An official website of the State of Georgia. He says it was suicide, but her family believes it was murder. (The US average is 22.7) Adel (zip 31620) property crime is 50.7. 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. Episode Three "St. Augustine, Fla." Premieres Sept. 23 at 10 p.m. A young woman in St. Augustine, Fla. with everything to live for is found shot to death with the gun belonging to her boyfriend, a deputy sheriff. The killer stole $1,700 and the Crime is ranked on a scale of 1 (low crime) to 100 (high crime) Adel violent crime is 24.7. There was only one persons DNA on the mask: Hercules Browns.. Years go by until the police catch the killer, but some in town question if the suspect is even capable of committing this crime. (His) willingness to face contempt and disciplinary action father than provide testimony or even invoke his Fifth Amendment rights further justifies this Court drawing an adverse inference here, Graham said in the order. 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. True Crime Story: It Couldnt Happen Here is a compelling look at the way true crime impacts small towns. What should WTXL be covering in this community. The killer could only be someone she knew closely, and the case divides the town. Penny was taken to the GBI Medical Examiners Office for autopsy. She was almost immediately accosted and killed. WebWe found 14 TV stations broadcasting 57 digital TV channels in the Adel, Georgia, area, including local CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and CW affiliates. Armed Robbery 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 ABC 27.1; Bounce TV 27.2; Grit 27.3; Ion Mystery 27.4; Court TV 27.4; 0354262 [3] Website. The investigation is active and ongoing. Wild Concerts: Park releases show schedule, EDITORIAL: Wild Adventures makes 2023 plans, Suspect arrested in Valdosta shooting death, Celebrating Ms. Jeanette: Tree planting honors Coody, Pepsi honors Stronger Together recipients. WebAt approximately 4:00 p.m., the Adel Police Department responded to 1113 Birch Street, Adel, Cook County, GA, in reference to a 911 call of a body found in a wooded area. However, in 2014, Cook County Superior Court Judge Buster McConnell ruled that the new DNA evidence implicating Hercules Brown was not enough to entitle Devonia to a new trial. A Georgia man's murder conviction and life sentence should be reexamined, say two Georgia Supreme Court justices and the murder victim's sister. 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. Exoneree support services will be offered by the independent nonprofits After Innocence and the Northern California Innocence Project. An official website of the State of Georgia. Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. 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. The 2017 Adel A Superior Court Judge issued special presentment bench warrants for all three subjects for the following charges: Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, and multiple Felony Street Gang charges. When a 22-year-old dancer goes missing, the men of the neighboring town who frequented the club become the suspect pool. Tips can also be submitted 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 town of Adel is rocked by a brutal robbery homicide and locals quickly point to an outsider as the killer. Virginia attended Cross Roads School and graduated from Sparks Adel High School. His release comes one month after a superior court judge granted Mr. Inmans petition for habeas corpus relief. The investigation is active and ongoing. But in their rush to make an arrest, do they get the wrong man? 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:. In the series premiere, host Hilarie Burton Morgan visits Adel, Georgia, to investigate a devasting crime spree that occurred more than 20 years ago, resulting in the death of four people and the possible imprisonment of an innocent man. ADEL Three Valdosta men were indicted for felony murder by a Cook County grand jury this week in a 2019 shooting at a prom party here. At Devonias death penalty trial in 2001, the State suggested that he wore the ski mask as he shot and killed the victim. Virginia was born May 5, 1932 and has been a lifelong resident of Adel. 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. CH 27 UHF 44.3 miles away. An official website of the State of Georgia. Based on what we find out, Devonia did have a violent streak, as his girlfriend testified to him being abusive. Published: Feb. 24, 2022 at 2:10 PM PST. At the noticed date and time, (he) failed and refused to appear, according to Grahams order. Episode One "Adel, Georgia" Premieres September 9 at 10 p.m. WebFebruary 24, 2022. She said the support she got from other teams was 'overwhelming. 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. AUGUSTA, GA. (WTXL) A man who spent 23 years in prison for a murder at fast-food restaurant in Adel, Georgia was released from prison. Exoneree support services will be offered by the independent nonprofits. In September 2019, the Georgia Supreme Court denied the AGs attempt to appeal. WebBack in 1998, Donna Brown, a manager at the Taco Bell in tiny Adel, Georgia, was murdered in the parking lot after closing up for the night. Episode Two "Sauquoit, New York" Premieres Sept. 16 at 10 p.m. The agency said the 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. WebMurders in Adel were rare and the neighborhood where Patel was killed was particularly peaceful. 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. Let Justice be done, Justice Nahmias said. Brown was the night manager at the Taco Bell there and was shot in the parking lot as she left work after closing up for the night. Berrian was booked into the Cook County Jail. Payne and Robinsons final cause of death will be determined during the autopsy by the GBI Medical Examiners Office in Macon. But heres where things get even crazier. State of Georgia government websites and email systems use georgia.gov or ga.gov at the end of the address. Adel, GA (February 24, 2022) On February 23, 2022, Bryant Kenney, 50, of Adel, was arrested in connection to the death of Donald Penny, age 81. True Crime Story: It Couldnt Happen Here debuts 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, on the SundanceTV channel. The GBI said that a Cook County grand jury indicted Dashay Antwan March, 28, Ra-Shay Marquez March, 23, and Taurian Javon Wetrz, 23, for the murder of Whitehead and aggravated assault on Deshone Pierce. The description of the episode given on SundanceTVs website reads A man is charged with a brutal murder; DNA evidence may point to another man as the real killer.. When police arrived, there was a large crowd fleeing the area. Unlike Donnas case, Shaileshs murderer was never found, and the case is still marked as unsolved. Shamar Wilson, 19, Gerome Pickett, 17, and a 16 year old juvenile male were each charged with two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault. 