Atlanta child murders new evidence

Running head: WAYNE WILLIAMS MURDER CASE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 1

WAYNE WILLIAMS MURDER CASE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 9

Wayne Williams Murder Case Annotated Bibliography

Janelle Dean

CRJ627: Advanced Forensic Science

Professor: Brett Bauman

January 19th, 2018

Wayne Williams Murder Case Annotated Bibliography

BACM Research. 1989. Atlanta Child Murders. FBI Files. Retrieved From: https://vault.fbi.gov/Atlanta%20Child%20Murders

The different files shared in this source shows a collection of evidence which is explained by different of conspiracy theories. It was not until one of the surveillance teams heard a loud splash in one of the rivers that the investigators had their first contact with the suspect Wayne Bertram Williams. Due to lack of probable cause, he was left to go free. Two days later the body of Nathaniel Carter, 27-year-old African-American was found in the river. Wayne Williams was taken through a polygraph test which he failed. The fibers and dog hair which was found in William’s house matched those found in one of the victim’s body. Further tests also showed that many other victims matched 19 other sources of fibers which were either from William’s car or house.

FBI, (2014). Serial Killers Part 5: Wayne Williams and the Atlanta Child Murders. FBI NEWS. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/-serial-killers-part-5-wayne-williams-and-the-atlanta-child-murders

The article by the FBI reporting mentions the participation of the various agencies which were involved and analyses how the information and evidence which were collected suggested that the series of murders were carried out by one person. The nature of the murder crimes appeared not to fall under the specific federal law. However, on November 17th, 1980, the FBI agents together with the local and state law officers embarked on intensive investigations which identified various shared traits in the murder crimes. For example; all of the murder victims were young African-American males who disappeared in public locations in broad daylight. The capture of Wayne Williams came after he was investigated for the murder of Nathaniel Cater whose body was found downstream Chattahoochee River. Earlier, Wayne Williams was apprehended by one of the surveillance team after they heard a loud splash in the river.

Gentry, M. (October 31, 2017). The Atlanta Child Murders: The man in prison. The Atlanta Journal. Retrieved January 19, 2018, from http://www.myajc.com/news/crime--law/the-atlanta-child-murders- the-man-prison/Mx918z122WFLvqKaaoag8J/

The life profile of Wayne Bertram Williams has been shared as one that feels out of glory due to the recent murder cases he was linked to. He allegedly started his acts of terror after he ventured into the entertainment industry as a record producer. Even though he was never accused of killing any children, the prosecutor named him as a stressed individual who resulted in crude ways after he could no longer bare his depression. Being in the entertainment industry introduced William to many young people as he would scout for young people who wanted to be part of the music industry. Later he would lure them to their death whereby most of them would go missing for days never to be found. This report shows how William’s life transformed from being a lovable boy to being a feared convict in Atlanta.

Gilligan, M. (March 07, 2017). Wayne Williams and the Atlanta Child Murders. Did You Know? Retrieved January 19, 2018, from http://didyouknowfacts.com/wayne-williams-atlanta-child-murders/

Between 1979 and 1981 the increasing number of disappearing young African-American children in Atlanta was at alarming rate bringing fear among the citizens. This attracted the attention of the leaders, and immediate precautionary action had to be taken to put a stop to this menace. Investigations indicated that the victims were being snatched in broad daylight from the streets of the city. One of these victims was a seven-year-old girl, Latonya Wilson who went missing on June 22nd, 1980. According to this report, the FBI in partnership with the city’s law enforces started their investigation one year after the murders began. Upon stumbling into Wayne Williams’s murder case, most of the evidence of the murders of two adults were almost similar to those which were found in the murder cases of the African-American children.

Headley, B. (1998). The Atlanta youth murders and the politics of race. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.

Most of the 29 killings reported in Atlanta between 1979 and 1981 involved young African-American boys who were believed to be kidnapped and murdered. This could easily be suspected as a racial conflict in Atlanta which would result in a racial war. The idea of the intensive investigation was to erase the thought that the Ku Klux Klan might have done these deaths. Therefore, the state’s law enforcers teamed up with the FBI to place surveillance teams in some of the areas where bodies of the victims were dumped in order to bust the murder(s). Would it be possible that the Atlanta Police Department covered up any pieces of evidence linking the murders of the African-American children with the KKK?

Mallard, J. (2010). The Atlanta child murders: the night stalker. Charleston, SC: Booksurge Llc.

Having served as a prosecutor in Georgia, Jack Mallard analyses the case of serial killer Wayne Bertram Williams as the most controversial, and publicized case in the country. Williams caused terror in the city of Atlanta, Georgia as being the orchestrator of the mission and murdered children. There were a total of 28 victims who were found murdered within two years. The killings in Atlanta ended after the arrest of Williams whereby there has never been such cases ever since. Besides the evidence produced against Williams, he was suspected of suffering from some mental illness due to the turn of events in his life. This book suggests that there are some reasons which led Williams to commit the murder crimes which he is serving punishment in life imprisonment.

