25: Wayne Williams: Psychopath or Scapegoat?

About this episode

This episode explores the complexities of Wayne Williams' innocence claims amidst the Atlanta Child Murders investigation.

For nearly fifty years, Wayne Williams has insisted he is innocent. But when you step back and examine the evidence as a whole, the picture becomes far more complicated. In this episode of UNMARKED , I dig through FBI files, surveillance reports, witness statements, and forensic evidence to understand the man at the center of one of America's most controversial murder investigations. Along the way, I speak with award-winning journalist Clemson Richardson, who covered the Atlanta Child Murders as they unfolded and witnessed the fear that gripped the city firsthand. Together, we examine the patterns investigators saw: the dump sites, the escalating violence, the witness sightings, the fiber evidence, and the psychological profile of a man who spent decades trying to control the narrative surrounding himself. Was Wayne Williams a psychopath? A scapegoat? Or something far more complicated? Research Notes: MiinChai, A. M., Yaksic, E., Chopin, J., Fortin, F., & Hewitt, A. (2022). Time After Time: Factors Predicting Murder Series’ Duration. CrimRxiv. Stuart, R. (1981, June 22). Suspect in Atlanta: Young, big ideas, but a career of limited achievements. The New York Times , A1. ***…

People in this episode

Host: James Buddy Day

Guest: Clemson Richardson

Topics covered

• Wayne Williams
• Atlanta Child Murders
• murder investigation
• psychological profile
• forensic evidence
• journalism

Keywords

• Wayne Williams
• Atlanta Child Murders
• FBI files
• forensic evidence
• Clemson Richardson
• murder investigation
• psychopath
• scapegoat

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FBI, The New York Times

Books & works: Charles Manson: The Last Words

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