Wayne Williams
Trial
Wayne Bertram Williams AKA The Atlanta Child Killer
Born and Raised: Dixie Hills Neighborhood Atlanta,GA
Race: African American
Age: 22 yrs. old Current Age: 55 yrs. old
Job: Freelance photographer
Parents: Homer Williams and Faye Williams (Schoolteachers)
Education: Fredrick Douglas High school and Georgia Sate University
Arrested: June 12, 1981 Convicted: 1982 (two counts)
No. of victims: 2-31
Date of murders: 1979-1981
From October 1979 to May 1981, Williams killed twenty-seven black youths, mostly boys between the ages of 7 and 14, in Atlanta.
Fiber Evidence: Yellowish-green nylon and violet acetate
Other Evidence: Blood stains in car and dog hair
In what respects did the use of fiber evidence in the Williams case differ significantly from its use in previous cases?
What steps did they take to gather this information? What did they learn from their investigations? What was the significance of this information?
The investigators used many steps to find out what made the fibers like call yarn and fiber
manufacturers. The fibers collected from the victims were very coarse and had a lobed cross-sectional appearance, tending to indicate that they originated from a carpet or a rug. The lobed cross-sectional shape of these fibers, was unique, and initially, the manufacturer of these fibers could not be determined. Several chemists attended meetings at a research facility of a large fiber producer to find out what the fibers could really be. The chemist concurred that the yellowish-green nylon fiber was very unusual and the cross-sectional shape was consistent with being a carpet fiber, but the manufacturer of this fiber couldn't be determined.
What did investigators hope to learn from their initial examination of fibers found on the bodies of several murder victims found in the Atlanta area from July 1979 to May 1981?
What pieces of information did investigators collect from the West Point Pepperell Corporation that led them to conclude that the fibers found on Nathaniel Carter's body came from the carpeting in Wayne Williams's house? Explain the importance of each of these pieces of information for connecting Williams to carter's murder.
Describe how investigators used the concepts of statistical probability to the Williams to Nathaniel Carter as well as to his other victims.
Collected Evidence from Case(S)
Works Cited
"Forensic Science: An Introduction." Pearson Prentice Hall: Web Codes. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"Wayne Williams | Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers." Wayne Williams | Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers. Juan Ignacio Blanco, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"Wayne Williams." Wayne Williams. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"Wayne Williams." Wayne Williams. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.