Offender Record · OFF-2026-187
Wayne Williams (photo from the Radford University biography)
Wayne Bertram Williams
Also known as Atlanta Monster, Atlanta Boogeyman, Atlanta Child Killer, The Night Stalker
Sex
Male
Race
African American
Height
5'7"
Hair
black
Eyes
brown
Born
1958
Custody
Incarcerated
States
GA
Custody
Incarcerated at Telfair State Prison
Custody record at the facility
Sentenced to two consecutive life sentences on February 27, 1982. Denied parole in November 2019; next eligible for parole in November 2027.
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Wayne Bertram Williams was born May 27, 1958, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was convicted of the murders of two adult men—Nathaniel Cater, age 27, and Jimmy Ray Payne, age 21—in 1982 in Fulton County. Williams received two consecutive life sentences. Police closed 22 additional murder cases in the Atlanta area and attributed them to Williams, though he was never charged in those cases. Williams is currently incarcerated at Telfair State Prison in McRae-Helena, Georgia.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Apr 21, 1981, Atlanta, Georgia
Murder (Jimmy Ray Payne)
Fulton County Police Department / Atlanta Police Department · Fulton County Superior Court · Arrested Jun 21, 1981 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment (consecutive with first count)
Jimmy Ray Payne, a 21-year-old male, was last seen on or around April 21, 1981. His body was recovered from the Chattahoochee River. Witness testimony placed Williams with Payne the day before he disappeared. Fiber and hair evidence from Williams' home, car, and dog matched the victim's remains.
SourcesWayne Williams; Wayne Williams - Murders, Atlanta & Facts; Bloodstains Match, Atlanta Trial Is Told; Williams indicted on 2 counts of murder in Atlanta
Offense date May 21, 1981, Atlanta, Georgia
Murder (Nathaniel Cater)
Fulton County Police Department / Atlanta Police Department · Fulton County Superior Court · Arrested Jun 21, 1981 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment (consecutive with second count)
Nathaniel Cater, a 27-year-old male, was last seen around May 21, 1981. His nude body was recovered from the Chattahoochee River on May 24, 1981. Medical examiner ruled cause of death as probable asphyxia. Williams was observed near the James Jackson Parkway Bridge by surveillance team who heard a splash the morning of May 22; his white 1970 Chevrolet station wagon was seen leaving the bridge. Fiber and hair evidence from the vehicle matched the victim.
SourcesWayne Williams; Wayne Williams - Murders, Atlanta & Facts; Bloodstains Match, Atlanta Trial Is Told; Serial Killers, Part 5: Wayne Williams and the Atlanta Child Murders
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
2
Victims convicted
0
Victims confessed
22
Victims suspected
Active years
1979–1981
Range from home
local
Education
high school
Marital history
Never married
Children
0
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Federal Bureau of Investigation · GA
Joined investigation in 1980; provided profilers and surveillance; part of task force
Source: FBI
DeKalb County Police Department · GA
Chief Louis Graham reopened cases of four boys killed in DeKalb County attributed to Williams
Fulton County Sheriff's Office · GA
Held Williams in custody at Fulton County Jail after arrest
Fulton County District Attorney's Office · GA
Lewis Slaton led prosecution; office created Conviction Integrity Unit in 2019 to reexamine case
Georgia Bureau of Investigation · GA
Part of task force; conducted forensic fiber analysis; participated in cold case review
Georgia Department of Corrections · GA
Williams currently incarcerated at Telfair State Prison
Source: Wikipedia
Atlanta Police Department · GA
Led initial investigation; part of task force; reopened cases in 2018-2019 for DNA testing
Source: Wikipedia, FBI, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fulton County Police Department · GA
Part of multi-agency task force investigating murders
Source: Wikipedia, The Michigan Daily
Telfair State Prison · GA
Current place of incarceration; Williams serving life sentence
Source: Wikipedia
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
GA
Atlanta, Georgia
1958 – 1981 · Dixie Hills neighborhood of southwest Atlanta; lived with parents Homer and Faye Williams
Atlanta, Georgia
1973 – 1974 · WIGO radio
Atlanta, Georgia
1974 – 1976 · WRAZ (home-based carrier current radio station)
Atlanta, Georgia
1976 – 1976 · Frederick Douglass High School, graduated with honors
Atlanta, Georgia
1976 – 1976 · WBJE radio, announcer and reporter
Atlanta, Georgia
May 1976 – May 1976 · Arrested for impersonating a police officer; never convicted
Atlanta, Georgia
Jan 1977 – Mar 1979 · Georgia State University, majored in business administration and psychology, dropped out
Atlanta, Georgia
1977 – 1977 · WGST radio, researcher
East Point, Georgia
Aug 1978 – Aug 1978 · Charged by East Point Police Department with making a false charge; charges dismissed
Atlanta, Georgia
1979 – 1981 · WSB-TV, photographer on special assignment; also worked as freelance cameraman, music manager/talent scout
Atlanta, Georgia
May 22, 1981 – May 22, 1981 · Questioned near James Jackson Parkway Bridge over Chattahoochee River after surveillance team heard splash; released without charge
Atlanta, Georgia
Jun 21, 1981 – Jun 21, 1981 · Arrested and charged with murder of Nathaniel Cater; later also indicted for murder of Jimmy Ray Payne
Atlanta, Georgia
Jun 21, 1981 – Feb 27, 1982 · Fulton County Jail; held pending trial and conviction
Valdosta, Georgia
approx. 1982 – 1991 · Valdosta Correctional Institution
McRae–Helena, Georgia
approx. 1991 – present · Telfair State Prison
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1974 white or light blue Plymouth station wagon – Station wagon used by Williams in talent scout work; mentioned in 1981 incident
approx. 1974 – 1981
Witnesses testified Williams used multiple vehicles (green, blue, white); 1974 Plymouth specifically mentioned in early investigation
1970 white Chevrolet station wagon – White 1970 Chevrolet station wagon; primary vehicle used in murders
approx. 1970 – 1981
Vehicle was stopped by police on May 22, 1981 after witness team heard splash in Chattahoochee River. Fiber and dog hair evidence from vehicle matched victims. Bloodstains found in vehicle matched blood types of victims.
