Hey, Jerry.
We're still down here.
We got nothing on this side.
Let me know what's happening over there
with you.
Uh, yeah, we're at the, uh,
bridge up at Spring Street back here.
Um, if we could get some more lights,
it'd be great.
Campbell, anything?
Negative.
Don't take your eyes
off the water
until we get some boats down there.
Nothing.
- Recruit's positive he heard a splash.
- We don't have a body, we can't hold him.
We can hold him
for as long as it takes
to search his vehicle.
Maybe we find something in the car.
If he'll let us.
The name isn't on this registration.
- Why are you driving it?
- It's my uncle's car.
- Why do you have it?
- For work.
At three o'clock in the morning?
I'm in the music business.
Nighttime is the right time.
Right time for what?
You mind if we search your vehicle,
Mr. Williams?
Sure. Go ahead.
Log everything for evidence
that I find in this car.
So you were out working
this late at night?
Well, I had to go pick up
a check. I'm a photographer.
I thought you said
you were in the music business.
I'm a Renaissance man.
- So, where are you headed, da Vinci?
- A woman's apartment.
- Girlfriend?
- Don't have a girlfriend.
So who is she?
A Miss, uh, Cheryl Johnson.
She gave me her number.
Said she's a singer worth hearing.
Jacobs!
Run down there, try this number for me.
By the way, it ends in a four.
My dad says my fours look like nines.
Okay.
- Try 'em both.
- Got it.
If you don't have a girlfriend,
whose are these?
My mother's. They're garbage.
I'm supposed to throw all those out.
That what you were doing on the bridge,
throwing out garbage?
I wasn't doing nothing but crossing it.
We heard a splash when you drove over.
You throw something off?
- You mean like a kid?
- Yeah...
like a kid.
No, I did not.
Do you own a dog, Mr. Williams?
No, I do not.
Note the hair on the back seat
and on the floor mats.
What's the rope for?
With knots at both ends?
And the gloves?
Like I said, it's not my car.
Mind if we talk
where it's more comfortable
while they finish up?
Log every piece of evidence.
So what makes Cheryl Johnson so special
you gotta hear her sing at 3:00 a.m.?
Don't know yet.
We got a meeting in the morning,
but I decided to do a trial run
so I'll know where to go.
- Where does she live?
- In Smyrna.
Church Street.
The FBI hiding
under every bridge in Atlanta now?
If you don't mind, Mr. Williams,
we'll ask the questions.
I get it. Confidential.
A-T-64. A-T-64.
A-T-64, go ahead.
The number
with the four is disconnected.
With a nine, there's no answer.
- Roger.
- That was the number she gave me.
Got an actual address for her
on Church Street?
That's why I always get a phone number.
Think I'll radio the admin agent.
Let him know where we are with this.
Be right back.
What do you think
your uncle uses rope for?
Don't know. He's got so much stuff
in there. I don't touch any of it.
- How did you know why we pulled you over?
- You're the FBI in Atlanta.
What else is it gonna be about?
It's all that's ever on TV.
You follow the story closely?
- No, I'm just saying how it is.
- Wayne...
- You mind if I call you Wayne?
- It's my name.
Wayne, did you know any of the victims?
Their families?
Think we all know each other?
You didn't ask me if I know this cat.
I'm specifically interested
in the victims.
No. I wouldn't know any of 'em.
You make it sound like
it wouldn't be possible.
I'm not like them.
Not like them? What does that mean?
You know. Street kids.
Runnin' wild all hours of the night.
This isn't "all hours of the night"?
There's a difference in being
where you supposed to be
and being where you aren't.
What places are they not supposed to be?
Like mall parking lots, maybe?
That sort of thing?
If they're up to no good, yeah.
Gentlemen...
a word.
Sit tight.
What did he say?
His first,
second, and third questions were,
"Do you have a body?"
- No.
- He says we have to let the guy go.
We can't do that.
That rope has knots on both its ends.
Next to a pair of gloves.
And we have no evidence
any of our victims were strangled
with a rope.
But we know they were strangled.
The admin agent was clear:
unless that rope is instrumental
in a specific crime,
we have to let him go.
Christ. Black, early 20s,
dog hair, can't corroborate his alibi.
Alibi for what?
Mr. Williams!
Thank you. You're free to go.
Can I get
an extra hand down here?
You gentlemen have a good night.
They already ran the plate.
Do you believe his story?
3:00 a.m. dry run for a morning meeting?
Not a f*cking word.
But it's not about what we believe,
it's about what we can prove.
Let me see the rope. Where is it?
But you just said
to write everything down.
You're sh1tting me.
- You didn't tell him to bag everything?
- I didn't think I had to.
- Where are you going?
- Home.
It's Memorial Day weekend.
We should be searching that river
for a body.
You're absolutely right.
Let me know what you find.
Unless he weighted it, against his MO,
it would have floated by now.
He wasn't on his way to meet anyone.
There will be a body.
Only one guy heard the splash.
The other three were probably asleep.
Wayne Williams fits
every corner of our profile.
What if we'd heard the same splash,
saw the same car,
but a white guy had gotten out of it?
- But he isn't white, so...
- Everything else being equal,
what's the tipping point
for matching the profile?
Four criteria, five?
What about the six that he didn't fit?
- You don't think he's worth pursuing?
- I do.
But mainly because we finally just got
an answer at that second number.
Nobody named Cheryl
or Johnson ever lived there.
- Because Cheryl Johnson doesn't exist.
- Why say it?
He knows we'll catch him in a lie.
So let's catch him in it.
Is there any breakfast?
No. There's cereal if you want.
That's okay.
Nice day.
Brian's not playing outside?
He plays in his room now.
I tried to make a playdate for him
over the long weekend.
