Wayne+Williams+Questions+BB

1. Fiber evidence is usually “used to support other testimony and validate other evidence presented at a trial”(100). In Williams’s trial, other evidence was used to support the fiber evidence, which is counter to the usual sequence used with fiber evidence.

2. While beginning their examination of the fibers, investigators initially hoped to determine what type of object the fibers came from in order to provide a path of investigation. The investigators examined the make and structure of the fibers and tried to determine the manufacturer, but could not find an answer. Eventually, they learned that the fibers on all of the murder victims originated from the same source, and traced the fibers back to the carpet in Wayne Williams’s home. This information was significant in that it connected all of the murders to the same person and place.

3. The source of the fibers could determine the method of murder, the place of the murder, or other information. In this case, it connected all of the murder victims to Williams’s home. If a manufacturer is located, records of who bought the item containing the fibers could uncover who bought the source. This information could help investigators find the murderer.

4. Because West Point Pepperell Corporation had manufactured a line of carpet called “Luxaire” that was constructed in the same manner as Williams’s carpet, and because one of the offered colors was the same color that Williams’s had purchased, and because this type was only offered for a one year period, Williams’s carpet was determined to be the source of the fibers. All of this information made his carpet and the fibers very unique. By connecting the fibers on Carter’s body to the carpet, the murder can be somewhat connected to Williams because of the unique quality of the fibers.

5. By matching the fibers to the carpet in Willams’s home, investigators could determine Williams as a key suspect. By claiming that the probability of having carpet like Williams’s as being extremely low, investigators could determine that Williams is an extremely likely suspect. They determined that it almost certainly was him, seeing as it was so unlikely for anyone else to have this type of carpet.