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. The GBI was requested by APD to assist with the investigation on April 14, 2019. Call 1-800-GEORGIA to verify that a website is an official website of the State of Georgia. GAPS - Georgia Applicant Processing Service, Georgia Criminal History Record Restrictions, Obtaining Criminal History Record Information, The investigation is active and ongoing. New episodes of True Crime Story: It Couldnt Happen Here air Thursdays at 10/9c on SundanceTV. The victim, a single mother named Donna Brown, All three subjects were already in custody on previous charges, the press release states. When four brutal murders happened in 1998 and 2000, it rocked the entire town. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure youre on an official state website. Will wealth and status protect a killer, or will a determined police officer crack the case? Copyright 2021 WALB. Yep. The closest similar sized city with FBI crime data is the city of , . WebAdel is the type of place where everyone knows everyone, and maintaining a tight-knit community is important to the locals. Over 20 years later, new evidence raises a startling question is an innocent man serving life for another man's crime? In January 2014, DNA evidence was revealed to have linked a Hercules Brown to the incident. In the early morning darkness in little Adel, night manager Donna Brown locked up the Taco Bell and carried the 2023 Georgia Innocence Project. (Photo: Georgia Innocence Project) At about 2 a.m. on September 19, 1998, 40-year-old Donna Brown was robbed and fatally shot as she left her job at a Taco Bell restaurant in Adel, Georgia. 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. WebEpisode One "Adel, Georgia" Premieres September 9 at 10 p.m. You can learn more here on our blog. 33 Local News GEORGIA INNOCENCE PROJECT (GIP) is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals who have been convicted of crimes they did not commit in the state of Georgia. In rural Shelbyville, Ky., a body is found in the river. With the Georgia Attorney Generals decision not to appeal, the Alapaha Judicial Circuit District Attorney quickly and successfully moved to dismiss all underlying charges against Devonia, officially exonerating him of the 1998 Taco Bell Murder. WebHe was freed after wrongly being imprisoned for 23 years. Discuss Adel, Georgia (GA) on our hugely popular Georgia forum. When officers arrived, they found Penny deceased. 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. 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. Devonia Inman, a Black teen with a history of run-ins with the police, was almost immediately targeted for the murder. Episode Five "Shelbyville, Ky." Premieres Oct. 7 at 10 p.m. 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. 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. WTXL ABC 27 Tallahassee, FL. WebFor Adel, we found that the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation, across communities of all sizes (both large and small). Nonetheless, he has sat in jail for more than two decades now. Alapaha Judicial Circuit Chase Studstill filed a motion to dismiss the underlying charges, which Chief Judge Clayton Tomlinson granted Monday morning. Her killer took from her about $1,700 of the days receipts His death was also soon overshadowed by a gruesome double-homicide seven months later, in November 2000. All rights reserved. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Adel Police Department (229) 896-2224 or the GBI Region 4 office (912) 389-4103. 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. On Saturday, December 19, 2020, the GBIs Douglas Regional Office was requested by the Adel Police Department to assist with a death investigation. She determined that Inmans constitutional rights were violated, including by the prosecutions failure to disclose evidence suggesting Hercules Brown committed the crime. 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 Unfortunately, Georgia is one of only 13 states that does not currently have a statutory compensation law to provide financial relief for years lost to wrongful conviction. High 83F. New true-crime TV series launches with Adel murder. Without one, exonerees like Devonia Inman are left on their own, with virtually no support from the State, to rebuild their lives. Im glad I get to finally go home, and Im grateful to everyone who helped make that possible.. 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., With this nightmare behind him, Inman plans to rejoin his family in California and begin the journey of readjusting and healing. Last month, Inmans petition was granted, which forced the state of Georgia to give Inman a new trial. 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. Kenney was charged with one count of Felony Murder and one count of Aggravated Assault and booked into the Cook County Jail. All three subjects were already in custody on previous charges, the press release states. Devonia reached out to the Georgia Innocence Project, and they took on his case due to mounting evidence that he was likely innocent. Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. To compound the injustice, it turns out that at the time of Devonias original trial, prosecutors possessed and withheld evidence linking Hercules Brown to the Taco Bell Murder, despite proclaiming that there was not one scintilla of such evidence. A Chattooga County Superior Court Judge has granted Devonia Inmans habeas Why is it so hard to right a wrong in Georgia? The residents never had a chance to recover from the impact of that carnage. Possession of a Firearm. "True Crime Story: It Couldn't Happen Here" investigates the distinctive ways in which crime impacts rural communities and their judicial systems. By WALB News Team. Preliminary findings of the autopsy is that Pennys death is ruled as a homicide. The killer stole $1,700 and the victims car. 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