MURDERVILLE, GA

For The Intercept; January 2018

When a brutal murder rocks a small town in south Georgia, residents and police are shocked. Could the new guy in town be the one who who did it? Yes, the cops say, he is. Case solved. But then another murder happens. And another. In the end: four bodies, two convictions, and one man in jail for a crime he likely did not commit.

Devonia Inman, the man originally convicted and sent to prison for the murder of Donna Brown in a Taco Bell parking lot, still claims innocence, and his case has since been taken up by Georgia lawyer, Jessica Cino. Hercules Brown, the man who many believe was the Donna Brown’s actual murderer, is in prison for three murders committed after Devonia was sent to prison. 

“Murderville, GA” is a story about the American criminal justice system, and what happens when justice is denied through wrongful convictions. Since the photos attempt to explain a crime that happened nearly twenty years prior and with both suspects presently in prison, it is not a traditional photo essay. The photos in “Murderville, GA” instead try to capture the mood of Adel and how these murders still prey on the memory of the family and friends of both the suspects and victims of the crimes. 

Photographed on assignment for The Intercept
A storm approaching the Taco Bell parking lot in Adel, GA. Devonia Inman was convicted of a murder that happened in the parking lot of the Taco Bell in 1998.
Lloyd Crumley at his home in Valdosta, GA. Lloyd happened upon the Bennett-Browning murders and was instrumental in Hercules Brown's quick arrest.
A police car races down a country road in Adel, GA.
Marquetta Thomas at her home in Baldwin, GA. in 1998, Mrs. Thomas told investigators that Devonia Inman committed a murder at the Taco Bell in Adel, GA, but then recanted at trial.
Lee Grimes at his home in McRae, GA. Mr. Grimes is adamant that none of what Virginia Tatem testified to actually happened, and that she is a liar who made up the story in order to collect reward money. Tatem's testimony contributed to Devonia Inman's murder conviction.
Lloyd Crumley's niece at his ranch in Valdosta, GA. Lloyd happened upon the Bennett-Browning murders and was instrumental in Hercules Brown's quick arrest.
A McDonald's in Adel, GA.
Children hunt for painted rocks in downtown Adel, GA. It's a game called #AdelRocks" where people hide painted rocks and give clues on Facebook for other people to find.
A trailer at the "Test-n-Tune" drag races at the South Georgia Motor Sports Park. People can enter any car they want for a drag race.
A small audience watches the "Test-n-Tune" drag races at the South Georgia Motor Sports Park. People can enter any car they want for a drag race.
The storefront of an old business named "Treasured Memories" in downtown Adel, GA.
An Adel water tower. Adel's original town name was "Puddleville."
Scotty Sheppard, owner of "Top Quality" carwash in Adel, GA, takes a break between washing cars. "For the black folks around here, it's not Cook County. It's Crook County," Scotty says.
An abandoned church in Adel, GA
Train tracks in Adel, GA seen through the reflection of a business window.
A small audience watches the "Test-n-Tune" drag races at the South Georgia Motor Sports Park. People can enter any car they want for a drag race.
Jermaine Davis at "Top Quality" carwash in Adel, GA. Jermaine served six years in prison for the same armed robbery that Marquetta Thomas served sixteen years for.
Jess Cino, associate dean at the Georgia State University College of Law, has taken up his Devonia Inman's cause for innocence.
The parking lot of an old Pizza Hut in Adel, GA. On the night of the Taco Bell murder, Virginia Tatem alleges that she saw Devonia park the car in the lot after the murder at the Taco Bell across the highway.
A motel beside I-75 in Adel, GA.
A photo of Devonia Inman and his sister Christy at the home of Dave and Dinah Ray in Sacramento, CA.