Two key witnesses change their stories

Both said they were lying when they told police Inman involved.

ADEL, GA. — Devonia Inman was on trial for murder in the robbery and shooting of Donna Brown, the night manager of the Taco Bell in Adel, and the prosecutors were having a tough time.

Two important prosecution witnesses had taken the stand and sworn that they’d lied when they told police Inman was involved.

The first told police that she heard Inman’s voice outside the Taco Bell on the night of the murder and also saw someone lurking in some bushes. Now she was changing her story.

“The detectives kept calling me,” she said. “I was sick of it and so I lied to stop them from bothering me.”

The other witness said she’d had a personal score to settle with Inman and fabricated her statements to police to punish him. Now, she said, she wanted to tell the truth.

So the two witnesses told the police one story, and they told the jury a different story. The prosecutors had little choice: they had the women’s original statements to police read in court and told the jurors: Don’t believe what they’re telling you now; believe what they told the police back then.

So begins the second episode of the AJC’s exclusive podcast “Breakdown: Murder Below the Gnat Line.” Beginning early Monday, you can download it free of charge on iTunes, Stitcher or your favorite podcast player, or stream it directly from the AJC at ajcbreakdown.com.

Devonia Inman