Police Reopen ATL Child Murder Cases


cat daddy

cat daddy

Active Member
Police Reopen Atlanta Child-Killing Cases
Police Reopen Investigation of Notorious Atlanta Child Murder Cases From More Than 20 Years Ago
By HARRY R. WEBER Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press

May. 7, 2005 - A police chief has reopened an investigation into four of the child slayings that terrorized the Atlanta area more than two decades ago, saying he believes the man suspected in most of the killings is innocent. Altogether, 29 people all of them black, most of them boys were killed in the Atlanta area between 1979 and 1981.

Wayne Williams, 47, is serving a life sentence for the murders of two young men. After his conviction, authorities blamed him for 22 of the other slayings but never charged him.

Dekalb County Police Chief Louis Graham said he plans to take another look at the slayings of four boys between February and May 1981. Graham, who became chief last year, said he took an interest in revisiting the cases after looking through some old news clippings.

"After Wayne Williams was arrested, there was this decision by some people to close the cases, and I have never been one to espouse that kind of investigation or paint that kind of broad brush," Graham told The Associated Press. "I have never believed that he did anything."

The main evidence against Williams was tiny fibers found on the bodies and matched to rugs and other fabrics in the home and cars of Williams' parents. The state Supreme Court upheld his conviction in 1984 and later rejected an appeal for a new trial.

"There's no question this is a significant development, and we look forward to learning all of the facts concerning re-examination of these murders," said one of Williams' attorneys, Michael Jackson of Buffalo, N.Y.

Williams, who is black, has said that he was framed and that Atlanta officials covered up evidence of a Ku Klux Klan role in the killings to avoid a race war in the city.

The man who prosecuted Williams at trial, Joseph Drolet, said he welcomed the DeKalb police investigation but stood by Williams' convictions. He said that when Williams was arrested, "the murders stopped and there has been nothing since."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=736865
 
I remember this event. I was so scared and lived in LOUISIANA. I often wonder how kids in ATL felt. Also, I saw two documentaries; one concering the Atlanta Child Murders; and th eother concerning Georgia Chuch Burnings and the documentary concerning Church burnings attempted to make a connection between the ATL child murders and the church burnings being conducted by the KKK.

I watched this on the Discovery Channel in which they were providing a history of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
 



I made a speech on the situation in college. I did not believe that Wayne Williams was the killer.
 
Dr. Sweet NUPE said:
I remember this event. I was so scared and lived in LOUISIANA. I often wonder how kids in ATL felt.
Click to expand...

It was the same way here in S. Louisiana.

I will be interested to see what will come of this investigation.
 
Dr. Sweet NUPE said:
I often wonder how kids in ATL felt.
Click to expand...
Growing up in Atl during that time was nothing nice. I think it took away our child hood experiences because most parents wouldn't let their kids go to the parks and other events. At the time of most of these killing my family lived in SW Atl over by the AUC center and I personally knew some of the victims who attended my elementary school. It was truly a scary time. I will never forget it.
 
If noit Wayne Williams. Then of course it was the KKK. Remember, the Atlanta Police was underpressure to solve the case. Plus if they blamed the KKK, it would have been a race war.
 
If they find that Wayne Williams is not responsible and turn their attention to members of the KKK, will that still create a race war in and around Atlanta?
 
YES, YES, YES, it would cause a Race War. Please let the truth be known that Wayne Williams did not commit those murders.
 
wahines said:
YES, YES, YES, it would cause a Race War. Please let the truth be known that Wayne Williams did not commit those murders.
Click to expand...

I doubt if it would be....I think that there would be a call for justice and the policy makers would defnitely have to make it a STRONG point on their agenda to find the killers.

I personally feel that it was the KKK for these reasons:

1. The killings stopped after Wayne Williams was arrested. In some of the research on the documentary; it noted that Williams worked with or very closely to a few Klansmen who disguised their true feelings...like most undercover Klansman do. In this documentary the issue was not even the Atlanta Child Murders; it was church burnings. The informant over heard that some Klansman had used some black guys car to kill a male black male prostitute. Amazingly so, one of the murdered people during the Atlanta child murders was a male prostitue. Furthermore, the informant also heard that the Klansman had raped a little girl in church. Wayne Williams' mother noted that she had purchased some carpet from a church in Georgia that had been burned but the carpet was still good.