Everyone was out of town.
- Well, maybe they really are, Nance.
- Bill, he's ostracized.
You've seen it. I see it every day.
It's our fault for keeping him here.
We're not moving because of some kids.
This isn't just about other kids.
It's the parents.
They talk behind his back.
His back or yours?
How many times have we moved
because of your work over the years?
Several.
And how many times have we moved
because I've asked to?
I'm asking because I believe
it's the only way to put this behind us.
Honey, I'm only home for a few days.
I just need to get some rest.
Of course.
I'm not saying no.
We'll consider it, I promise.
I just think right now
what's best for Brian is what's familiar,
stability.
Go and rest.
We're taking him to the Y later.
There he is, our Renaissance man.
You mind if we come inside, Wayne?
My mom will be home soon.
I'd appreciate it if y'all were brief.
We wanted to give you the opportunity
to clarify any of your statements
from last night.
It must have been unnerving
to be stopped by the FBI.
Oh, it's cool. Y'all had a job to do.
We finally got through
on one of the two possible numbers
that you gave us.
It belonged to a cosmetics company.
- No Cheryl Johnson ever worked there.
- That was the number she gave.
And you're positive that was her name?
As far as I remember.
But I get folks calling all the time,
pranking me,
so it's possible she may not exist.
You were confident enough
to drive to Smyrna at 3:00 a.m.
with no real address to find her.
Um... gotta track down every lead.
- Y'all understand that.
- So...
tell us about your day yesterday.
Um...
Not much to tell.
I, uh, slept late, had lunch,
played some ball at the rec center.
- Which rec center?
- Ben Hill.
Then I came home.
And that's when my momma
told me a woman called.
So, your mother actually took the call?
Yeah. She took the message.
Because last night you said
your nines look like fours,
so we were under the impression
you took the call.
No. I must have copied it down
from where my mother wrote it.
- What time was that?
- I don't know. Uh...
4:00.
Then what?
Then, I had dinner with my parents
and went to Hotlanta Records
in College Park
to pick up a check I was owed.
Then I went to Sans Souci
to hear some music.
- Sans Souci?
- Lounge.
760 West Peachtree.
I didn't stay long.
Uh, then I went looking
for the place in Smyrna.
And that's when y'all stopped me.
- So, this is your parents' house?
- Yeah.
- And you live here with them?
- Yes, sir.
Surely a young...
good-looking guy like you
would want to have his own apartment?
I put all my money into my work.
Which is what, exactly?
You never told us what you did in music.
- May we keep this?
- Sure.
They're all over town.
So, you spend your time
searching for children?
Searching for talent.
When you find it,
what do you do with this talent?
Usually, I have them record a demo.
- What's in it for you?
- If they're good, I manage them.
And if they're not,
what do you do with them?
- I don't do nothing with 'em.
- Where do you find the talent?
All over. You know, uh, restaurants,
arcades.
Mall parking lots? Swimming pools?
Never know where it's hiding.
I figure, why should it always be
white people
gettin' rich off the talent of brothers?
You make much money from it?
If I did, you'd think I'd be here?
So right now, it's more of a fantasy?
A grind is what it is.
Why children? Such specific ages.
Ever heard of The Jackson Five?
Hmm? That's where the money's at.
Would you happen to have the names
of some of your current clients?
We'd love to speak with them.
I'm in between acts.
That's why I was out
late last night, scouting.
Lookin' for talent.
- What'd you find?
- Nothin'.
Do you like children, Wayne?
How do you mean?
Do you like their company?
I ain't never touched one,
- if that's what you're asking.
- Of course not.
But do you like them?
Do you sympathize
with those that have gone missing?
Yeah. Hell, I ain't much older
than some of 'em.
Why are you knocking on my door anyway?
I mean,
it's... it's black kids out there dying.
Y'all should be rousting the KKK.
Well...
we're finding that these types of K*llers
rarely cross racial lines.
What type of k*ller is that?
Serial.
Organized.
Compulsive.
Compulsive?
About what?
Well, without speaking to him,
I can't be certain, but...
I believe he achieves sexual gratification
from choking and dominating his victim.
You said last night
that you don't have a girlfriend,
- is that right, Wayne?
- Yeah. That's right.
Hmm.
Think you'll catch him?
I do.
Well, I wish you luck.
Thank you. That's very kind.
Do you mind if I use your restroom?
Down there, to your left.
I said on the left.
I thought you said you didn't own a dog.
I don't. Sheba's my dad's.
Wayne said he came by that night
to pick up a check.
Do you recall what time that was?
9:00, 9:30.
Do you happen to have an invoice?
Sure.
Wayne says he's in the music business.
Uh, he rents my studio.
Holds auditions here.
- There you go.
- Thank you.
Is he in, uh, something
he not supposed to be in?
We're just following up some statements.
Does Wayne bring talent here?
Oh, he's always in here
with somebody he discovered at the mall,
the next big thing.
Do you have any of his demos?
No. Wayne ain't got no demos.
- Most of the time, they just sit and talk.
- They talk?
I mean, I've seen him in there
with some kid kicked back,
laughing, for like an hour.
But not my business how you use your time.
You know, you're payin' for it.
- What do you charge?
- I charge 50 an hour.
A little discount. He's a good kid.
- And Wayne can afford that?
- Well, it's his daddy's money.
I feel bad for Homer too.
Ain't like he Rockefeller or something.
Do you have any of the talents' names?
Uh-uh.
How old are they usually?
Uh, 14, 15.
He's looking for Michael Jackson.
You said that Wayne was a "good kid."
Yeah. He's polite, pays his bills.
Cleans up after himself.
I mean, he's a...
- different kind of kid.
- Different?
How exactly?
