Justin Chapman’s arson and murder convictions were overturned more than a year ago, but his life out of prison has been a tense waiting game ever since. Would prosecutors put him back on trial or end the long-running legal drama that put him in state prison for eight years?

Chapman, who has always maintained his innocence, recently learned the answer to that question.

The case against Chapman was chronicled last year in the first season of "Breakdown: Railroad Justice in a Railroad Town," a podcast by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The podcast detailed the alarming breakdowns in Georgia's criminal justice system throughout Chapman's prosecution and appeals.

In this special update episode of “Breakdown,” legal affairs writer Bill Rankin follows what happened after the state prosecutors’ fateful decision last month. And for the first time, Rankin interviews Chapman extensively about his life out of prison and what the future holds.

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Charmaine Turner, Secoriea Turner's mother, listens to opening statements during the trial of Julian Conley on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. “Secoriea was very outspoken,” she says. “She was a little sassy cause she was gonna say whatever came to mind. Very silly.” (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com