Devonia Inman Released After 23 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment

Minutes after being released after spending 23 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, Devonia Inman is pictured here with members of his pro bono legal team from Troutman Pepper. From left: Alan Long, Tom Reilly, Majda Muhic (Troutman Pepper alumna), Devonia Inman, Tiffany Bracewell, and Kasia Hebda.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – On Monday, Devonia Inman walked out of Augusta State Medical Prison and into the arms of family in time to celebrate his first Christmas as a free man in more than two decades. His release comes one month after a superior court judge granted Inman’s petition for habeas corpus relief. The Alapaha Judicial Circuit District Attorney has quickly and successfully moved to dismiss all underlying charges against Inman, officially exonerating him of the 1998 Taco Bell Murder.

“I spent 23 years behind bars for something I didn’t do,” said Devonia Inman. “It took a really long time to fix, even though it was so clear I wasn’t guilty. I’m glad I get to finally go home, and I’m grateful to everyone who helped make that possible.”

Inman currently is represented by a team of lawyers from the Atlanta office of Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, including Tom Reilly, Tiffany Bracewell, Kasia Hebda, and Alan Long, who devoted over five years to his case free of charge. They stated, “We are elated to see Devonia and his family finally obtain the justice that so many have fought for so long to secure. We are privileged to have played a part in his long overdue exoneration, and to work at a firm committed to critically important pro bono matters like this.”

Read more from our pro bono partner, Georgia Innocence Project, online here.