Has anyone else brought up the similarities between The Freeway Phantom and Colonial Parkway Killer

[cherrymeg]

As someone who was an adult during the Atlanta child murders, the cases were garnering a HUGE amount of national news media coverage at the time. Once they were identified as serial killings, each murder was reported extensively on the front pages. I'm kind of surprised some folks are still implying that Wayne Williams wasn't guilty of murdering those kids. When a serial killer is on the loose, covered almost daily in the national news, there's very little chance that it's a white man trolling a large black neighborhood to kidnap and kill children. The neighborhoods were crawling with undercover LE, there was wall to wall news coverage and the killer was still taking a child every week or two.

Wayne Williams was the killer, no one else.

I thought there were implications he wasn't the only predator. I don't believe he is innocent at all. He is a serial killer. Some of the kids didn't fit in with the rest either age or gender. I believe he killed almost all of those children.

 

[Betty P]

I thought there were implications he wasn't the only predator. I don't believe he is innocent at all. He is a serial killer. Some of the kids didn't fit in with the rest either age or gender. I believe he killed almost all of those children.

I agree. The 3 ex-cons who were murdered may have been killed by someone else, but the children were victims of Williams. IIRC, at the time the focus was primarily on the victims being children, not adults. It was a terrifying time for that community.

 

[jaejae]

As someone who was an adult during the Atlanta child murders, the cases were garnering a HUGE amount of national news media coverage at the time. Once they were identified as serial killings, each murder was reported extensively on the front pages. I'm kind of surprised some folks are still implying that Wayne Williams wasn't guilty of murdering those kids. When a serial killer is on the loose, covered almost daily in the national news, there's very little chance that it's a white man trolling a large black neighborhood to kidnap and kill children. The neighborhoods were crawling with undercover LE, there was wall to wall news coverage and the killer was still taking a child every week or two.

Wayne Williams was the killer, no one else.

I was more asking if that area and at that time would a strange white man stand out. An adult man talking to young girls at malls or asking them for directions is now considered creepy now. Race narrows down suspects. If the guy was white and local, a store clerk, teacher, cop, someone that kids would see regularly, adults wouldn't think speaking to a kid was weird.
If you watched MindHunter on Netflix they focused on the Atlanta Child Killings. One of the FBI guys does an experiment by going up to a group of black kids in a playground area. The neighbors are already on alert. The kids don't trust him a neighbor tells him to leave them alone. I don't know if that is based on truth. I know there are debates about Wayne Williams and if he was the only one responsible.

If Brenda was killed by someone that knew her mom and was white that would eliminate black men in her life. By in her life I mean people she worked with encountered at stores, the bank, someone she would say hello to and know their name maybe.

Good post with good points. I agree that when profiling the Freeway Phantom cases a profiler might likely come to the conclusion the offender was black. It is just at the time the community thought it was a white man and one of the victims clearly stated a white guy had snatched her and I tend to believe her. Profilers just need to keep an open mind and of course these cases are unsolved still. As I say good post and points including about other cases.

 

[jaejae]

Good post with good points. I agree that when profiling the Freeway Phantom cases a profiler might likely come to the conclusion the offender was black. It is just at the time the community thought it was a white man and one of the victims clearly stated a white guy had snatched her and I tend to believe her. Profilers just need to keep an open mind and of course these cases are unsolved still. As I say good post and points including about other cases.

Children are often good witnesses especially younger ones and they often do not have the capacity to lie so I believe it was true when the victim stated a white man had snatched her. Of course we will not definitely know the answer in these cases is found and this may not be possible after all this time.

 

[Betty P]

Good post with good points. I agree that when profiling the Freeway Phantom cases a profiler might likely come to the conclusion the offender was black. It is just at the time the community thought it was a white man and one of the victims clearly stated a white guy had snatched her and I tend to believe her. Profilers just need to keep an open mind and of course these cases are unsolved still. As I say good post and points including about other cases.

I agree, anything is possible. The best bet, though, is the Colonial Parkway murders is for the FBI to test the DNA sample they have. I still don't understand why they haven't done that.

 

[jaejae]

Children are often good witnesses especially younger ones and they often do not have the capacity to lie so I believe it was true when the victim stated a white man had snatched her. Of course we will not definitely know the answer in these cases is found and this may not be possible after all this time.

I meant until a suspect is found in the Freeway Phantom cases which I think may be difficult now as I have read there have been problems with the forensic evidence in these cases in the past.

 

[cherrymeg]

Children are often good witnesses especially younger ones and they often do not have the capacity to lie so I believe it was true when the victim stated a white man had snatched her. Of course we will not definitely know the answer in these cases is found and this may not be possible after all this time.

Kids that feel threatened will lie to protect themselves or family members. Children that are abused or neglected by parents will lie to, social workers, teachers, police, just to stay in the home that they know. They also might fear reprisals from an abusive parent or fear being taken away. If you are kidnapped you want to get back home.
Kids can lie just like adults. Most are harmless. Kids can be more honest in some ways like they don't understand white lies or holding in thoughts that might hurt someone's feelings. A white man snatching her could be true.

 

[jaejae]

Kids that feel threatened will lie to protect themselves or family members. Children that are abused or neglected by parents will lie to, social workers, teachers, police, just to stay in the home that they know. They also might fear reprisals from an abusive parent or fear being taken away. If you are kidnapped you want to get back home.
Kids can lie just like adults. Most are harmless. Kids can be more honest in some ways like they don't understand white lies or holding in thoughts that might hurt someone's feelings. A white man snatching her could be true.