I don't know. I...
I don't wanna get Wayne in no trouble.
Of course not.
He talks himself up.
You know, but that's most folks
that come in here.
Gotta fake it till you make it, right?
Does he have a temper?
Wayne? No. That boy ain't got no temper.
So you never saw any signs
of anger or v*olence?
Nah, Wayne is a chump.
This is Wayne.
One time he came in here, and my assistant
said he had cuts all up and down his arms.
Right? Nasty.
When she asked him about it,
he said he fell in a bush.
Now, I'm sure he got his ass kicked.
- Wayne ain't no fighter.
- When might that have been?
I don't know. A few weeks ago.
You can ask Charlene.
She'll be in here later.
I'm gonna get back to work,
all right, fellas?
Thank you for your time.
Yep.
That's it. Come on.
How far away is this?
Half mile downstream from Wayne's bridge.
Same spot Jimmy Payne was found
about a month ago.
I checked the victim list
from around the time
Wayne had those supposed scratches
on his arms.
- Terry Pue.
- The one on Sigman Road.
He was known around as a tough kid.
A fighter.
He had lacerations on his body...
as if he'd been in a struggle.
I also found this.
A composite of the man Lubie Geter
was seen talking to before he disappeared.
You want it to feel like your palm.
You feel that?
Now feel the burger.
Does it feel the same?
I think it does. Ready?
Perfect. Wanna try?
Oh, that's okay.
- Five-second rule.
- It's for you.
It's Holden.
It better be good.
We found the body.
- At the bridge?
- Downstream.
- How far?
- Pretty close.
We have a meeting tomorrow with the DA
to talk surveillance
and warrants for Wayne Williams.
He wants to hear
from all the agents at the scene.
We have enough for that?
Cheryl Johnson turned out to be a lie.
That gives us a false exculpatory.
And get this: we've always wondered
how he got them in the car.
Flyers.
Flyers?
Williams hands out flyers to kids,
promising a record contract
- if they'll go with him to make a demo.
- Oh.
That's how he does it.
Bill... this is him.
I'm on my way.
We may have him.
You tell him.
I won't.
He'd been deceased
two to three days,
which does not rule Williams out
as a suspect.
Cause of death is asphyxiation,
most likely by a choke hold.
We found carpet fibers on the body
consistent with what we've found
on other victims.
The fibers we recovered are green
and a very unusual shape.
- I saw green carpet in Williams' home.
- But you don't know if it's a match.
No, sir.
There were dog hairs on the victim.
I found dog hairs
in the suspect's vehicle,
- and his family owns a dog.
- I own a dog, Agent.
Besides that, there was
a knotted nylon rope,
- approximately 24 inches...
- Now that's material.
Does it match wounds on any victim?
It remained in the vehicle
and has since...
- It can't be accounted for.
- So...
we confiscated no physical evidence.
Even though he gave permission
to search his vehicle.
That's correct, sir.
At the time, we had no body
and, therefore, no cause to believe
a crime had been committed.
- Now, you have a body.
- Yes, sir.
Which you can't physically connect
to the suspect or his vehicle.
And you have a splash heard
by a probably sleeping recruit,
which you can't definitively connect
to the body.
- Who's the victim?
- Nathaniel Cater.
Twenty-seven, 150 pounds, six foot one.
Priors for trespass
and attempted burglary.
You want warrants
for a multiple child m*rder*r
based on the death of an adult?
Cater was a drunk and a hustler.
He'd be easy prey.
Besides driving over a bridge
at the same general time
that this victim was in the Chattahoochee,
you have no physical connection
between the deceased and your suspect.
I can't issue warrants based on that.
Sir, Williams fits the type of perpetrator
we've been looking for.
He had a prior.
He was stopped
for impersonating a police officer
- and had a scanner in his car.
- A misdemeanor.
We don't issue warrants based on
the "type" of person someone is.
And the last warrants I obtained for you
captured a man whose only sin
was pleasuring himself in the woods.
A public relations debacle.
- We were wrong for even bringing him in.
- Yes, you were.
Sir, we're not asking to search
his person and property yet.
We're requesting 24-hour surveillance
and wiretaps.
The last time the FBI
wiretapped a black man in Georgia,
it was not well-received.
With all respect, sir,
Wayne Williams is no Dr. King.
If we're allowed surveillance,
I'm confident we'll find evidence
- to validate your decision.
- I'll consider it...
with what's left of my weekend.
Today at city hall,
community activists met
with city planners...
Don't include the rope.
If he approves this thing,
the judge will sh**t it down
for the same reasons.
Okay.
That isn't very optimistic.
- Odds on Slaton for the warrant?
- Fifty-fifty.
- He either will or he won't.
- I say 30/70.
We have a suspect
in the vicinity of the body.
Vicinity.
He's right, we have
no material connection to that body.
Guys, it's an election year.
It's about public opinion
as much as about evidence.
Can you turn that up?
...authorities to bring an end
to the child murders gripping Atlanta.
A certain mood exists in America,
encouraged by our leaders,
that it is all right
to do anything to black people.
Across the country,
our children are being k*lled,
and our future is being wiped out.
That is why I have come...
...to our nation's capital,
to say, "No."
Special Agent Ford.
To the value of a child's life
being judged by the color of their skin.
Thank you, sir.
Slaton. "In light of the crisis situation
in Atlanta, an exception has been made."
...while they continue to bury
their sons and daughters...
sh*t.
Someone's up.
I lost it.
What?
I... I dropped the f*cking thing.
Hold on. Found it.
Hurry up.
They're on the move.
I need more time.
f*ck it. Get out now.
Go.
- Who the hell is up at this hour?
- Did you do it?
We can track him.
Just can't listen to him.
Thanks.
