Joyce Watkins and Charlie Dunn Exonerated in Brandi Jessie Murder

A 74-year-old lady has been exonerated of the horrific decades-old homicide of her great-niece, however the septuagenarian’s boyfriend died whereas awaiting parole for against the law that he didn’t commit.

On June 28, 1987, a 4-year-old lady named Brandi Jessie died of a traumatic head damage in a Tennessee hospital, in line with the Davidson County Legal professional Normal’s Workplace’s Conviction Evaluation Unit.

Prosecutors accused her great-aunt Joyce Watkins and the lady’s boyfriend Charlie Dunn of being the killers. They have been charged, convicted, and sentenced to life in jail for first-degree homicide, and aggravated rape. However now, the state admits the couple was wrongfully convicted, saying that the kid’s deadly accidents preceded them being round her.

On Wednesday, a decide agreed, granting a movement to dismiss their costs. It was too late for Dunn to see his exoneration. He died in 2015 whereas awaiting launch on parole.

“Happily, wrongful convictions are uncommon, however once they occur, they’re actual tragedies,” District Legal professional Normal Glenn Funk mentioned in court docket. “On this case, for 25 years, two harmless individuals languished within the penitentiary and the true perpetrator has by no means needed to face justice. We can’t give again years to Ms. Watkins and Charlie Dunn however due to the tenacity of Ms. Watkins, the advocacy of the Tennessee Innocence Venture, and the diligence of our Conviction Evaluation Unit, and the knowledge of this Court docket, we are able to restore their dignity. Joyce Watkins and Charlie Dunn are harmless and on behalf of the State of Tennessee, I transfer this Court docket to dismiss these costs.”

Decide Angelita Blackshear Dalton has formally vacated and dismissed the 1988 convictions of Joyce Watkins and the late Charlie Dunn.

Watkins says it price her half of her life, however years later, her report is lastly cleared. Prior story: https://t.co/3XxQB5YMJg@NC5 pic.twitter.com/eMAEAJaUpD

— Levi Ismail (@LeviAIsmail) January 12, 2022

The Conviction Evaluation Unit (CRU) beforehand lambasted the unique case in a report filed final November (h/t The Nashville Scene). They referred to as the investigation shoddy for failing to have a look at different attainable causes of Jessie’s deadly, disturbing accidents. When she died, Jessie had spent the 2 earlier months within the care of one other great-aunt Rose Williams in Kentucky. The unique plan was for her to solely keep there for 2 weeks earlier than her mom in Georgia took her again.

“Ms. Williams’s testified in the course of the two months [Brandi] was in her care, the kid suffered quite a lot of accidents and exhibited quite a few irregular behaviors,” the CRU wrote. “This included testimony that [Brandi] was discovered ingesting out of a bathroom bowl and that she started spontaneously vomiting on the dinner desk.”

Based on the report, Williams testified Jessie misplaced consciousness twice in the course of the time in her care, together with one incident during which the grownup discovered the kid unresponsive on the ground. The lady had apparently had peanut butter lodged in her airway, on this model of occasions. A neighbor who tried to assist advised going to the hospital due to the potential for mind injury, however Williams allegedly didn’t search it. There was one other incident during which Williams allegedly mentioned Brandi fell down stairs, showing to be unconscious. She mentioned they have been going to the hospital, however she turned the automobile round when her daughter identified Jessie was speaking once more.

The CRU mentioned she didn’t supply an affordable clarification throughout cross-examination for failing to hunt medical assist in the steps incident. She solely mentioned she didn’t have sufficient fuel in her automobile to get to the hospital with out stopping.

Williams additionally mentioned the kid suffered every day from urinary incontinence, which chafed the lady’s non-public elements.

A Kentucky Division of Social Providers social employee checked the house after getting a report of Jessie being bodily abused.

“Ms. Williams informed the social employee [Brandi] had already returned to Georgia,” the CRU wrote. “Ms. Williams later admitted this was a lie and that [Brandi] was nonetheless in her care.”

Williams defined the accidents to the social employee as “playground accidents.” However Jessie’s mom mentioned many of the behaviors didn’t exist earlier than that point interval, and he or she was not conscious of those behaviors, the accidents, or the social employee go to till after her daughter died.

Based on authorities, Williams started calling Watkins within the week earlier than Jessie’s dying, changing into increasingly insistent on Watkins taking the lady. Watkins lastly did on June 26, 1987.

Watkins shortly realized one thing was flawed, discovering blood within the youngster’s underwear upon returning residence to Nashville. She referred to as the kid’s Georgia-based grandmother, saying Jessie wanted medical assist, however she was informed to attend for them to select up Jessie. Hours handed. Kinfolk didn’t arrive. Watkins took Jessie to the hospital, the place docs discovered the lady affected by head trauma and extreme vaginal accidents.

Authorities on the time blamed Watkins, though she was the one grownup to get assist for the struggling lady. And there was no substantive proof in opposition to Dunn, the CRU mentioned.

“It’s absurd to disregard the documented ongoing abuse and neglect of [Brandi] that occurred within the two months previous to her presence in Nashville and as a substitute to position blame on the 2 individuals who had [Brandi] of their look after lower than 9 hours,” the report said. “Two individuals, who inside 1.5 hours, notified [Brandi’s] grandmother of a medical drawback and the necessity for [Brandi] to obtain medical care.”

Watkins has been on parole since 2015.

“I thank all of the individuals for his or her prayers and serving to me get out of this mess which has price me half of my life for nothing,” she mentioned Wednesday, in line with WXMI. “However I’ll recover from it.”

[Image via Levi Ismail]

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