Wayne+Williams+Questions+EM

1. Fiber evidence was used in a much different way in the Wayne Williams case than in other criminal cases. Most of the time fiber evidence is a smaller supplement that goes along with the other evidence in the case. But in the Williams case, the most important and most convincing evidence was the fiber evidence. There were 9 different fibers that were on some of the 12 victims that were all connected to everyday things of Williams such has his unique carpet in his home and fibers from his station wagon. Probabilities were calculated to show just how unique the fibers found were. The fiber evidence was the compelling and the prominent evidence in the case, and the other evidence was used to support the fiber evidence. In most cases it is the other way around. Fiber evidence is rarely the leading evidence. 2. The bodies found from July 1979 to May 1981 all had the same types of fibers on them and the investigation teams decided that the fibers probably had the same one source. The investigators first tried to find the type of object that the fibers might have come from. The found that since they were rough and had a certain cross-sectional look, the fibers were probably from a carpet. They knew that the fibers were unique, but at first they could not find the manufacturer. The next step was to take photomicrographs of the fibers, but the manufacturer was never located. Though they didn’t actually find the particular manufacturer of the carpet, the information from this part of the investigation was helpful because they knew that it was a carpet fiber and they knew that it was very unique. The means that if they found a suspect they would know where to look and they would have an idea that it was this person, because the fibers were all uncommon rather than the usual common fibers. 3. In this case they knew where to look for the perpetrator, and by chance they found him after dropping what seemed like a body into the Chattahoochee River. The information that they had collected about the fibers on the victims (explained in question 2), led them to know that they were looking for a very particular carpet fibers, and then there would be other fibers that they could also hopefully match to the suspect’s objects. If they knew who had this very unusual carpet fiber, they could have gone through every house and looked at the carpets if needed, but instead the suspect found them and when they searched him, they happened to find that the carpet fibers along with many other fibers from Williams’ belongings matched the victims. When it is an uncommon fiber rather than a common fiber, it can be very helpful in an investigation. 4. The found out that The West Point Pepperell Corporation manufactured a “Luxaire” carpet line, which was similar to William’s carpet, and they had a color of that carpet that was the same as William’s (chemically and visually). This collection was only available for 5 years and only used the Wellman 181B fiber for 2 years (1970 and 1971). So, carpet just like William’s was only created for 1 year. This made William’s carpet all the more unusual. This information showed that the fibers from Carter’s body were most likely from William’s carpet. Of course it could not be 100% proved, but from the probability that was created and when it was seen how unusual that carpet it was, and with William’s already a suspect found at the dumping scene, it shows that it was William’s carpet. 5. Investigators used statistical probability, which had never been used like this before in a case, to show how unusual the carpet found in Williams house is, so it is very likely that since he is a suspect already and the fiber from the bodies matches his carpet, he is most likely the killer. They researched and estimated that a total of 16,397 square yards of carpet with the same fiber and same color from the carpet as Williams was sold to 10 states. With an average room by 12 x 15 feet and divided equally among the states then 82 rooms in Georgia would have this carpet. That number with the number of housing units in Atlanta gives a 1/7792 chance that if someone was randomly selected they would have this carpet. With such a rare chance that proves that it is likely Williams. They also later found that there is a 1/3838 chance that Williams car would be randomly selected. With the way that probabilities work the fact that both of these two chances are so small, makes the chance of having both the carpet and the car that much smaller. The probabilities proved that since these fibers were found on Carter’s body and found in William’s house and car, he must be involved in the case.