Says here, Wayne once worked
for the Department of Public Safety.
Scene photographer
for arson investigations.
- Huh.
- He could still have press credentials.
We should see if he photographed
any of our crime scenes.
All right,
he's on the move. We're trailing.
Copy that.
The package is traveling west
on Glenn. We've got eyes.
All cars hang back.
Roger, Model T.
Tomcat, you guys stay tight behind me.
Eagle, we're on the move west.
Roger. Circling back.
Do not drop too low.
Six cars and a plane feels like overkill.
I'm more worried
about attracting attention
- than losing Wayne.
- We're good.
There's no way he'd hand out flyers
to kids if he knew we were watching.
I'm not so sure. He has...
hubris.
But other things don't add up.
Like what?
Family background.
No absent father.
No signs of a domineering
or abusive mother.
I met an Irishman once
who only drank milk.
Left turn on...
Ira Street, heading south.
Roger.
And he's making another quick left,
- east on Gordon.
- Roger. East on Gordon.
We're supposed to be finding
patterns, not anomalies.
That's a lot of cars making that turn.
We've got eyes on the package.
Stay back.
- Jesus, it's like the Macy's Day Parade.
- Roger.
- Do not run the light. We've got him.
- Damn it.
Don't worry about it.
We're gonna catch up.
Do you think that was intentional?
Uh, yeah, we were about
three car lengths behind, but...
I can't take that turn.
He'll make us.
Package is southbound on Windsor.
Now signaling eastbound.
We will be parallel.
Eagle, you got eyes?
Model T, turn south,
- pick him up at Pryor and Bass.
- Roger.
What is Model T?
It's a code name for Ford.
How about I call you Tin Lizzie?
Package is stopped at the southeast corner
of Formwalt and Bass.
Do not approach. Stay off the block.
We'll advise when he's in motion.
- What do we see as motive?
- I still think it's sexual.
Despite him having no history of v*olence
and there being no evidence
of sexual violation.
Yes.
BTK's victims
were not sexually violated either.
There was no penetration,
but we know he gets off on it.
- Maybe Wayne's like that.
- What if it's shame?
Shame? What makes you say that?
He strangles his victims
from behind, so they can't see him,
can't judge him.
The parents seem nurturing,
but also conservative.
Maybe not the kind
who'd be very accepting of a gay son.
What if he hates himself so much,
and what he is,
that he takes it out on these kids?
Maybe specifically
kids who he thinks are hustlers.
I don't get the sense
that he hates himself at all.
I think he's a narcissist
who considers himself smarter
than every other person in the room.
You know the type.
He's heading out now.
Package moving east on Bass,
he's gonna drive right past us.
- What's he doing?
- What the f*ck?
Thought y'all might be hungry.
Scorpion,
he handed them something.
I... I don't know what it is.
I think we've been made.
I bet you he got the $2.99 special.
You can't b*at that.
You get two fried chicken and fries.
Uh, yeah, he's reentered the vehicle
and, uh, is en route.
You should have eyes on him
in about 30 seconds.
Ten-four.
Guess who photographed
the Sigman Road crime scene?
Who is Wayne B. Williams?
Now that we're blown,
this seems like a waste of time.
Then we bumper-lock him.
People under pressure make mistakes.
And if a body turns up while we're on him,
we rule him out.
Whose car is this?
This your car?
- No, but I'd be happy to move it for you.
- And I'm late for work.
Y'all blocking the whole neighborhood.
f*cking Wayne, man.
- How do you know it was about Wayne?
- Of course it's about Wayne.
He always up to some bullshit.
f*cking FCC come out here one time,
shut down his radio station.
Coming and going all hours.
You gonna move it?
- Wayne keeps his neighbors up?
- Spoiled rotten.
That's his real g*dd*mn problem. I work.
Something he don't know sh*t about.
Keeping me awake f*cking burning trash.
- You saw Wayne burning garbage?
- Five o'clock in the morning.
- You sure it was garbage?
- I don't know. It was on fire.
- When was this?
- Thursday morning.
Thursday? You're certain?
I work night shift Wednesdays. You mind?
You don't know what he was burnin'.
You want a warrant,
bring me physical evidence.
If we wait any longer,
all your physical evidence will go up
in smoke.
Let us search for fibers and question him.
Wayne is fascinated by these crimes.
If we bring him in, he'll talk to us.
If he doesn't, we let him out the back,
no one is the wiser.
No harm, no foul.
Sir, I appreciate the extreme pressure
you're under from Mayor Jackson
- and your constituents to end this.
- Oh, you do, do you?
We need fibers from the car,
the whole house.
Especially the green carpet
in the living room.
Yes, sir.
sh*t.
I want hair from that dog.
Got anything?
Peterson.
It's not much, but it is green.
We got fibers from his bedroom
that could be a match.
Won't know until the labs come back.
They're still working on the car.
How's he been?
I think plucking his pubes
has him rattled.
But he's still so arrogant:
declined a lawyer
and consented to a polygraph.
Arrogant and prepared.
Find one called How to Abduct
and m*rder Young Boys,
and we can all go home.
You ready?
Commissioner Brown.
- Agent.
- DA Slaton.
Y'all have the clothes off my back.
What else can I do for you?
I'd like to talk about May 21st.
Could you talk us through your day
up to the Jackson Parkway Bridge?
I already told you, twice.
We'd like to hear it again.
I played ball, then I went home.
- And then what?
- My momma said a lady called.
- Cheryl Johnson.
- Yeah.
But like I said, I never spoke with her,
so she may have been a prank call.
After you got the message
from your mom, what then?
Uh... I ate dinner. I worked some.
That's it.
You told us before you picked up a check
at Hotlanta Records.
That's right.
