It probably is assumed by most people that Melinda Elkins Dawsons story had a definitive end.
In June of 1998, Dawsons mother, Judith Johnson of Barberton, was raped and murdered. A
6-year-old niece also was attacked and raped. Dawsons then-husband, Clarence Elkins, was charged with the crimes, based on the childs account to police.
After Clarence Elkins went to prison, Dawson took it upon herself to prove his innocence, an effort that took seven years.
Clarence Elkins eventually was able to surreptitiously acquire DNA evidence via a cigarette butt from Earl G. Mann, Johnsons former neighbor, who also happened to be imprisoned with Elkins. It matched DNA found at the crime scene. Mann eventually pleaded guilty.
After Elkins was exonerated and released from prison in 2006, he reached a $1.075 million settlement with the state. In 2010, the Elkins family settled a $5.25 million federal lawsuit against the Barberton Police Department. A suit against the Summit County Prosecutors Office was dismissed.
Dawsons life story recently was optioned by movie producer/screenwriter David Massar, who said a script is in development. Massar said he would like to shoot parts of the film in Barberton, Akron and the Magnolia area. The Elkinses were living outside of Magnolia in Carroll County when Clarence Elkins was arrested. The couple divorced in 2007.
TAX FIGHT
But these days, Dawson is fighting a different battle, this one with the Internal Revenue Service, which has informed her that she owes taxes on her share of the compensation money received from the federal suit.
We should not have to fight for something that was rightfully awarded to my sons, myself, and Clarence, she said. There needs to be an amendment to the federal tax law that will cover this subject, not only for my family but for the countless other families that will face this issue one day.
See more here:
Anatomy of an aftermath: Movie being planned about Melinda Elkins Dawson
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