Murder charges dropped after fight to exonerate Georgia man who spent 22 years behind bars

ROME, Ga. (AP) — A judge has dismissed a murder charge against a Georgia man who spent more than 20 years in prison, ending a decadeslong legal fight to exonerate him. A Floyd County judge on Thursday dismissed the case at the request of the district attorney, who decided not to bring Joey Watkins to trial again after his initial conviction was vacated. The 43-year-old Watkins was 20 when he was convicted and sentenced to serve life plus five years in prison for the 2000 slaying of Isaac Dawkins in northwest Georgia. The Georgia Innocence Project and other attorneys worked to overturn his conviction.