Then I went looking for Ms. Johnson.
What about the Sans Souci Lounge?
You told me after Hotlanta
you went to the Sans Souci.
Yeah, I did.
We checked, and no one remembers you.
Were you there or not?
I was, but not for long.
So you just lied to us?
Or you lied before?
I wasn't lying. People forget things.
I'd be real careful not to forget things,
Wayne,
for your sake.
So that brings us to the bridge.
What did you do after you left us?
Drove home.
You didn't continue looking
for Cheryl Johnson?
I thought that was
the whole reason for going out.
I guess being questioned
by feds spooked me a little.
Did you happen to do any barbecuing
when you got home?
Why would I?
We heard you were burning things
late that night.
Not me.
- I went to bed.
- You didn't clean your car?
When we visited the next morning,
your car was very tidy.
No rope, no clothes.
- Um, I guess my father must've...
- Do you happen to know
where that rope is?
Your father's owned a lot of cars
over the years.
Is it true
he owned a blue 1978 Plymouth Fury?
That a crime?
You know who else drives
1978 Plymouth Furies?
Atlanta PD.
- So...?
- So that would make it pretty convincing,
for a guy who likes
to impersonate police officers,
to lure a kid into his car.
I never did that.
You did impersonate an officer.
I carry a scanner for my photography work
so that I can get to the scene
before other stringers.
What interests me...
is they also found a police light
in your car.
It helps me get access.
Sometimes you gotta hustle a little.
But maybe, if you wanted to intimidate
or gain the confidence of a stranger,
putting a bubble light
on your car might do that.
No. No, I don't do that.
But you know who might? A cop.
Kids'll go off with a real cop.
You checkin' into them?
We have a witness who saw Jo-Jo Bell
get into a white station wagon
on the afternoon of March 2nd.
The description of the driver was a match
for a man seen talking to Lubie Geter
the day he disappeared.
He look familiar to you?
What about...
...Patrick Rogers?
He loved music.
Wanted to make it as a singer.
You ever hand him a flyer,
invite him to your studio?
Uh-uh.
I don't know no Patrick.
He went by "Pat-Man."
Wrote a song called "Runnin' Girl."
Maybe you remember now.
No.
I don't know. I meet kids every day.
That don't mean I k*lled nobody.
You ever hand out flyers
at... Moreland Plaza Shopping Center?
Sometimes.
That's where Aaron Jackson
and Patrick both carried groceries.
And funny thing, they knew kids
from other parking lots:
Lubie Geter, Charles Stephens.
They worked the Lakewood Shopping Plaza.
Ever go there, Wayne?
Me and a thousand other people.
But you were working, right?
Handing out these flyers
to kids trying to make a buck.
The bottom line is, nobody has ever
seen Wayne Williams strike another person,
strangle another person, or hurt anybody,
because I haven't.
How did you know Nathaniel Cater?
I don't know who that is.
Cater's body was dragged
from the Chattahoochee River
just downstream from where we stopped you.
- That doesn't bother you?
- Why would it? I don't know him.
- You've never met Nathaniel Cater?
- You asking if I k*lled him?
Look at me, I'm five-seven, man.
How the hell am I gonna k*ll a grown man,
drag him out of my car,
and throw him off of a bridge?
Toxicology reports suggest
Cater was intoxicated at the time.
Much easier to k*ll a drunk man.
The body showed signs
of strangulation
but no vertebral damage.
So maybe the k*ller
wasn't particularly strong...
or couldn't follow through.
It's hard to strangle someone.
When you were choking Cater,
did you panic?
- No.
- No, you didn't panic?
No, I didn't k*ll nobody.
Cater hustled
at some of the gay clubs downtown.
He your boyfriend?
I am not h*m*.
Know what I call a child talent scout
who makes no music and no money, Wayne?
A f*ckin' pedophile.
Let's go further back.
- Where were you May 11th?
- I don't know.
Think.
I guess I was at home.
- Was anybody with you?
- No.
So on May 11th,
when William Barrett was being
strangled to death, you were home alone.
April 22nd:
Jimmy Ray Payne went out to sell coins.
His body was found in the Chattahoochee
not far from where we met.
Where were you on April 22nd?
Is that a Wednesday?
- Uh... guess I was out.
- Out where?
Working. Driving.
- Was anyone with you?
- I doubt it.
Okay, moving on.
March 30th: Larry Rogers went missing.
He was found a week later, strangled.
On his body, we found carpet fibers
and dog hair.
We're taking fiber samples
from your home right now
and hair samples from Sheba.
Anything you want to tell us?
Where were you
on the afternoon of March 30th, Wayne?
And if it helps you remember,
it was raining.
If it's raining, uh, probably watchin' TV.
Or maybe I'm playin' solitaire.
Can anyone corroborate that?
Corroborate solitaire?
- March 20th, Eddie Duncan...
- We gonna do this for all of 'em?
Unless there's something else
you'd like to share?
Y'all think
Wayne Williams m*rder*d all those kids?
Prove it.
Or I think I'll be going home.
It's a m*rder charge, gentlemen,
and you can't conclusively tie him
to a single victim, whether alive or dead.
The only thing you've got
is a possible fiber match,
which no grand jury
in Georgia is gonna consider
more than circumstantial, at best.
- That's not enough to arrest him.
- He had no alibi.
We went through 28 dates,
not a single verifiable alibi.
Who can remember what they were doing
two weeks ago, much less 14 months?
I've got attorneys from DOJ
and the governor pressuring me.
But the man's polygraph
was as inconclusive as your interview.
He flatlined three times.
That indicates deceptive.
Wayne didn't react differently
to anything.
Only sociopaths do that.
As for our efforts this evening,
we've not obtained
the necessary information
to charge or make an arrest,
so we will not be releasing
the name of this individual.
