Summer of Terror
Muriel Primo
Summary of Case
Evidence & Explanation (How it helped solve the case)
Gary Matson's Credit Card
Newspaper from Redding, California left in one of the Synagogue
Black pry bar and black wrecking bar
Glass
window at B’Nai Israel. This showed that the brothers were at the scene
Fibers
Paint
Oil Jugs
Similar to the Mobil oil jug from Williams’ Palo Cedro residence, Dog hairs and feathers on the mouth of the oil jugs and rags tied to the oil jugs were similar to animals at the Palo Cedro residence. The brothers place of living had matching things to the scenes of crime.
Summary of Each Crime
Burning of Synagogues
Who: Matthew and Tyler Williams
When: June 18, 1999What: Arsonists destroyed the library and damaged the sanctuary at the B’Nai Israel Synagogue in Sacramento, California. Within the next 45 minutes, fires were set at two other synagogues, Beth Shalom and Kennesset Israel.
How: Three black one gallon Mobil oil jugs with oil/gas liquid
Why: The Williams brothers were very strict on Christianity only and where white supremacists
Murder of Gary Matson and Winfred Mauder
When: July 1, 1999
What: Brothers murdered both males in their sleep
How: With gunshots to the head with a .22 caliber gun
Why: The couple was openly gay
Burning of Medical Clinic
When: July 2, 1999
What: Brothers burnt down a medical clinic
How: Oil jugs filled with gas/oil liquid
Why: They burned it because the clinic performed abortions and since the brothers were very into their Christian beliefs they looked at abortion as wrong and dealt with it how "God told them to"
Daubert Hearing
Role it played: The attorneys for the defendants made a motion for a Daubert hearing in forensic hair analysis, forensic paint analysis, forensic glass analysis, and forensic fiber analysis. They claimed was present technology had changed significantly over the years and was not universally accepted by the scientific community. Declarations were written by Scott Ryland, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, addressing acceptance of forensic paint analysis , Jose Almirall, Florida International University, addressing acceptance of forensic glass analysis, Hal Deadman, George Washington University, addressing acceptance of forensic hair and fiber analysis. They addressed the issues raised by the defense attorneys in their bid for a Daubert hearing. These were incorporated into the arguments by the federal prosecutors against having a Daubert hearing in this case. This request for a hearing was denied by the Federal Court judge.