One of the great questions troubling civil rights observers over the years has been whether the justice system got it right in convicting unassuming Wayne Williams in the Atlanta child killings in the 1980s.
The killings did seem to stop when Williams went to prison, but Williams' claims of innocence always seemed to many to have a ring of truth, and conspiracy theorists made reasonable and somewhat convincing arguments surrounding the circumstances of Williams' arrest and conviction.
Thanks to DNA evidence, which has rescued dozens of wrongly accused men in recent years, though, it seems that justice wasn't blind when it sent Williams to prison.
New results have implicated Williams in the death of 11-year-old murder victim Patrick Baltazar, whose body was found behind an office park in 1981.
The new evidence is presented as part of a CNN special titled "The Atlanta Child Murders" to be broadcast Thursday.
From 1979 to 1981, fear gripped Atlanta as more than 24 black children and young men were killed.
Williams, an aspiring radio deejay, became a suspect, when his car was spotted by police near a murder scene. The alibi he gave police fell apart and then he failed a lie-detector test. Then fibers taken from one of the victims appeared to match those of Williams and his dog.
During the trial, Williams took the stand but became agitated and bickered with prosecutors. He was convicted in 1982 of murdering two people and was sentenced to consecutive life terms.
Despite the DNA testing, it is not 100 percent certain Williams killed Baltazar, but the enhanced testing done today of the hair samples taken from the victim point strongly to Williams being the guilty man.
Its understandable that Sheila Baltazar, the victim's stepmother, said she believed "without a shadow of a doubt" that Williams was guilty. In the search for closure, it is human nature to point the finger at anyone authorities say is the perpetrator right or wrong.
Williams, 53, for his part, said he never met the boy.
Baltazar was one of the 11 deaths presented to the jury in Williams' trial. He wasn't charged in those deaths but was convicted in the murder of two adults whose bodies were found in an Atlanta river in 1981.
Little in the case against Wayne Williams is nice, easy or straightforward - the way we would like to see murder investigations resolved. With all of the evidence presented, it's hard to see a scenario, where Williams is innocent of all of the killings.
Likewise, its hard to envision Williams as being guilty of all of the murders in the case, which leaves me with the troubling notion that while a guilty man is rightfully in prison, a murderer may have avoided capture all these years.
01-June-2010 - In an effort to tackle the latest crisis, the horrendous BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast, Bill Maher thinks Obama needs to act more like a "real black president" and go in to the BP meetings flashing his gat.
25-May-2010 - Ex-police Lt. Jon Burge may have overseen the torture of and obtained coerced confessions from more than 100 African-American men over the course of a 22-year career.
27-May-2010 - CNN was a little embarrassed after accidentally playing a rap song with the N-word in it. The gaffe was part of a segment about a 103-year-old woman, Gladys Flamer, who still drives herself around and lives alone in Coatsville, Pa.
25-May-2010 - Mattel has launched a new line of Barbie dolls called "Back to Basics (pictured below)," which features several dolls, white and black, in (what I can only term) "after-5" wear: There are off-the-shoulder dresses, strapless minis and plunging necklines. The whole thing is absolutely freaky. It's like some odd soft porno featuring call-girl dolls.
24-May-2010 - The 21-year-old R&B sensation recently went on a Tweeting tirade against Atlanta-based celeb gossip blogger Sandra Rose. Reportedly, Brown resorted to attacking the blogger's complexion by using juvenile "you're so black" jokes.
23-May-2010 - If I'm blessed enough to live past my 10th decade on this planet, then 103-year-old Gladys Flamer is going to be my blueprint for how to behave after I pass the century mark.
This man did not killed these kids. Every person in Atlanta knows that in the early 80's the KKK was strong in the Atlanta area. Not to many blacks lived outside of highway 285 and whites did not welcome blacks in the surrounding area such as Clayton County and Dekalb County. Yes the killings stop when Wayne Williams went to prison because the KKK had a black person to blame and they got off free. The Police force in Atlanta still had red-necks in their department who know the KKK was involve also.