We still have no suspect.
But we are always doing more
than the public knows,
but I cannot comment
on any ongoing investigation
we may be conducting.
We are doing our best to bring an end
to this prolonged tragedy.
Wayne! Get over here. Let's go.
If there are any developments,
we'll keep you apprised.
Mr. Brown!
I brought you your paper.
Thanks.
Don't you want to read it?
- Oh, no.
- They printed the man's name and address.
Somebody leaked this.
This is your guy?
- Is this him?
- We believe so.
Because he doesn't look like...
He doesn't look like
he could hurt anybody.
- What he looks does not...
- They said he was smart,
he had his own radio station,
owned his own business.
I know it seems unlikely,
but he fits every aspect of the profile.
What does that mean?
We're very certain it was a black male,
early 20s to early 30s,
- drives a certain type of car.
- That's it?
That's what every cop
in Atlanta looks for, for every crime.
- A young black man.
- It's a little more complicated than that.
Did you investigate the man
who called saying where to find a body?
Tanya, those calls were made
by sad people looking for...
There was more than one?
- Well...
- Well, did you ask them?
Did you even bother to look at the men
who go out every day
looking for young boys?
Men these boys might have known?
Might have gotten into their car?
- Tanya, this guy...
- "Fits."
If you're so sure he fits,
how come you haven't arrested him?
- Because this is going to ruin his life.
- There are procedures.
I'm not saying, unequivocally,
he did all 29,
- but I know he did some of them.
- What if you're wrong?
- I'm not.
- Because he's black?
- Because he drives some kind of car?
- Would you like to come inside?
No, I would not.
But I should congratulate you, Agent Ford.
I guess y'all came here
to find a brother to fit the bill,
and find one, you did.
There were reporters everywhere.
Remember, they got the plumber's name.
But they didn't call him
the "Atlanta Monster."
Somebody leaked it. For a reason.
It'll definitely make him sweat.
f*ck me.
- How many times has he peeked out?
- A few.
Countin' the cameras.
We're not gonna see much more of him
until this dies down.
Station said we had
a walk-in this morning, young guy.
The tip lines have been flooded.
Suddenly everybody's seen Wayne,
they all got something to tell,
long as they're in line for a reward.
But this guy may be worth our time.
Let's go talk to him.
Morning.
Y'all ready?
Here's a copy of my résumé.
Everybody take one.
The rules are nobody shows my face.
If y'all agree to that, come on in.
Our Renaissance man knows how to get
in front of a story.
Let's, uh...
Did you k*ll those children, Wayne?
No, I did not.
Then why are you a suspect?
I got stopped by the FBI
at the James Jackson Parkway Bridge.
They asked me
what I'd dropped in the river.
I said, "Nothing."
Ever since then,
they've been following me.
- For no reason?
- Oh, they got their reasons.
They're desperate
to pin these murders on someone,
and they know damn well
if they arrest a white man,
this city will burn.
What do you want, Mr. Williams?
To be left alone.
And an apology from those FBI agents
who spent last night threatening me
and accusing me.
- I think he's referring to you.
- Or you.
Did you know any of the victims?
No, sir.
Do you want to say anything
to the families of the victims?
Well, I work with children so I know
some of these kids are in places
they don't have no business being in.
Got no supervision.
They're just runnin' the streets.
And I'm saying, while you're doing that...
that's not giving anyone
a license to k*ll...
but you open yourself up
to all types of things. Bad things.
Mr. Williams, did the FBI ask you to take
a polygraph test?
Yes. And I did so voluntarily.
It was considered inconclusive.
What suspected m*rder*r
risks holding a press conference
with no lawyer and no preparation?
Someone who's certain
he'll never be caught.
Or someone who's really pissed
of being wrongly accused.
Let's go talk to your pigeon.
When I said I didn't,
they called me a liar.
You said you know Wayne Williams?
Yeah. Me and Wayne play ball together.
Sometimes we do music on the side.
If I tell y'all what I know,
and y'all use it,
I get that reward, right?
Let's chat for a while,
then see if I need to call the mayor.
Okay.
So, Mr. Marcus, what can you tell us?
Well, you see,
Wayne ain't like you always see him.
- He's a Gemini.
- His horoscope?
Yeah, you know, like, the twins.
Except with Wayne, you never know
which one you're gonna get.
- And one is worse than the other?
- Oh, yeah.
He can get angry sometimes.
He doesn't look like it, but he can.
What does Wayne get angry about?
A while back,
some folks came around
looking for donations,
you know, to help find those missing kids.
- Well, I was gonna put something in...
- Very generous.
Well, yeah, but Wayne told me
don't waste the money.
He said those dead kids
were nothing but a bunch of prostitutes
hanging around the streets all night long.
- He called the victims prostitutes?
- He acted like it was a good thing.
Said that they were drop sh*ts
and giving us a bad name.
Said we work so hard,
but we can't get nothing done.
What's a drop sh*t?
Anybody who ain't worth much of nothing.
You just sh**t 'em, drop 'em,
get 'em gone.
Could go to motive.
Like he was cleaning up the streets.
Or it's more personal.
Wayne's parents have him late,
give him everything to succeed.
He works hard at school,
he's smart, runs his own radio station.
The next Berry Gordy.
Who?
- Never mind.
- But everything dries up.
Radio station gets closed down,
he drops out of college.
Wayne never reaches his full potential.
Why?
He believes it's
because he's seen
as just another black kid.
It's a box he can't get out of.
So who does he take it out on?
Poor black kids.
He's trying to regain control.
Like Berkowitz, Kemper.
Men plagued by inadequacy and failure.
Williams isn't ashamed of his sexuality,
he's ashamed of his failure to achieve.
