According to CNN reported on the 14th, a woman in Tennessee was sentenced to 27 years in prison for being wrongly convicted of murdering her niece, and this week she was acquitted.
Joyce Watkins Source: US media
On June 26, 1987, Joyce Watkins, 74, and her then-boyfriend, Charlie Dunn, picked up Watkins' 4-year-old niece, Brandy, in Kentucky, according to a report filed with the Davidson County Criminal Court. The next morning, Brandy didn't respond, so Watkins took her to the hospital.
Brandi suffered severe private and head trauma and was pronounced dead the next day, the report said. Watkins spent only 9 hours with her boyfriend and Brandy, but forensic doctor Gretel Harlan concluded that the wound was caused during that time.
Image source: US media
A year later, in August 1988, Watkins and Dunn were convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated rape. The two spent 27 years in prison and were released on parole until 2015. Unfortunately, Dunn had died in prison before his release.
It is understood she lived at the home of her maternal grandmother, Rose Williams, before Brandy was picked up by Watkins. Brandy's mother was in Georgia at the time. During this time, a staff member of the Kentucky Department of Social Services traveled to Williams' home after receiving reports of Brandy's abuse, but Williams explained that Brandy's injuries were caused by a playground accident and the investigation was closed.
Thirty-five years after the incident, Watkins, bent on clearing himself, was acquitted, while Dunn, who was dead, was also acquitted. The Tennessee Innocence Project and the Davidson County District Attorney's Office helped Watkins and filed a report on November 10, 2021, calling for the convictions of the two to be dropped. The report notes that Watkins found blood in Brandy's underwear when he returned home, an hour and a half before the two picked brandi, and it took them at least an hour to drive home.
The court ruling noted that forensic doctor Harlan admitted years after the trial that her approach was wrong. District Attorney Glenn Fink said, "Joyce Watkins and Charlie Dunn are innocent. We cannot make up for their lost years, but we can restore their dignity; we can restore their reputation. They are innocent. ”
In an interview with the media, Watkins said, "I thank everyone for their prayers and for helping me out of this predicament, which has cost me half my life and is meaningless." But I'll get over it. (Edit: HHJ)