I agree with you, i was only ten in 1980, but from the moment i saw The Alanta Child Murders movie, i felt in my heart that Wayne Williams was FRAMED! The authorities claim to have DNA evidence that links Williams to the murder of Patrick Baltazar, yet the did not try him for that murder, nor did they convict him of that murder... could it be that they knew they had the wrong man all along?!
Keith, you are correct. The KKK killed several of the victims. Lubie Geter is one of them. Patrick Baltazar is another one. Margaret Jackson, behind building 9 on Corporate Square Boulevard, in a remote section of the lot, observed a man she very clearly and accurately described as one of the Sanders family men. He had just dumped the body of Patrick Baltazar. Caucasian DNA were found on some hair samples on his body and on the bodies of several other victims.
Fingerprints on Terry Pue's body were not Wayne's. Fingerprints found on items next to the body of Earl Terrell were matched with the Sanders man's prints. Jamie Brooks, the now-deceased laundromat manager, was actually seen killing Clifford Jones.
A pedophile/child pornography ring also killed a large number of victims. Some of the people in this were known satanists and had members all the way up to the local government and also amongst the police force.
The bridge incident? A set-up, pure and simple. The splash? There was no splash. All part of the set-up.
Tape recordings of the killer (not Wayne's voice) taunting the police. Tapped phone conversations in which Charles Sanders said he would kill Lubie Geters.
Piles and piles of evidence which prove Wayne is not guilty. He may be an accessory but he never actually killed anyone.
This statement is coming from a black man, I promise you. And, one who still thinks the United States owes him something. Just a thought to ponder, Keith. In 1996 Africa was STILL selling their children to whites, blacks, etc...for $24.00. Know your history before you cry wolf. However, this does nothing to change the fact that Wayne Williams is NOT guilty of these crimes against children. The killings continued after his arrest, of which the government will not tell you, and this fact does nothing to satisfy there case. So, how do they handle it? They shut the news stories down about the other murders after arrest..and some 30 yrs later...the FBI(FIBs)suddenly have DNA proof that he's guilty. But, remember this....murder has no statute of limitations. The question would then be: Why haven't they prosecuted for fact of this evidence? Let me guess, 'they'll say, there's no sense in putting the families through such an ordeal.' And yet, it's those very same families that are still saying............'what happened to out children.' 'Who killed them and why.' They want answers. It's so funny the our country hides communism behind the word democracy. Did not Russia and USSR control media? Yes. And, so does our government. These United States are no longer about BLACK OR WHITE, get over it. It's about being controlled through lies.
It's funny that it took the FBI 30 yrs to plant evidence against Wayne Williams. Just as much as it is funny that the killings continued. I agree Atlanta was under pressure from the black community and, probably, Jesse Jackson to solve this case. What amazes me is that 'murder' does not have a statute of limitations. Therefore your (fib) findings are just as strange as the fact that you refuse to prosecute Wayne Williams. You, as any other government agent, is simply lying to the people of the United States. It's the same ole story. You say it, so it must be true. And yet you fail to prosecute. WHY?
Because you know you put it there and are afraid that such might come out in a trial.
Wayne Williams is NOT the killer of those children and you know it.
You are no different than any other government entity...you lie just to tell the people what 'you think' they want to hear. And, this is regardless of the truth.
ANYONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS STORY PLEASE READ "THE LIST" BY CHET DETTLINGER! THERES SO MUCH TO THIS STORY NOT BEING TOLD, OR IGNORED!