That's why he talks himself up.
That's why he exaggerates.
Maybe that's why he kills.
Plays to your narcissist angle.
But even if Mr. Civic Duty
is telling the truth,
there's nothing material there.
It's not evidence, Holden. It's a theory.
And we know we're not getting
an arrest warrant based on "psychology."
Now that Wayne's a sideshow,
he can't even jaywalk
without being on the nightly news.
The likelihood of him snatching
another victim is zero.
Disappointed?
I'm going to the hotel.
Have a drink, call my wife. You coming?
Yeah.
There are federal guidelines
regarding our jur...
- Maybe you can be one of us.
- Go back.
- The few, the proud...
- We simply had to get involved.
The bureau's been in Atlanta
for several months now.
How has a federal presence
affected the investigation?
Our agents augment the efforts
of the task force in individual cases,
and we've made progress
in our own investigations
into many of the crimes
that we believe are linked.
With regards to arrests, the sum total
during the investigation so far
has been zero.
And the press is consistently told
there are no suspects.
Can you be specific
on the progress you've made?
- I believe it's significant.
- What's he doing?
I am quietly confident
that an arrest is imminent.
- Putting us on a deadline.
- You have a suspect?
I'm not going to give details
at this time,
but we should have some information soon.
Twenty-three-year-old Wayne Williams,
a talent agent and music promoter.
While law enforcement has said
only that there will be no arrest,
Williams gave reporters a glimpse...
Has he left the house today?
Not Wayne.
Homer came out and took photographs
of the photographers.
You see Webster on NewsHour?
Think Slaton's changed his mind?
I think somebody's making it clear
they want him to.
Any news from the lab?
Peterson's matched carpet fibers
from his bedroom to 14 victims.
The dog hair to five.
Shame the DA doesn't care
for all that scientific mumbo jumbo.
- Mr. Williams!
- Mr. Williams! Come on!
Give me a picture!
I've been here all night.
You want this one?
Sure.
Officer!
Do me a favor. If the father comes out,
call it in to the station.
- You got it.
- Thank you.
He's loving this.
Police, press, choppers...
Like a f*cking presidential motorcade.
And he knows
it's a colossal waste of time.
The hours we spend following him
to convenience stores and dive bars
get us no closer to an arrest.
Could be a late lunch.
Maybe we'll get
another shitty fish sandwich.
Maynard Jackson! Mayor!
Come look at the mess you made!
Funny way to demand less attention.
Yeah, it is.
Mayor! You put out a bounty,
but don't care
if you frame an innocent man?
Come look at what I have to live with!
Where are you going, Mayor?
To call the police?
They already here!
Why are you hiding?
Get back out here
and look at what you have done!
Station to A-T-64.
Package two is moving.
Package two is moving.
Traveling west in a black Mercury sedan.
A-T-64 has eyes on him.
- Hmm. Mm-hmm.
- Excuse me.
Hi.
- Sorry. Uh...
- Hi.
The man who just left here,
what did he want?
He was inquiring about charters
to South America.
Did he purchase anything, a ticket?
No. But he did say
he might be seeing me again soon.
Thank you.
We've seen unsubs exhibit hubris.
Writing letters, hanging out in cop bars.
But if one of them
had openly become a suspect,
would they be taunting police?
This guy has
no self-preservation instinct.
This is his one chance to get
the attention he feels he deserves.
As soon as the story slows down,
he finds a way to get the cameras
back on him.
There you are.
You missed it.
- Missed what?
- Guess where Quincy Jones took us today?
- The mayor's house.
- And not just a drive-by.
He parked the whole convoy on the road.
Ringmaster of his own media circus.
- It was unbelievable.
- It makes perfect sense.
- That's what I was saying.
- It's a diversion.
- A diversion?
- For?
After he pulled out, Homer left the house.
I followed him to the airport.
He made inquiries with a private charter
about flights to South America.
You gotta call Slaton.
We may not be able
to give him any more evidence,
but our main suspect
just became a flight risk.
It wasn't just hubris.
It was strategic.
♪ Way back when, in '67... ♪
If they won't take flight risk
as probable cause,
we're gonna be sittin' out here
till the next body drops.
What the f*ck?
- They're bringing him out!
- What are the charges?
Did I miss something?
Looks like we all did.
The DA told us we had
insubstantial evidence. It's his drumbeat.
It seems he was persuaded
to change his mind.
How?
The Justice Department invited themselves
to the governor's mansion last night.
- And the DA was guest of honor.
- He was.
The fibers from the search came back
a perfect match.
Justice was able to convince him
that he could get a conviction with that.
Slaton agreed to charge him
with two of the murders,
as long as his officers made the arrest.
- We don't care who hauls him in.
- Exactly.
- Which two is he charged with?
- The one near the bridge. Carter?
- Cater.
- And number 27. Payne, I think.
Both adults? They aren't getting him
for any of the children?
Look, he could be good for anywhere
from two to ten of them.
They'll charge him with as many
as they think will get convictions.
The important thing is
we got him off the streets.
Earlier today, a man
by the name of Wayne Bertram Williams
was arrested and charged with the murders
of Nathaniel Cater and Jimmy Ray Payne.
This arrest comes
after an extensive investigation led
by the FBI,
in conjunction with local
and state authorities.
I now pray our city, which has
been through so much, can rest,
and that today's events mark
the start of a time for us to heal.
Left a stack of sh*t on your desk.
Still a lot to clean up.
Thanks.
Remember your kid in the mall,
the house next to Fulton County Stadium
he talked about?
Yeah.
I asked a recruit to go
through three years
of pedophile complaints
and convictions, look for any red flags.
Found this guy.
Sixty-three-years-old, black.
