Atlanta Child Murders - 30 yrs on and still as dodgy !!

America's most celebrated and controversial case that put fear into Parents everywhere..........Around 30 people 24 kids and six adults were abducted and killed in Atlanta, Georgia over a two year period (Predominantly in Fulton County)......The case was so big even the White house got involved in the investigation.....

At first it seemed that a white supremacist may be responsible...........But as the bodies piled up it became obvious that a white guy couldn't go into all these black areas of the community and feasibly abduct without being noticed !!......As some of the kids died without much of a struggle it was deemed that most new their killer.........Or he was someone in authority !!....

After a while the killer decided instead of dumping in woodlands he'd use the river instead and the APD decided they'd stakeout bridges in the area......Anyway one night a big splash was heard in the early hours and a car was seen moments later driving away from the scene and stopped a little later.............Inside the car was Wayne Williams a local DJ.......

A couple of days later an adult's body washed up by the side of the river and Williams was charged with his killing and another adult who was also disposed the same way......

However when the case came to trial obvious lack of evidence meant the Prosecutors were struggling so they  gambled on "Pattern".............Which means they asked for ten of the dead kids evidence to be brought in to the trial (Though Williams wasn't charged with their murders)...........Which offered the Prosecution case fibre evidence as some kids had the same kind of common carpet fibres on their bodies that Williams had in his house...and dog hairs that were "tenuously" linked to Williams labrador.....They also could bring in witnesses that thought they saw Williams with certain kids....However witnesses were offered money to testify in court a very controversial practice...............and many had their testimonies quashed...

Also defence maintained that a small guy like Williams would struggle to lift a full grown adult over a bridge and the splash could have been caused by any of the sizeable wildlife in the area..

The "Pattern" evidence was very controversial.............As the ten kids chosen as pattern were very selective !!..............It was proven that at least four of the kids left out of the pattern  that were killed by the so called "Atlanta killer" could not possibly have been killed by Wayne Williams....As either his car was impounded or he had other sustainable alibis...

One kid even saw child victim Lubie Geter's body being dumped in a car park by a well known Pedophile...........But he came forward during the trial...

Williams was convicted of the two adult murders....and though the kids cases remained unsolved they are attributed to him.....

Though many of the Country's best lawyers dispute the verdict William has been jalied for 32 years..

For those interested.... on Youtube there is an award winning, superb movie starring Jason Robards about the case............and I recommend it..

On a side note I always remember the story....That the killer known as "the Man" was chasing two young boys in his car trying to grab one of them when they managed to elude him and head for the nearest phone box...They called the authorities...One stayed and waited for the cops and the other made a sprint for it !!

The kid who waited....They found his body two days later..............It took over an hour for a police car to arrive at the empty phone box..

Always remembered that story !! Had an affect on me.....

Wasn't there a film or mini-series about the Atlanta child murders starring Martin Sheen? - There is - I just checked IMDB.

Remember seeing the series sometime in the late 80's but don't remember anything about the case.

Sounds like a pretty ropey conviction and also sounds like there may have been more than one killer - could well have been a ring.

superflyweight wrote:Wasn't there a film or mini-series about the Atlanta child murders starring Martin Sheen? - There is - I just checked IMDB.  

Remember seeing the series sometime in the late 80's but don't remember anything about the case.  

Sounds like a pretty ropey conviction and also sounds like there may have been more than one killer - could well have been a ring.  

 

Same one Super...............Robards, Sheen and Rip Torn..

It's on youtube in 3 parts...well worth a view..

Cheers Truss, I'll check it out. I was pretty young when I saw it so it probably scared me back then but will no doubt be scarier now I'm a father.

superflyweight wrote:Cheers Truss, I'll check it out.  I was pretty young when I saw it so it probably scared me back then but will no doubt be scarier now I'm a father.  

It was scary.....

Morgan Freeman and James earl Jones are in it too.....Robards is brilliant.

Would it kill any of you to tell us the bloody title? Some of us have sh!t to be getting on with (no me obviously, I'm talking about other, busy people)

I remember this story and the tv series.

Always fishy when you get silence with a story so big. The suspect was carted off to prison and that was the end of it. The murder's stopped so they must have the right man.

DAVE667 wrote:Would it kill any of you to tell us the bloody title? Some of us have sh!t to be getting on with (no me obviously, I'm talking about other, busy people)

"The Atlanta child murders"...........In three parts.....

There's another documentary called Reclamation, anyone seen it?

Scottrf wrote:There's another documentary called Reclamation, anyone seen it?

If it's the one I'm thinking of.............It's a journalist trying to show why Williams is innocent....Has some compelling evidence too...