Nickell, J. (2011). The Atlanta Child Murders: Evidence vs. Psychics. CSICOP Retrieved January 19, 2018, from: https://www.csicop.org/sb/show/the_atlanta_child_murders_evidence_vs._psychics

The reports in this article seek to question the validity of the evidence which was provided for the murder cases alleged to be carried out by Wayne Williams. One of these arguments includes the claims by Williams’s defense attorneys who sought to discredit the fiber evidence. The attorney argues that the particular fiber linked to William could have been found in any other person’s home or car. However, this argument was challenged by the prosecution which conveyed that there was limited number of people who had the carpet which had that exact fiber. This article also seeks to question whether William was the only one owning a Chevrolet vehicle. Other assumptions are that he could have borrowed the vehicle. However, it was not a coincidence that the family’s dog hair was found in most of the victim's body. Therefore this overrules most of these arguments.

NoAuthorFound, (2015, December 21). Wayne Williams Biography. Retrieved January 19, 2018, from https://www.biography.com/people/wayne-williams-14424594

The life of Wayne Williams has been partially discussed in this article which shows his conspiracy in carrying out various murders which in each he tried to hide any trace that would lead to his capture. According to the synopsis of the case, everything about the different murders leads to Wayne Williams. The first site which was identified as Williams’s dumping site was in isolated wooded areas. But after realizing that he would be identified he changed his MO to the Chattahoochee River. This made it easier for the investigators to carry out surveillance operations and they narrowed their focus to the 14 bridges of this river. Upon bumping into Williams on one of the bridges, two days before the body of another victim was found in the river opened a series of connection which led to the arrest and trial of Williams.

Polk, J. (September 6, 2010). DNA test strengthens Atlanta child killings case. CNN. Retrieved January 19, 2018, from http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/06/09/williams.dna.test/index.html

When William went on trial for the Atlanta child murders investigation, the courtroom science did not consider DNA testing as an important tool of the investigation. But since it was incorporated in courtroom science there have been clarifications on the sources of the scalp of hairs which were found on bodies of most of the 27 murder-victims. Even though the retired FBI scientist, Harold Deadman testified about the hair belonging to William, he continued to deny most of the charges. However, the dog hairs on the body of a victim, Baltazar showed the same DNA sequence as that of “Sheba” which was a German Shepherd belonging to William’s family. According to the DNA report the same DNA chain.

Rowson, K. (April 30, 2015). Atlanta Child Murders: Wayne Williams hopes for appeal. USA TODAY. Retrieved January 19, 2018, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/2015/04/30/wayne-williams-hair-evidence-fbi/26678019/

William was convicted of the murder of two adults in 1982, where he was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. However, the prosecutors still believe that he is responsible for the murders of 23 children out of the 29 reported child murders that happened in Atlanta. William still stood with his claim that he was innocent of the murder cases and hoped that new evidence and information would surface to give him a lease on life. According to the report, 96 percent of the evidence provided by the FBI hair analysis might have been faulty. This leaves us to question the integrity of the law enforces and the investigation systems. Does this mean that a serial killer is roaming freely instead of being behind bars?

References

BACM Research. 1989. Atlanta Child Murders. FBI Files. Retrieved From: https://vault.fbi.gov/Atlanta%20Child%20Murders

FBI, (2014). Serial Killers Part 5: Wayne Williams and the Atlanta Child Murders. FBI NEWS. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/-serial-killers-part-5-wayne-williams-and-the-atlanta-child-murders

Gentry, M. (October 31, 2017). The Atlanta Child Murders: The man in prison. The Atlanta Journal. Retrieved January 19, 2018, from http://www.myajc.com/news/crime--law/the-atlanta-child-murders- the-man-prison/Mx918z122WFLvqKaaoag8J/

Gilligan, M. (March 07, 2017). Wayne Williams and the Atlanta Child Murders. Did You Know? Retrieved January 19, 2018, from http://didyouknowfacts.com/wayne-williams-atlanta-child-murders/

Headley, B. (1998). The Atlanta youth murders and the politics of race. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.

Mallard, J. (2010). The Atlanta child murders: the night stalker. Charleston, SC: Booksurge Llc.

Nickell, J. (2011). The Atlanta Child Murders: Evidence vs. Psychics. CSICOP Retrieved January 19, 2018, from: https://www.csicop.org/sb/show/the_atlanta_child_murders_evidence_vs._psychics

NoAuthorFound, (2015, December 21). Wayne Williams Biography. Retrieved January 19, 2018, from https://www.biography.com/people/wayne-williams-14424594

Polk, J. (September 6, 2010). DNA test strengthens Atlanta child killings case. CNN. Retrieved 19 January 2018, from http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/06/09/williams.dna.test/index.html

Rowson, K. (April 30, 2015). Atlanta Child Murders: Wayne Williams hopes for appeal. USA TODAY. Retrieved January 19, 2018, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/2015/04/30/wayne-williams-hair-evidence-fbi/26678019/