Bad Science: How Discredited Testimony and Malicious Prosecution Wrongly Condemned a Tennessee Couple
In August 1988, Joyce Watkins and Charlie Dunn were wrongly convicted for a horrific crime against a child. 35 years later, the state of Tennessee would finally admit its mistake
In the summer of 1987, 39-year-old Joyce Watkins and her boyfriend, 45-year-old Charlie Dunn, were living in Nashville, Tennessee. Joyce worked full-time and had a close-knit relationship with her family. Charlie, also employed full-time, was known for his strong bond with his children. Neither one had a criminal record. The couple shared a stable life in a comfortable neighborhood and were actively involved in their community.
On June 26, 1987, they received a call from Joyce's great-aunt, Rose Williams, who was caring for Joyce's 4-year-old great-niece, Brandi, in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Brandi’s mother was going through some personal difficulties and had left her daughter in the care of relatives for a while.
Brandi had been staying with Rose for what was initially intended to be a two-week visit but had extended to two months, and Rose insisted that Joyce come and take Brandi back to Nashville.
Joyce, being the caring person she was, agreed to take Brandi for a few days to give Rose a break and spend some time with Brandi. That night, around 10:30 p.m., Joyce and Charlie drove north from their home in Nashville to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to pick up Brandi.
They arrived at Rose's home around midnight, spent some time there, and then returned to Nashville. On their way back, they stopped at a market to get Brandi a Sprite, arriving home around 1:30 a.m.
Death of Brandi
When they got home, Joyce noticed something that didn’t seem right. Brandi looked tired and was not her usual cheerful self. As Joyce helped her change clothes, she saw blood in the child’s underwear. Concerned and alarmed, she immediately called Brandi’s mother and grandmother to report what she saw.
But instead of encouraging Joyce to rush to the hospital, they reportedly advised her to wait.
That night, Joyce kept a close eye on Brandi. By the next morning, June 27, she knew something was seriously wrong. Despite being advised to wait for family members who were on their way, Joyce, trusting her instincts, took Brandi to Nashville Memorial Hospital.
There, doctors found that Brandi was unconscious and suffering from severe head trauma and vaginal injuries. She was intubated and transferred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The medical team worked hard to try to save her, but sadly, she died the following day, June 28, 1987.
Investigation
The investigation initially focused on Brandi’s time in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where she had been living with her great-aunt, Rose Williams. Military investigators at Fort Campbell conducted interviews and examined the circumstances surrounding Brandi's stay.
However, they concluded that the abuse had not occurred there, despite previous reports to the Kentucky Department of Social Services that Brandi was being physically abused while living with Williams. When questioned, Williams lied to a social worker, telling her that Brandi had returned to live with her mother in Georgia. Without verifying this, the department closed the investigation.
This led authorities to focus on those who had been with her during the final hours of her life.
Even though Joyce had brought Brandi to the hospital, she and Charlie quickly became the primary suspects, and the investigators began to scrutinize their actions. The focus intensified when the medical examiner testified that Brandi's injuries were consistent with having occurred within that nine-hour window, when Brandi had been in their care.