I was eleven when these murders first started making national news. I have tried for years to find more information on the so-called investigation. About 2 years ago, I was finally able to find a copy of "The List." It is disturbing that the end result of convicting one man for the deaths of 2 ADULTS was used to effectively close the cases of the deaths of nearly 100 children. My personal opinion is that William is probably guilty of killing one of the 2 men with whose deaths he was charged. Having also recently seen the interview that CNN did with Williams in prison...this is a man who sort of still denies being involved in any of the children's murders, but yet seems to relish the attention from this case. I say sort of because he gives answers in which he tries to say that he may have known how to kill in the manner that many of the murders were said to committed. He is trying to be cute and say, well, maybe the CIA trained me in hand to hand combat and how to use a sleeper hold to kill...or maybe not. His love of that attention tells me that he certainly has any number of personality disorders. However, that weird trait does not make him guilty of 2 homicides, much less 90. But he seemed to be playing some kind of game in which he could deny killing anyone, but still leave open the possibility. I do not believe he killed any of the child victims. The recently touted DNA evidence is troublesome to me. I have seen it presented both as identifying him definitively and as not excluding him. Those are two diffent things.
I don't have much faith in the people who did the original investigation, the folks who collected evidence, and the pathetic Medical Examiner who repeated "guessed" at the cause of death on so many victims. If I cannot trust that the collection of the DNA evidence was handled correctly and was completely above board, then I also cannot trust the conclusions based upon that evidence. Let's also remember for those who scoff at conspiratory theories about a cover-up, at one time, most would have thought that it was a ridiculous idea that the government, or government agencies, would purposefully flood urban areas with drugs in the 80s. And yet that did in fact happen. In any case, there was certainly more than one killer at work in these cases. And by effectively closing all of those cases following the conviction of Williams, the police department, justice department in Georgia and any number of individuals have left that person or persons to continue to their horrible work.
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Comments: (9)
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By: Al-Mu'min Media on 6/13/2010 4:58AM
According to the CNN report "Atlanta was about to explode" We feel that the whole story is not being told! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri3hr3IKvxc
Al-Mu'min Media
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By: keith on 6/17/2010 9:30AM
This man did not killed these kids. Every person in Atlanta knows that in the early 80's the KKK was strong in the Atlanta area. Not to many blacks lived outside of highway 285 and whites did not welcome blacks in the surrounding area such as Clayton County and Dekalb County. Yes the killings stop when Wayne Williams went to prison because the KKK had a black person to blame and they got off free. The Police force in Atlanta still had red-necks in their department who know the KKK was involve also.
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By: Veronica Paris-During on 1/09/2011 9:48AM
I agree with you, i was only ten in 1980, but from the moment i saw The Alanta Child Murders movie, i felt in my heart that Wayne Williams was FRAMED! The authorities claim to have DNA evidence that links Williams to the murder of Patrick Baltazar, yet the did not try him for that murder, nor did they convict him of that murder... could it be that they knew they had the wrong man all along?!
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By: Blaine Ward on 1/18/2011 11:05AM
Keith, you are correct. The KKK killed several of the victims. Lubie Geter is one of them. Patrick Baltazar is another one. Margaret Jackson, behind building 9 on Corporate Square Boulevard, in a remote section of the lot, observed a man she very clearly and accurately described as one of the Sanders family men. He had just dumped the body of Patrick Baltazar. Caucasian DNA were found on some hair samples on his body and on the bodies of several other victims.
Fingerprints on Terry Pue's body were not Wayne's. Fingerprints found on items next to the body of Earl Terrell were matched with the Sanders man's prints. Jamie Brooks, the now-deceased laundromat manager, was actually seen killing Clifford Jones.
A pedophile/child pornography ring also killed a large number of victims. Some of the people in this were known satanists and had members all the way up to the local government and also amongst the police force.
The bridge incident? A set-up, pure and simple. The splash? There was no splash. All part of the set-up.
Tape recordings of the killer (not Wayne's voice) taunting the police. Tapped phone conversations in which Charles Sanders said he would kill Lubie Geters.
Piles and piles of evidence which prove Wayne is not guilty. He may be an accessory but he never actually killed anyone.
Report This
By: Kevin Rutherford on 5/23/2011 1:59AM
This statement is coming from a black man, I promise you. And, one who still thinks the United States owes him something.
Just a thought to ponder, Keith. In 1996 Africa was STILL selling their children to whites, blacks, etc...for $24.00. Know your history before you cry wolf.
