The Atlanta Child Murders Trivia Quiz

Answer: July 1979

At the end of July 1979, the bodies of two young black boys were found. This was the beginning of the circus yet to come.

Answer: Edward Smith and Alfred Evans

Edward Smith was fourteen and Alfred Evans was also the same age. Edward had left a skating rink and Alfred had left his house to go see a Karate movie. Both boys were best friends. They were discovered missing on July 21, 1979 and a few days later their bodies were found. Both boys had missing clothes and were wearing items of clothing that were not theirs. Edward's body was identified by dental records, but, sadly, Alfred's body has never been positively identified, although his parents believe it to be him. How did both boys end up together? Did they know their killer?

Answer: Yes

When Yusef Bell was murdered and his body found, Mayor Jackson said the murders were considered random acts of violence that happen in poor black neighborhoods. This led Yusef's mother, Camille, to believe that the police were covering up for the real killer(s) and that the crimes were racially motivated with the KKK behind them. Were the KKK really behind it? Was Mayor Jackson protecting the real killer(s)?

Answer: Angel Lenair

On March 4, 1980, twelve year old Angel Lenair left her apartment and never returned. On March 10, 1980, her body was found and positively identified by her mother. Angel Lenair's case was different because she was, until that point, the only female killed and her body was found under different circumstances than the previous murder victims.

The police had two suspects, but they were eventually cleared. The two suspects were white boys that had been harrassing Angel around the time of her disappearance.

It was later found out by the documentry on this case that starred Jim Belushi and Spike Lee that the two white boys were members of the KKK. Did they really kill Angel, if so, why were they released?

Answer: A blue Nova

Thirteen days after Jefferey had disappeared, Willie Turner, having recognized his picture in the paper told police that he had seen Jefferey in the back seat of a blue Nova which was being driven by a white man. Turner also told the police that it was the same man who had pulled a gun on him a few day earlier.

The police did nothing in response to this, possibly losing one honest lead. Why would Turner lie? Why did the police do nothing? Were they covering up for the real killer(s)?

Answer: LaTonya Wilson

In the early morning hours of July 22, 1980, LaTonya Wilson was abducted from her bedroom. A neighbor claimed she saw a black man remove the window pane of the girl's window, but Chet Dettlinger, author of the book "The List," says it would have been difficult for the neighbor to see what she saw because of the distance from her house to LaTonya's house and because of the darkness. Was the same killer(s) responsible for LaTonya's disappearance and murder?

Answer: S.T.O.P (Committee to Stop Children's Murders)

Camille Bell, Willie Mae Mathis, Venus Taylor, and Reverend Earl Carroll formed S.T.O.P (Committee to Stop Children's Murders) because they felt that the Atlanta Police were ineffective in stopping the crimes.

Answer: John David Wilcoxen

John David Wilcoxen was suspected of the abduction of Earl Terrell. Earl was evicted from a public swimming pool on July 30, 1980 and was never seen again. Shortly after, Earl's aunt received a call from a man who said he had Earl. After the phone call, police learned of a child ponography ring that was in operation across the street from the swimming pool that Earl was last seen at.

When the police searched Wilcoxen's house they discovered he had thousands of nude pictures of little boys, but they were all white. Eventually, Wilcoxen was cleared in the disappearance and murder of Earl Terrell.

Answer: Geographical Location

The one thing that connected all the murder victims was geographical location. Gender, age, and background were ruled out because boys as well as girls were being murdered. All the victims were different ages and they all had different backgrounds. Some victims were as old as twenty seven and some were as young as six. All came from diversified backgrounds. Geographical location was the one thing that they all had in common.

Answer: Fall of 1980

Mayor Jackson issued a citywide curfew in the fall of 1980, after the discovery of twelve year old Charles Stephens. The mayor and police feared that the killer(s) would strike on Halloween. Their efforts were in vain when, during the first week of November 1980, another body had been found.

Answer: Yes

On Friday, May 22, 1981, Wayne Williams was arrested for suspicious behavior. The police said that they heard a splash in the water at the spot they said Wayne was at. In newspapers that splash was called "The Splash Heard Around The World." When Wayne was questioned about what he was doing on the bridge, he said he was traveling across the bridge to find the home of a potential client with whom he had an appointment several hours later.

When the police asked Wayne the name of the client he told them Cheryl Johnson, and that he was planning on auditioning her and hopefully promote her as a singer. Wayne even gave the police the phone number that he was given.

When the police called that number they found that the number was disconnected. So the police went looking for the address, but the police said the address didn't exist. Wayne told them he had been driving around to try to find the house and was just about to give up when he decided to give it one more chance. Wayne Williams was questioned for over an hour about why he was at the bridge. Regarding the splash that the police say they heard, several hours later that portion of the river was dragged, but no body was found. Also, on that night, as William's vehicle moved onto the bridge he never stopped, or even slowed down.

