‘Breakdown’ S04, Ep. 2: Two key witnesses change their stories
ADEL, Ga. – Devonia Inman was on trial for murder in the robbery and shooting of Donna Brown, the night manager of the Taco Bell in Adel, and the prosecutor was having a tough time.
Two important prosecution witnesses had taken the stand and sworn that they’d lied when they told police Inman was involved.
“The detectives kept calling me,” one said. “I was sick of it and so I lied to stop them from bothering me.”
» Previous seasons of Breakdown available here
The other witness said she had a personal score to settle with Inman and fabricated her statements to police to punish him.
The prosecutor took a novel tack: The witnesses told the police one story, and they’re telling the jury a different story. He had the women’s original statements to police read in court and told the jurors: Don’t believe what they’re telling you in court; believe what they first told the police.
So begins the second episode of the AJC’s exclusive podcast “Breakdown: Murder Below the Gnat Line.” Beginning early Monday, you can download it on iTunes free of charge, or stream it directly from the AJC at ajcbreakdown.com.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
