
The authorities believe that he is responsible for at least 23 of the 30 murders, even though he was never charged for the crimes and many of these cases are now closed. Wayne Williams was the prime suspect for the Atlanta Child Murders as well. He also filed a habeas corpus petition for a retrial but it was denied.

#ATLANTA CHILD SERIAL MURDERER TRIAL#
After a trial that lasted 2 months, he was found guilty for the murders of the two men. When Williams took the stand, he became agitated and angry. There were also inconsistencies in the stories of his own whereabouts. Hair and fibers that matched his dog, car, and home, were also found on Jimmy’s body.

Williams failed the polygraph test three times. But the phone number he gave both the police and the singer was a fake one.Īuthorities discovered Nathaniel’s body within a few days of this interaction. The first vehicle to leave the site was Williams, and when they stopped and questioned him, he said that he was on his way to meet a young singer before an audition. The police initially suspected him when they heard a big splash that indicated something had been thrown into the river from the bridge above. Williams (himself 23) was arrested for the murder of 27-year old Nathaniel Cater, and another victim, Jimmy Ray Payne. The police would even camp out near bridges in hopes of finding the identity of their serial killer.Īuthorities got their lucky break in 1981. changed, and the murderer started dumping the bodies into the rivers. A city-wide curfew was even levied on children below 17 years. Children were being kidnapped before being killed and then being dumped into the woods. The police were at their wit’s end when it came to the killing spree that affected so many people in the late 70s in Atlanta.
However, he will only be infamous as a serial killer. He even aspired to be a music producer when he grew up. He graduated from Douglass High School and was also interested in music and journalism. Wayne Williams was born on May 27, 1958, and lived in Atlanta, Georgia.
