After interning for a juvenile court judge and a prosecutor’s office, Pines became a prosecutor in DeKalb County before entering private practice with his partner Peter Ross. 

Pines became familiar with Luna Shark Productions early into the creation of Murdaugh Murders Podcast back in 2021 and became one of our first advertisers! 

He told Cup of Justice hosts Eric Bland and Mandy Matney in COJ Episode 65 that his wife got him hooked.

“There was this something about MMP that kind of grabbed my attention,” Pines told Mandy and Eric. “So I started listening in the beginning, when everybody’s making fun of your voice, Mandy…so I’m a beginning listener.”  

Pines also told Eric and Mandy about his most recent legal feat: representing and exonerating an innocent man who spent 20 years in prison for murder. 

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The Exoneration of Joey Watkins

On Jan. 11, 2000, 21-year-old Isaac Dawkins was driving his car on a highway near Rome, Georgia, when he was fatally shot in the head. 

At the time, Joey Watkins was 20 years old and living in Rome, a small town in Floyd County. 

While local police did not have much information to work with in the investigation, witnesses told them they saw a blue car in the area where Dawkins was shot.

Despite the fact that Watkins drove a white truck and was confirmed to be 30 minutes away from the scene of the crime, he was investigated by the Rome Police Department but was eventually ruled out as a suspect. 

It wasn’t until months later that the Dawkins’ family petitioned to have Floyd County Police Sergeant Stanley Sutton take over the investigation. 

One day after Sutton took over, $10,000 reward posters were placed around the jail, according to the Georgia Innocence Project. 

According to Pines, who began representing Watkins in 2022, Sutton was, “jamming pieces together to make them fit.” 

“Joey would tell you he wasn’t worried because he didn’t do it,” Pines said. “He just really wasn’t worried”

While these pieces didn’t fit, the State accused Watkins of switching vehicles and picking up a friend before allegedly driving the blue car near Dawkins on the highway. The State then claimed Watkins drove while his friend shot the gun.

While Watkins’ friend was acquitted, Watkins was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to life in prison. 

In 2016, the popular Undisclosed podcast covered Watkins’ story and what followed was a lot of well deserved justice. 

Watkins was recently released from prison and is now reunited with his family over newly discovered misconduct within the investigation. 

According to Pines, Watkins works at his family’s car business and is trying to catch up on the past 23 years he lost with his loved ones. He also recently attended his first Atlanta Braves game with Pines. 

You can hear more about Noah Pines and Joey Watkins in Cup of Justice Episode 65. 

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