This means, in theory, that Williams had to toss the body of a dead man, who was bigger than him, out of a moving vehicle over the railing of the bridge, into the river. This is obviously impossible. Why would Wayne give the police all the information if he knew it was wrong information? If the police heard a splash, why was no body found? Was Wayne being set up for crimes he didn't commit? Thanks to Apologetic_cynic for providing me with an important piece of information.

Answer: Dixie Hills

Wayne and his mother and father lived in Dixie Hills, a neighborhood right in the middle of where the murder victims had lived and disappeared.

Answer: Impersonating a police officer

In 1976, Wayne was arrested for impersonating a police officer. He was never convicted. The police had stopped him in a car that had red lights beneath the grille and flashing blue dashboard lights. There were rumors floating around Dixie Hills that he was a homosexual.

The police thought that he was impersonating a police officer to try to stop other homosexuals, but this was never proven.

Answer: Nathaniel Cater

On May 24, 1984, the body of Nathaniel Cater was found floating in the Chattahoochee River. The police weren't concerned about HOW he died, they wanted to know WHEN he died. The medical examiner stated that Nathaniel Cater had died around the same time that Wayne Williams supposedly threw something off a bridge. Was this the beginning of a coverup? The body was badly decomposed, leaving doubt that he had been in the river for only two days, so how could the medical examiner state WHEN he died beyond a reasonable doubt?

Answer: Yes

Police theorize that Wayne Williams had killed Nathaniel Cater and then dumped his body in the Chatahoochee River. Unbeknownst to Williams' lawyers, witnesses came forward to say that they had seen Cater days after Wayne Williams was supposed to have killed him and dumped his body.

This information was so critical, yet it was with-held from Williams' lawyers. Why was the information kept back? Were the police trying to frame Wayne Williams?

Answer: False

Wayne Williams was given three separate polygraph tests. These tests came back concluding that he was being deceptive in giving his answers. Could it be that Wayne was nervous and scared because he was suspected of being the murderer?

Answer: December 28, 1981

The trial began on December 28, 1981. During pre-trial hearings, the medical examiner of murder victim, Jimmy Payne, changed the death certificate to state 'homicide' rather than the original 'undetermined' cause of death. This action was very controversial. Why did the medical examiner change the certificate of death?

Answer: Yes

During the trial, key witnesses came forward to refute the claim of Williams who said he was playing basketball that afternoon and that he was at the San Souci club later in the evening. This added fuel to the prosecution's case that Williams was not only a liar, but that he was a murderer.

The jury never did hear about the witnesses that claimed they saw Nathaniel Cater the day after Williams was arrested. Whether or not Wayne lied about his activities the night he was arrested did not make him a murderer.

He could have been doing something illegal, like taking or selling drugs and didn't want to be found out. It never occured to Williams' attorneys to suggest another reason for his lying, even though it was a well established fact that Williams was an accomplished liar.

This alone does not make him a murderer.

Answer: Guilty

In January 1982, Wayne Williams was found guilty in the murders of Nathanial Cater and Jimmy Payne. He was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. In my opinion Wayne Williams was railroaded by the prosecution and convicted for a crime he didn't commit. Their evidence was circumstantial and was forced to match Williams.

Answer: 1985

In 1985, "The Atlanta Child Murders" was aired on CBS. This movie made it quite clear that there was not sufficient evidence to prosecute Wayne Williams. This movie made the government of Georgia very uneasy and they tried to have it banned from airing in Georgia, but it was not to be.

This movie was the first step in proving Wayne Williams innocent of murder. I remember being fourteen years old when this movie first came out and even then I knew they had the wrong man. After researching the case, I still stand by what I first believed. An innocent man is behind bars while the real killer(s) remain free.

Answer: DNA

Wayne Williams and his lawyers are actively seeking DNA tests that would prove Williams' innocence.

Answer: Charles Sanders

Charles Sanders, an active member of the KKK, told a police informant that the KKK was trying to begin a race war by killing black children.

Answer: Yes

Even though Williams was arrested and found guilty, children and adults were still being abducted and murdered in Atlanta until at least 1989. They all fit the same pattern of the "Atlanta Child Murders," but they have not been associated with the case. Maybe because the government would have to admit that they had made a drastic mistake in the Wayne Williams case.

Answer: That Wayne Williams was innocent.

Justice Richard Bell went on record stating the he believed Wayne Williams to be innocent of the murders, but Bell was forced to change his opinion to match the majority of the Supreme Court.

Answer: Decision for a new trial.

In July 1999, the Augusta Chronicle stated: "A divided Georgia Supreme Court ruled that a state judge wrongly dismissed two claims raised by Wayne Williams in his bid for a new trial in the slayings of two Atlanta blacks 18 years ago. The 4-3 ruling sends the case back to Judge Hal Craig to rule on Mr. Williams' claims that prosecutors were guilty of misconduct and that his own attorneys did not effectively represent him at his 1982 trial." The decision for a new trial was sent back to the original judge in the case. One can only hope that in the near future Wayne Williams will be exonerated and set free.

It is interesting to note that the parents of the victims that Wayne was convicted of murdering believe Wayne Williams to be innocent. Only the police and the government believe that he is guilty.