Good points and I agree with what you say but in these circumstances I just feel the child was telling the truth but it takes a lot to change my mind

 

[Nadal]

I agree. The 3 ex-cons who were murdered may have been killed by someone else, but the children were victims of Williams. IIRC, at the time the focus was primarily on the victims being children, not adults. It was a terrifying time for that community.

But it was never proven that he killed a kid, both of his victims were adult males. There were male children, female children and female adults attributed to him. "The 3 ex cons" makes it sound like there's a few adults that haven't been connected to him so maybe don't count them but all the kids were definitely him, not one of the kids have ever been proven as a victim of his and it's never been shown that he harmed kids in any way so maybe that should be the part we dismiss?

I think he should die in prison because he definitely killed two adult men, but i have huge problems with closing dozens of cases on circumstantial evidence, flimsy in several cases.

 

[Betty P]

But it was never proven that he killed a kid, both of his victims were adult males. There were male children, female children and female adults attributed to him. "The 3 ex cons" makes it sound like there's a few adults that haven't been connected to him so maybe don't count them but all the kids were definitely him, not one of the kids have ever been proven as a victim of his and it's never been shown that he harmed kids in any way so maybe that should be the part we dismiss?

I think he should die in prison because he definitely killed two adult men, but i have huge problems with closing dozens of cases on circumstantial evidence, flimsy in several cases.

Do you know if there's any evidence from the other killings, of the younger victims? Is there anything left that could be tested for DNA?

 

[Nadal]

Do you know if there's any evidence from the other killings, of the younger victims? Is there anything left that could be tested for DNA?

No idea, hopefully. Doubt it though considering the circumstances, that's the main reason i need evidence that he harmed a kid before concluding that it was likely all him. Nevermind attributing female deaths to him. Was probably just for electability but the current Atlanta Mayor said she was reopening the case.

 

[Betty P]

No idea, hopefully. Doubt it though considering the circumstances, that's the main reason i need evidence that he harmed a kid before concluding that it was likely all him. Nevermind attributing female deaths to him. Was probably just for electability but the current Atlanta Mayor said she was reopening the case.

A better place to discuss this is over in the Mindhunters thread

https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/mindhunters-netflix-exclusive.354362/page-2

 

[jaejae]

Here is the main Websleuths thread about the Freeway Phantom which has some good information of course:

DC - DC - Freeway Phantom Haunts police

Here is the thread on the Colonial Parkway Murders which has some good information of course:

VA - VA - The Colonial Parkway Murders, 1986-89

 

[jaejae]

Here is a recent list of Unsolved Serial Murder cases that features the Freeway Phantom:

Unsolved crimes by serial killers who might never be caught

Of course we hope the cases will be solved but my feeling is this will be unlikely now although I am not party to want LE knows about the cases of course.

 

[jaejae]

Here is a recent You Tube video about a book about the Freeway Phantom and to me it looks like it might be by the same father and daughter team who appear to have done a very good job with a book about the Colonial Parkway Murders:

 

[jaejae]

Here is a recent You Tube video about a book about the Freeway Phantom and to me it looks like it might be by the same father and daughter team who appear to have done a very good job with a book about the Colonial Parkway Murders:

I of course did not start this thread about it is about a possible connection between the two sets of cases mentioned above.

 

[jaejae]

Here is another recent report about the Freeway Phantom case and as in these cases you can still see the pain in the victims relatives faces:

Unsolved Case of ‘Freeway Phantom’ Haunts Families Decades After Slain Girls Were Found in D.C. Area

Here is a documentary about the cases recently posted on You Tube:

 

[jaejae]

Here is another recent report about the Freeway Phantom case and as in these cases you can still see the pain in the victims relatives faces:

Unsolved Case of ‘Freeway Phantom’ Haunts Families Decades After Slain Girls Were Found in D.C. Area

Here is a documentary about the cases recently posted on You Tube:

Here is part of the above article:

me,” she says. “I didn’t trust anybody. It’s been hard. It still is. Can’t keep a job. Sick. Drugs. A whole bunch of stuff. Still scared. Some days I wish I could just close my eyes, and then it’d be done.”" data-reactid="85">The impact on Carolyn, who was Carol’s twin sister, went deeper. “What was going through my head was, they’re going to get me,” she says. “I didn’t trust anybody. It’s been hard. It still is. Can’t keep a job. Sick. Drugs. A whole bunch of stuff. Still scared. Some days I wish I could just close my eyes, and then it’d be done.”

The second victim was Darlenia Johnson, 16. She was followed by Brenda Faye Crockett, 10; Nenomoshia Yates, 12; Brenda Woodard, 18; and then Williams, before the killer’s spree appeared to stop.

“Diane and I were about as close as siblings could get,” says Patricia Williams. After Diane’s death, “I lost my trust for people,” she says. “I didn’t trust anybody, because I didn’t know who did this. I’ve always been shy, but I stayed like that because of my sister’s death. I didn’t try to venture out.”

“But I also lived,” she says. “I did not want her death to be mine, so I tried to live as I can and try to be positive as much as I can.”

Unsolved Case of ‘Freeway Phantom’ Haunts Families Decades After Slain Girls Were Found in D.C. Area

 

[jaejae]

It appears People magazine has recently broadcast a documentary about the Freeway Phantom:

People Magazine Investigates: The Freeway Phantom (S4EP4 ID Mon 25 Nov 2019)

 

[jaejae]

As I mentioned earlier in the thread the father and daughter team who worked on the Colonial Parkway Murders cases have also been working on the Freeway Phantom cases:

Podcast Tantamount Episode Two Supplemental Material – Body Count