However, this does nothing to change the fact that Wayne Williams is NOT guilty of these crimes against children.
The killings continued after his arrest, of which the government will not tell you, and this fact does nothing to satisfy there case. So, how do they handle it?
They shut the news stories down about the other murders after arrest..and some 30 yrs later...the FBI(FIBs)suddenly have DNA proof that he's guilty.
But, remember this....murder has no statute of limitations. The question would then be: Why haven't they prosecuted for fact of this evidence?
Let me guess, 'they'll say, there's no sense in putting the families through such an ordeal.' And yet, it's those very same families that are still saying............'what happened to out children.'
'Who killed them and why.'
They want answers.
It's so funny the our country hides communism behind the word democracy. Did not Russia and USSR control media? Yes. And, so does our government.
These United States are no longer about BLACK OR WHITE, get over it. It's about being controlled through lies.
Report This
By: laoma147 on 6/23/2010 8:56AM
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By: Kevin Rutherford on 5/23/2011 1:03AM
It's funny that it took the FBI 30 yrs to plant evidence against Wayne Williams. Just as much as it is funny that the killings continued. I agree Atlanta was under pressure from the black community and, probably, Jesse Jackson to solve this case.
What amazes me is that 'murder' does not have a statute of limitations. Therefore your (fib) findings are just as strange as the fact that you refuse to prosecute Wayne Williams.
You, as any other government agent, is simply lying to the people of the United States. It's the same ole story.
You say it, so it must be true. And yet you fail to prosecute.
WHY?
Because you know you put it there and are afraid that such might come out in a trial.
Wayne Williams is NOT the killer of those children and you know it.
You are no different than any other government entity...you lie just to tell the people what 'you think' they want to hear. And, this is regardless of the truth.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: JASE on 8/01/2011 9:40PM
ANYONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS STORY PLEASE READ "THE LIST" BY CHET DETTLINGER! THERES SO MUCH TO THIS STORY NOT BEING TOLD, OR IGNORED!
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By: Cade Duel on 8/13/2012 8:43PM
I was eleven when these murders first started making national news.
I have tried for years to find more information on the so-called investigation. About 2 years ago, I was finally able to find a copy of "The List."
It is disturbing that the end result of convicting one man for the deaths of 2 ADULTS was used to effectively close the cases of the deaths of nearly 100 children.
My personal opinion is that William is probably guilty of killing one of the 2 men with whose deaths he was charged.
Having also recently seen the interview that CNN did with Williams in prison...this is a man who sort of still denies being involved in any of the children's murders, but yet seems to relish the attention from this case. I say sort of because he gives answers in which he tries to say that he may have known how to kill in the manner that many of the murders were said to committed. He is trying to be cute and say, well, maybe the CIA trained me in hand to hand combat and how to use a sleeper hold to kill...or maybe not. His love of that attention tells me that he certainly has any number of personality disorders. However, that weird trait does not make him guilty of 2 homicides, much less 90.
But he seemed to be playing some kind of game in which he could deny killing anyone, but still leave open the possibility.
I do not believe he killed any of the child victims. The recently touted DNA evidence is troublesome to me. I have seen it presented both as identifying him definitively and as not excluding him. Those are two diffent things.
I don't have much faith in the people who did the original investigation, the folks who collected evidence, and the pathetic Medical Examiner who repeated "guessed" at the cause of death on so many victims. If I cannot trust that the collection of the DNA evidence was handled correctly and was completely above board, then I also cannot trust the conclusions based upon that evidence.
Let's also remember for those who scoff at conspiratory theories about a cover-up, at one time, most would have thought that it was a ridiculous idea that the government, or government agencies, would purposefully flood urban areas with drugs in the 80s. And yet that did in fact happen.
In any case, there was certainly more than one killer at work in these cases. And by effectively closing all of those cases following the conviction of Williams, the police department, justice department in Georgia and any number of individuals have left that person or persons to continue to their horrible work.
Report This