A man from Floyd County, Joshua Cain Storey, who spent 26 years in prison, claims that investigators created false evidence and hid proof that could have cleared him during a 1996 investigation into the death of Brian Bowling. Storey filed an amended complaint, arguing that Floyd County police violated his constitutional rights during the investigation.

His original complaint was filed in December in U. S. District Court. The lawsuit states that investigators alleged Bowling’s death was a murder related to snitching rather than an accident, despite evidence suggesting otherwise. Storey confessed to the shooting after a long interrogation without legal representation, influenced by promises from police.

The lead investigator, Harry Dallas Battle, was fired in 2007 for unrelated accusations, while another investigator, David Stewart, is still on the job. The lawsuit also mentions Craig Burnes, the coroner, who allegedly fabricated evidence and failed to perform an autopsy, later being convicted for fraud. In 2021, the Proof podcast, hosted by investigative journalists Susan Simpson and Jacinda Davis, revisited the case. The Floyd County District Attorney’s Office later reviewed the new findings and dropped murder charges, leading to Storey and Clark’s release.

In 2022, Storey pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter under Georgia’s First Offender Act, leading to a maximum 10-year prison term. He apologized to the Bowling family for bringing a revolver and playing “Russian roulette,” which resulted in Bowling’s death. Clark, linked to the crime through alleged coerced testimony, seeks compensation for alleged civil rights violations due to county policy failures.