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The Atlanta Child Murders

  1. waynewilliams Wayne Williams was an African-American man in Atlanta, Georgia, who lived in the Dixie Hills neighborhood. He was a local radio DJ.
  2. The victims were African-American, between the ages of 7 and 16, and a few victims were in their twenties. All but a few of the victims were boys(Who). These more than 25 people were all victims of the “Atlanta Child Murders”, a series of killings in the Atlanta area(What). All of the killings took place in Atlanta, in the Dixie Hills neighborhood in which Williams lived, specifically around Memorial Drive(Where). The Atlanta Child Murders describe a two year period from 1979 to 1981 where over thirty people were found murdered. Most were children and young adults(When). The motive behind the killings is unknown, and many consider the case still unsolved(Why).
  3. Most of the victims were African-American, male, and children or teenagers. They all disappeared in the same general area of the city.
  4. Police encountered Williams through a stake-out near a bridge on the Chattahoochee River, where many victims had been recovered. Early in the morning,the police heard a splash, then saw a 1970 Chevrolet station wagon drive away from the bridge. The officers stopped the car a half mile down the road and questioned Williams for over an hour. Williams explained that he was travelling to scout a local music talent in the next town. after investigating this, police found that the person, address, and phone number of this contact did not exist.
  5. A few days later, the body of 27 year-old Nathaniel Cater was found naked and downriver from the bridge. A medical examiner confirmed that time of death could be close to when Williams was spied on the bridge.
  6. Williams was arrested on the evidence of many sources. Fiber analysis linked many different ways to Williams and some of the victims. Witnesses claimed to have seen Williams with many of the victims. Co-workers at the radio station reported that Williams would often show up with scratches or marks suggesting possible struggle, often around the times of these murders.
  7. Fibers of both a certain trilobal carpet and a 1970 Chevrolet floor mat were found. The Williams family owned such rare carpet, and also the same model vehicle. This evidence has doubts, such as that this “rare” carpet was common in the Atlanta area, and that the Williams did not have the Chevy for most of the time that the murders took place.
  8. Probability entered the case during the trial, where prosecutors attempted to link many of the Atlanta Child Murders to Williams.  Chet Dettlinger, an ex police officer, used mapping of the victims homes, abduction points, and discovery points, to create a very helpful map. This map could be used to almost predict locations. Williams connection to this map added to the case for him as the murderer.
  9. Williams was convicted for the murder of Cater and 29 year old Jimmy Ray Payne. He was sentenced to two consecutive life terms.
  10. I think that the evidence against Williams is supportive and strong, but not conclusive. The many factors all have faults and unexplored points, as well as different testimonies. This case is a very good example of just how much evidence is out there, and how complex it is to attempt to link all of these.