Wayne Williams

Between 1980 and 1981, the residents of Atlanta lived in growing fear and outrage as a serial killer methodically hunted their children. The body count reached 22 victims before the killer was apprehended. They ranged in age from 7 to 28, and most were young males. Some were shot or strangled; others were stabbed, bludgeoned, or suffocated. All the victims were black. The deaths of so many black young people gave rise to a variety of theories and accusations, including the belief in a plot by white supremacists to systematically kill all black children. Others began to think the children were being killed by Satan worshippers, blood cultists, or even copycat murderers. The Ku Klux Klan came under close scrutiny, but no link could be made between their members and any of the murders. Atlanta resembled a city under siege and inevitably attracted the attention of the entire country, including the resources of the federal government.

It appeared the murders would never stop, until one night, as police staked out a bridge over the Chattahoochee River, they heard a car on the bridge come to a stop, followed by the distinct splash of something being dropped into the river. They stopped Wayne B. Williams, 23, for questioning and finally arrested him as a suspect in the child murder cases. Williams was found to be a bright, young black man who lived with [Page 525]his retired parents and involved himself in photography. A media and police “groupie,” Williams often listened on his shortwave radio and responded to ambulance, fire, and police emergency calls. He then sold his exclusive pictures to the local newspapers. At age 18, he was arrested for impersonating a police officer. He spent 1 year at Georgia State University but dropped out when he felt his “rising star” was moving too slowly.

Williams's freelance work as a cameraman was never steady, and he began to focus his energies on music. As a self-employed talent scout, he eventually lured his victims into his control. He was known to distribute leaflets offering “private and free” interviews to blacks between the ages of 11 and 21 who sought a career in music. At his trial, Williams was depicted as a man who hated his own race and wanted to eliminate future generations. He was described as a homosexual or a bisexual who paid young boys to have sex with him. A boy, 15, claimed he had been molested by Williams, and several witnesses testified they had seen him with some of the victims.

Williams denied everything, and the prosecution had only elaborate forensics on which to base their case against him. The forensic evidence suggested a distinct link between Williams and at least 10 of the homicides and indicated a pattern surrounding the murders. The judge ruled the evidence admissible, and Williams was found guilty of murdering two of his older victims, Nathaniel Cater, 27, and Ray Payne, 21. Because of the nature of the circumstantial evidence, the judge sentenced Williams to two consecutive life sentences. He was eventually named as being responsible for 24 of the Atlanta slayings, although some believe the child killings have not ended with Williams's arrest.

...