, or listen to the entire fascinating Season 2 of Undisclosed podcast.
In 2018, GIP and co-counsel Ben Goldberg argued at a habeas hearing that Joey Watkins should be released from prison because of recently discovered juror misconduct, Brady violations, and prosecutorial misconduct. But instead of hearing the merits of the claim, Walker County Judge Don Thompson dismissed Joey’s habeas petition at the State’s request, finding that Joey was too late to bring his claims and that he could not bring them in a second
habeas petition.
We asked the Georgia Supreme Court let us appeal and to correct Judge Thompson’s erroneous order.
After reconsidering their initial decision denying our request, the Georgia Supreme Court not only heard our appeal - which Ben Goldberg argued this fall - but sided with us on all issues!
In 2018, GIP and co-counsel Ben Goldberg argued at a habeas hearing that Joey Watkins should be released from prison because of recently discovered juror misconduct, Brady violations, and prosecutorial misconduct. But instead of hearing the merits of the claim, Walker County Judge Don Thompson dismissed Joey’s habeas petition at the State’s request, finding that Joey was too late to bring his claims and that he could not bring them in a second
habeas petition.
We asked the Georgia Supreme Court let us appeal and to correct Judge Thompson’s erroneous order.
After reconsidering their initial decision denying our request, the Georgia Supreme Court not only heard our appeal - which Ben Goldberg argued this fall - but sided with us on all issues!
Johnny Lee Gates
Joey Watkins
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