We got complaints of young boys
being given dr*gs and spending the night.
This f*cking smells.
There's no connection between him
and the house in Lakewood.
The old white guy.
This recruit was on the detail
that boxed up the Polaroids from Lakewood.
He swears there were pictures
of black children among them.
Evidence log said the photos
were exclusively young white males.
He also said they hauled out
thousands of Polaroids.
This puts the number
between 300 and 400.
He says APD locked up the photos.
But when they got logged into evidence,
there were no pictures of black children.
Would your recruit go on record
with the district attorney?
He doesn't want his name to be used.
He's just giving us something to run down.
We know two of our victims
visited the Lakewood house.
And we have an unverified account
of kids going to a "stadium house."
You've got the manpower now.
Start with those two houses,
question the neighbors,
press the offenders.
Something will shake loose.
Do it quietly, independently.
We've been working
with this task force for months.
Somebody from APD knew
we should have been looking
at these guys all along.
Smells good.
- You come to be congratulated?
- To say goodbye.
For now.
But I want you to know I'll be back.
The FBI is still working these cases.
My son Yusef's been dead 20 months now,
Agent Ford.
All my Yusef could've
and should've been is gone.
And you're telling me that
that is on account of Wayne Williams?
Yes.
Then why hasn't he been arrested for it?
Why hasn't he been charged
with k*lling of any of our babies?
More charges will be brought.
Is it
because you aren't really sure it's him?
Mrs. Bell, I'm not saying
Williams perpetrated all 29 murders.
But right now,
we have enough to tie him to two.
And I'm confident, given time,
we'll be able to charge him
with a significant number of them.
We still have agents from all over
working every case diligently.
You do now. But what about tomorrow?
When everybody decides they've found
their scapegoat and that is good enough.
What are we gonna be left with?
We are not leaving.
And Williams will spend
the rest of his life in...
Not for Yusef's death.
Or Jeffrey's.
Or Angel's. Or Earl's.
Wayne Williams didn't k*ll my boy.
I know that in my bones.
You've gone and found yourselves
a black man.
Wayne might just be Atlanta's 30th victim.
I can promise you that's not true.
Careful about making promises, Agent Ford.
That is known as a victory lap.
...families who have waited
so long for justice.
It's supposed to be taken
at the end of the race.
I'm sorry to interrupt.
Enjoy your meal, and I will see you soon.
Congratulations!
- Have The Beatles landed?
- We're the f*cking Beatles.
Wow! Beats Delta.
Webster's very pleased.
He's deemed the bureau's success
as largely due to us.
It's nice, being recognized.
Well, you've earned it.
We closed the highest profile case
in the country.
We're downgrading Atlanta
to pending inactive status.
The director wants to show
his appreciation.
Wait, inactive?
We'll keep a few agents here
for trial support
and cataloging evidence.
What about the kids?
It's up to the DA
which cases get tied to Williams.
The important thing is,
from now on, we'll be first in.
Atlanta's changed everything.
We did our jobs.
We have no control over anything else.
Take a victory lap.
♪ I feel guilt ♪
♪ I feel guilt ♪
♪ Though I know I done no wrong
I feel guilt ♪
♪ I feel guilt ♪
♪ I feel guilt ♪
♪ Though I know I've done no wrong
I feel guilt ♪
♪ I feel bad ♪
♪ So bad ♪
♪ Though I ain't done nothin' wrong
I feel bad ♪
- ♪ I feel bad ♪
- ♪ Feel bad ♪
♪ So bad ♪
♪ Though I ain't done nothin' wrong
I feel bad ♪
♪ I never lied to my lover ♪
♪ But if I did, I would admit it ♪
♪ If I could get away with m*rder ♪
♪ I'd take my g*n, and I'd commit it ♪
♪ I never gave to the rich ♪
♪ I never stole from the poor... ♪
President Reagan has told Congress
he will throw his full support
behind the bipartisan...
♪ Give me more, more, more
More, more, more, more, more, more ♪
And the adoption of the amendment
will curtail current costs and inflation.
The House will vote on the proposed
amendment in the coming weeks.
In Atlanta today,
the public safety commissioner
and the district attorney
held a press conference
to announce developments
in the case of the city's
missing and m*rder*d children.
In all investigations,
you reach a point
when you've done all you can.
So for now, we're suspending
all 29 investigations,
having arrested our prime suspect.
Commissioner!
Will Wayne Williams
be indicted for more than two murders?
At this time, no.
Does that mean
you're telling the families
of the other victims
that the man who m*rder*d their children
might walk free?
No, we are not.
I would say to them
that their children's cases
will be handed
to local police departments.
I would also say that,
while we may not have
all the required evidence to convict,
we do have enough to close.
♪ I feel guilt ♪
♪ Though I know I done no wrong
I feel guilt ♪
♪ I feel guilt ♪
♪ I feel guilt ♪
♪ I know ♪
♪ Something about ♪
♪ Opening windows and doors ♪
♪ I know ♪
♪ How to move quietly ♪
♪ To creep across creaky wooden floors ♪
♪ I know ♪
♪ Where to find precious things ♪
♪ In all your cupboards and drawers ♪
♪ Slipping the clippers ♪
♪ Slipping the clippers ♪
♪ Through the telephone wires! ♪
♪ Intruder come and leave his mark ♪
♪ Leave his mark ♪
♪ Leave his mark ♪
♪ I like to feel the suspense ♪
♪ When I'm certain
That you know I am there ♪
♪ I like ♪
♪ You lying awake ♪
♪ Your bated breath charging the air ♪
♪ I like ♪
♪ The touch and the smell ♪
♪ Of all the pretty dresses you wear ♪
♪ Intruder's happy in the dark! ♪