2. A concurrent documentary noted that Wayne Williams was bisexual and often cruised at night for male prostitute. Would this explain why he would be blocking around the city?

3. The killings stopped after Wayne Williams was arrested. The KKK would have been happy that this would have happend. Black kids murdered and a Black man accused of the crime.

4. On the doucmentary previously noted, a GBI (Georgia Burea of Investigations) Special Agent was fired because he hid information concerning the testimnoy of the informant concerning the church burnings and overhearing their discusison about killing some black male prostitutes and rapping a little girl. This evidence was taken by a GBI Special Agent who ended up retiring and hid the evidence. He is now deceased and the evidence turned up enabling Discovery to write the documentary but the evidence disapeared again.
----------------------------

Just my 2 cents.
 
The worst part about the Atlanta Child Murder Cases was after my family moved from SW Atl we moved to the westside were Wayne grew up at. :retard:
 
Venom Skywalker said:
I was in Florida and saw the movie when it came out a few years later. I think I was in middle school at the time. Talk about skurred. I think I had a 10 min walk from my busstop to the crib and I used to be freaked out after seeing that.

For those that don't know the WHOLE story...

http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/williams/index_1.html
Click to expand...

Man...i recommend er'body to read that link from the Crime Library...it's a doozie
 
I remember as if it was yesterday. Grandma called me in during my bike ride. Had me scared to go outside for anything. Scared to go to the mailbox, scared to play in the yard, ride my bike, etc.

There was always something fishy about the Williams case. It left alot of unanswered questions. I hope they have sufficient effidence to work with.
 
V-103 here in Atlanta played an interview this morning with Wayne Williams from Hancock Prison. The interview happened in February of this year but is just airing for whatever reason. This is the 2nd day that the morning program has been dedicated to this topic. The long and short of it is that numerous people including some of the victims parents emphatically stated that they do not believe he did it. One mother stated I know he could have not handled her son without help and don't believe he did it. Wayne Williams contention was that he only spoke with FBI agents prior to his arrest and believes that he was a scapegoat. He vehemently denied that he was/is a pedophile or bisexual. His father was acused of the same and when posed with the question, he contended that he would not even dignify that. The chief of police in Dekalb County and Atlanta both said that they would work together to seek justice. They also stated that there is new technology that they can employ that may be of assistance that was not availabe when he was prosecuted. The racial climate of Atlanta at the time was discussed. Basically, they were stating that it was the genesis of Atlanta's boom in route to becoming the black mecca and taking control of key positions in the city and many whites were resentful. It was stated that the racial climate was very volatile. So much was stated the last 2 days until I would be typing all day. The aforementioned is the gist of the conversation and of course I left out quite a bit. Never the less, the last two mornings have been very interesting.....Peace
 



Dr. Sweet NUPE said:
I remember this event. I was so scared and lived in LOUISIANA. I often wonder how kids in ATL felt.
Click to expand...

I remember being in elementary school, walking home with my friends thinking about what we would do if the killer from Atlanta came to Huntsville. When we would look in Jet magazine at the pictures of those kids that looked like us and were the same age, it scared us out of this world.
 
I rember watching the movie an being scared... I remember seeing those kids faces and being sad. I think I was in Junior High school.
 
I did not live in the city and did not feel any fear. But when a body turned up on Sigmund Road in Rockdale County, 20-30 miles outside of the city, people in the surrounding counties became (for lack of better words) more cautious.

As for the racial climate, it was nearing the end of Maynard Jackson's second term as mayor. The White downtown business community, the read power structure in Atlanta, did not like Maynard too much because of his desire to share the city contracts with more Black contractors.

In 1982 Andrew Young ran in the runoff against Sidney Marcus, who I believe was a liberal. But that race was so polarized and split down racial lines. Anyway, Young won and had a better and more "cordial" relationship with the business community. Except for a few stories, Wayne Williams was forgotten by the media.
 
We all know that Wayne Williams did not commit those murders. Reopen the case and they will find out that the KKK committed those murders. I pray that justice is done right and Williiams is vindicated. :angel2:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top