Well worth a watch.....

In his documentary I think he produces evidence to show George Bush sr was pressurising Atlanta PD to make an arrest..

Slightly connected but has anyone seen the Pledge?

Its about a child killer and Jack Nicholson makes a pledge to the mother to catch the killer. He is convinced the man convicted is innocent.

Brilliant film.

Cheers for bringing this up truss, didn't know of it will look it up.

Adam D wrote:Slightly connected but has anyone seen the Pledge?

Its about a child killer and Jack Nicholson makes a pledge to the mother to catch the killer. He is convinced the man convicted is innocent.

Brilliant film.

Great film but pretty bleak. Directed by Sean Penn if I remember rightly.

superflyweight wrote:

Adam D wrote:Slightly connected but has anyone seen the Pledge?

Its about a child killer and Jack Nicholson makes a pledge to the mother to catch the killer. He is convinced the man convicted is innocent.

Brilliant film.

Great film but pretty bleak.  Directed by Sean Penn if I remember rightly.  

Had high hopes for that film and was left feeling cheated at the end as ***spoiler alert*** f*ck all happens

It was Sean Penn who directed.

The ending was bleak but also utterly brilliant!

One man's "utterly brilliant" is another man's "Is that it? I'm off to the pub!"

Adam D wrote:It was Sean Penn who directed.

The ending was bleak but also utterly brilliant!

That's enough to stop me ever watching it. Complete and utter c*nt.

Sorry to be dragging this off topic but Sean Penn as an artist, is one of the best talents of the last 20 years.

From Casualties of War (as an actor) to directing films like the Pledge, he has a brilliant touch.

As a person, he is a twonk!

TopHat24/7 wrote:

Adam D wrote:It was Sean Penn who directed.

The ending was bleak but also utterly brilliant!

That's enough to stop me ever watching it.  Complete and utter c*nt.

He's excellent in Carlito's Way...probably because he plays a slimy self centred pr!ck but hey, it's a good performance

Adam D wrote:Sorry to be dragging this off topic but Sean Penn as an artist, is one of the best talents of the last 20 years.

From Casualties of War (as an actor) to directing films like the Pledge, he has a brilliant touch.

As a person, he is a twonk!

I like Sean Penn...............Absolutely nailed the role in Milk....Brilliant in Colors......One of the best actors I've ever seen and his politics have always stayed the same regardless of wealth or status.......Like Clooney not afraid to speak out on sensitive issues...

After Michael Douglas probably my favorite actor..

Agree Truss, he is a fantastically good actor. Dead Man Walking, Milk, Mystic River, Carlitos Way, The Assassination of Richard Nixon (an underrated classic) fantastic hit rate. Comfortably one of the best actors of his generation.

How do folk feel about Penn going down the Liam Neeson route and doing these "Hollywood elder statesman action flicks) in the mould of Taken and the Equalizer (with Denzel)?

Is he allowed a few stinkers (like Pacino and DeNiro) due to having such an impressive back catalogue or is he now money grabbing wh*re and sellout scumf*ck?

I can give him a pass Dave, he might want a new swimming pool.

Would take Ed Norton ahead of him as an actor (as just one example).

And Ed is less putrid and insidious. Penn is a moron.

DAVE667 wrote:How do folk feel about Penn going down the Liam Neeson route and doing these "Hollywood elder statesman action flicks) in the mould of Taken and the Equalizer (with Denzel)?

Is he allowed a few stinkers (like Pacino and DeNiro) due to having such an impressive back catalogue or is he now  money grabbing wh*re and sellout scumf*ck?

To be fair Dave I would be willing to forgive Penn a Rocky and Bulwinkle moment now, anyone who causes tophat so much irritation and rage can be forgiven just about anything.

TopHat24/7 wrote:Would take Ed Norton ahead of him as an actor (as just one example).

And Ed is less putrid and insidious. Penn is a moron.

Boring charisma-less Ed.............Felt sorry for Hopkins in Red Dragon and Roth in The Hulk.....Having to carry him !!

He is boring...

Think Norton was nominated for awards in his first five films (useless trivia or something I dreamt and now believe to be true).

Sadly he does lack a bit of charisma, there was a danger of him showing some personality in American History X but careful editing managed to disguise it. Didn't think anyone could be worse that Eric Bana but Norton managed the unmanageable in the 2nd installment of the Hulk. Even Mark (personality flatline) Ruffalo makes Bruce Banner seem fascinating next to Norton.

Eric Bana, Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo...just a few dull as f*ck actors who epitomize the phrase "Fifty Shades of Grey"