Police: 6 Atlanta murder cases reopened
Chief says he has been 'nagged' by fiber evidence for years
DECATUR, Georgia (CNN) -- Authorities will reopen investigations into the deaths of six Atlanta area children and teenagers about a quarter-century ago, the police chief of a large suburban county said Wednesday.
DeKalb County Police Chief Louis Graham told reporters he has been "nagged" by the way authorities handled the murders that "terrified" the Atlanta area.
The six boys were listed among the 29 children and young adults killed or reported missing in the Atlanta area between 1979 and 1981 who some residents thought were victims of a serial killer.
Graham said he was not prompted to reopen the cases because of any new evidence -- only his doubt about the fiber evidence used to convict Wayne Williams, who is serving two life sentences for two of the other killings.
"My issue with the fiber evidence is that it is not conclusive -- never has been, never will be," said Graham.
On Saturday, Graham told reporters, "Quite frankly, I don't think Wayne Williams is responsible for anything. I don't think he did anything. I made up my mind with that 20 years ago, and I still feel that way." (Full story)
Williams, then 23, was convicted in 1982 of two murders of young adults. Afterward, a police task force administratively cleared 23 of the 27 cases remaining on the list.
Graham said that he investigated four of the killings in neighboring Fulton County when he was the assistant chief of police there. No evidence in those cases pointed to Williams, he said.
Talking Wednesday to reporters, Graham said his department's cold case squad was reopening the cases of all unsolved homicides in DeKalb County -- starting with the six children and teenagers.
Reopening the investigations is simply "the right thing to do," he said.
"This is not about the guilt or innocence of Wayne Williams. This is about open cases in DeKalb County," he said.
Graham invited anyone with evidence to call the cold case squad -- four detectives and a sergeant.
He said tips have been pouring in since word spread that he was considering reopening the cases.
"During my tenure, I discovered four of the missing and murdered cases occurred here in DeKalb County," said Graham.
Graham said there was no time limit on the probe.
"We will let the facts direct the course of our investigation," he said.
The cold case squad will look at the case of Aaron Wyche, 10, whose body was found on June 24, 1980; Patrick Baltazar, 11, found February 13, 1981; Curtis Walker, 13, found March 6, 1981; Joseph Bell, 15, found April 19, 1981; William Barrett, 17, found May 12, 1981; and Christopher Richardson, 12, found January 9, 1980.
Williams wonders: 'Why?'
Wayne Williams was convicted by a Fulton County court in 1982 of killing Jimmy Ray Payne, 21, and Nathaniel Cater, 27. Their bodies were found in the Chattahoochee River the spring of 1981.
The convictions were controversial partly because the case against him -- except for evidence involving fiber analysis -- was circumstantial.
Some Atlantans thought he was railroaded just to close the cases, which drew national attention.
Williams said recently he thinks the new investigation will prove his claim of innocence, an Atlanta radio host said Tuesday.
"He believes he will be set free," said Frank Ski, of WVEE FM, who said Williams invited him in February to the prison where Williams is serving two life terms.
"[Williams is] very happy that, finally, he has got a chance to tell his story," said Ski, who said he speaks with Williams daily by telephone. "He thinks now that the truth is finally coming out, and he will be vindicated."
In the radio interview, Williams was asked why, if he is innocent, he was arrested for the crimes.
'"That's a question that, every night before I go to sleep, that's a question I ask in prayer: 'Why?'" Williams said. "Because, after all this time, I can't give the answer to that."
While some law enforcement officials sided last week with Graham, others remain convinced that Williams is guilty.
Jack Mallard, a former Fulton County assistant district attorney, questioned whether Graham's cold case squad can objectively investigate the cases, given his pronouncement that Williams is innocent.
"There's no harm in reopening or continuing the investigation of any unsolved murder. That's done every day," Mallard said.
It's just interesting to note that he would come out and eliminate the only person who has ever been convicted in the murders at the same time he's opening up the case."
