Chattooga County Superior Court Judge Kristina Cook Graham has thrown out the conviction of a South Georgia man who was imprisoned for twenty-three years for a murder he insists he didn’t commit.

Judge Graham ruled last week, that prosecutors withheld critical evidence in the trial of Devonia Inman, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 1998 murder of Donna Brown, a Taco Bell night manager in Adel. She was slain in the restaurant’s parking lot, and her killer took from her about $1,700 of the day’s receipts after shooting her in the face.

Inman’s conviction was later upheld on appeal even though DNA evidence strongly suggested another man committed the killing.

A spokeswoman for the state Attorney General’s Office, which unsuccessfully defended Inman’s conviction, said the office had no comment.

AJC / Compiled Reports