Could witness Gary Allen Stroupe really have seen Justin Chapman at 200 feet away from his front porch at 3 a.m.? Reporter Bill Rankin makes a nighttime visit to Bremen to find out.

Also, hear for yourself the appalingly long list of mistakes and missed opportunities that sunk Justin Chapman's chances for a new trial and an appeal – the latest series of breakdowns exposed in “Breakdown.”

In this first season of Breakdown, senior legal affairs writer Bill Rankin goes deep inside the Chapman case, exploring where the criminal justice system broke down. You can listen to the Breakdown podcast below, or visit www.ajcbreakdown.com for the first three episodes, plus photos, articles, videos and more related information.

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Atlanta civil rights leader and international human rights activist Joe Beasley, pictured in 2011, died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, at age 88. (Curtis Compton/AJC 2011 )

Credit: ccompton@ajc.com

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A migrant farmworker harvests Vidalia onions at a farm in Collins, in 2011. A coalition of farmworkers, including one based in Georgia, filed suit last month in federal court arguing that cuts to H-2A wages will trigger a cut in the pay and standard of living of U.S. agricultural workers. (Bita Honarvar/AJC)

Credit: Bita Honarvar