Convicted killer Wayne Williams poses along the fence line at Valdosta Sate Prison, Valdosta, Ga., in this Monday, May 24, 1999 file photo. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
Posted on 06/10/2006 1:58:36 AM PDT by freepatriot32
ATLANTA - Lawyers for convicted killer Wayne Williams, blamed for the murders of two dozen boys and young men in the Atlanta area during the 1970s and '80s, are casting suspicion on a child molester they say lived or worked near where many of the bodies were found.
In court papers made public Friday, the defense asked a federal judge for access to police files on the molester.
The papers do not identify the man by name but say he is a multiple child molester serving time in a Georgia prison. They also allege that investigators knew the man was a viable suspect in the child murders but never told defense attorneys.
Evidence about the man resurfaced within the last year after a police chief in DeKalb County, near Atlanta, reopened the investigation into five killings, according to the court papers.
Most of the victims died from asphyxiation without ligature marks and this suspect has described to police his knowledge and skill as to how to accomplish that act, the court papers say. The papers do not elaborate on the man or his methods.
"A profound miscarriage of justice has occurred in this matter, which not only has kept (Williams) behind bars for a majority of his adult life, but also which kept a blind eye to bringing the real killers of these many victims to justice," the lawyers wrote.
A spokeswoman for the state attorney general's office, Kelley Jackson, declined to comment on the defense allegations or on whether her office would oppose the release of the materials the defense is seeking.
Between 1979 and 1981, 29 black boys and young men were killed in the Atlanta area, spreading fear throughout the region.
Williams was convicted in 1982 of murdering two young men and sentenced to two consecutive life terms. Evidence of a pattern of conduct in 12 of the murders was used in his trial. Afterward, officials declared Williams responsible for 22 other deaths, and those cases were closed.
Williams, who is black, has contended that he was framed. He has maintained that Atlanta officials covered up evidence of Ku Klux Klan involvement in the killings to avoid a race war in the city _ a claim investigators have denied.
The court papers also allege that a former medical examiner who conducted autopsies on some of the victims planted fiber evidence on the bodies to test whether such fibers are too common to link to only one person. Williams' lawyers said the examiner now acknowledges that "50 percent of those fibers that were presented were fibers that could have been on all of us as well."
In an April telephone interview from prison with The Associated Press, Williams said he is confident about his prospects after more than 20 years in prison. "I'll say this 100 times. It should be obvious right now of my innocence," he said.
Convicted killer Wayne Williams poses along the fence line at Valdosta Sate Prison, Valdosta, Ga., in this Monday, May 24, 1999 file photo. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
I'm amazed he's still alive after 20 years.
Uh, huh, the Klan did it. Riiiight. I see 'em all the the time hanging around the projects down on MLK with those pointy hats on...
More likely scenario was that there were TWO molesters/murderers, but 'ol Wayne got pinned for everything.
That part usually gets left out of the "Free Wayne!" stories. The FBI's Investigative Support Unit (or was it the Behavioral Science Unit?) worked up a profile of Williams. The guy was a real sociopath, an apparently harmless, charming, teddy bear of a man. Which is probably why little boys liked him. But, according to the profile, he had rage, and he had violence. They only needed to bring it out in court. And they did.
Williams was questioned. Aggressively. At the end of one series of questions, the prosecutor got real close to him, into his personal space, and asked, "How did it feel when you put your hands around those boys' throats? Were you scared? Did you panic?"
And Williams said, "No."
Then he realized he had slipped up, and he exploded. Ranting and raving about FBI "goons," how they were trying to make him fit a profile, and he wouldn't do it.
Wayne Bertram Williams is still ranting today. He will probably keep preaching his innocence until the day he dies. But he'll be doing it from behind bars.
Kenneth Bianchi, the Hillside Strangler, says that he is innocent, too. I guess that one was another frame up /sarcasm
I guess we are not supposed to notice the other 50 percent because obviously 50 percent of the fibers presented COULDN'T be found on all of us.
That is, for me, one of the best indicators that he is guilty.
crimelibrary.com has a good writeup on this also.
Kill them all.
Dead = zero recividism. Keep these subhuman filth from society's innocents, our children and the elderly.
End of problem.
Ya know, I would really appreciate it if people RESEARCHED the information that they would like to comment on,before they insert their opinion, and a very incompetent opinion at that. Basically, if you dont know what you are talking about,then keep your mouth shut. I have read the entire FBI file on wayne bertram williams, along with a multitude of other documents. There is alot of exculpatory evidence, and other things you have no idea. So stop revealing your ignorance and think before you speak
"Ya know", why don't you quit posting and get to work on freeing Willie. Get back with us when you have freed him.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.