Georgia man exonerated 2 decades after being convicted of murder he didn’t commit

FLOYD COUNTY, Ga. — After spending 22 years behind bars, a Floyd County man has been exonerated of murder.

Joseph “Joey” Watkins was accused of shooting and killing 21-year-old Isaac Dawkins in January 2000.

According to the Georgia Innocence Project, Dawkins was found with a bullet wound to the head in his crashed truck on the side of Hwy. 27 in Rome.

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Watkins was initially named a suspect after admitting to driving past the crash site and having previously argued with Dawkins over a girl they both had previously dated.

Although Rome police ruled Watkins out as a suspect, he and another man were charged with murder a year after the shooting when Floyd County police took over.

In July 2001, Watkins was sentenced to life in prison plus six years. The Georgia Supreme Court vacated that conviction in December, according to the Georgia Innocence Project.

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Earlier this year, Watkins was granted bond and released from the Floyd County Jail, according to the Georgia Innocence Project.

The motion filed in Floyd County Superior Court on Thursday means that prosecutors are no longer seeking charges against Watkins.

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