Timeline
May 27, 1958
Wayne Bertram Williams born in Atlanta's Dixie Hills neighborhood to Homer and Faye Williams, both schoolteachers.
1973
At age 15, Williams worked as an announcer for WIGO radio in Atlanta.
1974
At age 16, Williams started his own radio station, WRAZ, from his home.
1976
Williams worked as an announcer and reporter for WBJE radio.
1976
Williams graduated with honors from Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta.
May 1976
Williams arrested in Atlanta for impersonating a police officer; never convicted.
Jan 1977
Williams enrolled at Georgia State University, majoring in business administration and psychology.
1977
Williams worked as a researcher for WGST radio.
Aug 1978
Williams charged by East Point Police Department with making a false charge; charges later dismissed.
1979
Williams worked as a photographer on special assignment with WSB-TV; continued work as talent scout and freelance photographer.
Mar 1979
Williams dropped out of Georgia State University.
Jul 21, 1979
First victim in series, a 14-year-old boy, disappeared (first recorded victim in Atlanta murders series).
May 22, 1981
Police surveillance team at James Jackson Parkway Bridge over Chattahoochee River heard loud splash around 2:52 a.m.; white 1970 Chevrolet station wagon driven by Wayne Williams observed leaving bridge. Williams stopped and questioned but released.
May 24, 1981
Nude body of Nathaniel Cater, age 27, recovered from Chattahoochee River downstream from where Williams was observed on May 22.
Jun 03, 1981
Williams questioned by FBI and Atlanta police for twelve hours at FBI headquarters; submitted to polygraph tests (inconclusive results); released but remained under surveillance.
Jun 21, 1981
Wayne Williams arrested and charged with murder of Nathaniel Cater.
Jul 17, 1981
Grand jury indicts Williams on two counts of murder: Nathaniel Cater and Jimmy Ray Payne.
Dec 28, 1981
Trial begins; jury selection starts.
1982
First appeal denied.
Jan 06, 1982
Trial testimony begins following holiday adjournment in Fulton County Superior Court, Judge Clarence Cooper presiding.
Feb 27, 1982
Jury finds Williams guilty of two counts of murder (Nathaniel Cater and Jimmy Ray Payne).
Feb 27, 1982
Williams sentenced to two consecutive life sentences by Judge Clarence Cooper.
Mar 01, 1982
Atlanta police announce that 21 other cases connected to the murders can be linked to Williams and declare them closed; total reaches 22-24 cases attributed to Williams.
1983
Second appeal denied.
1985
Third appeal denied.
1999
Fourth appeal denied.
2000
Fifth appeal denied.
2001
Sixth appeal denied.
2006
Eighth appeal denied; motion for DNA testing granted if defense will conduct testing.
2007
Ninth appeal denied.
Nov 2019
Williams denied parole; next eligible for parole in November 2027.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · Wikipedia ·
Wayne Williams“Wayne Bertram Williams (born May 27, 1958) is an American convicted murderer and serial killer who is serving life imprisonment for the 1981 killings of two men in Atlanta, Georgia.”
Other government record · Wikipedia ·
Telfair State Prison“Wayne Williams, believed by police to be responsible for at least 23 of the 30 Atlanta murders of 1979–1981”
News report · Encyclopedia.com ·
Wayne Williams Trial: 1981“Following an adjournment for the holidays, testimony got under way on January 6, 1982.”
News report · EBSCO ·
Atlanta child murders“On February 27, 1982, the jury found Williams guilty of the two murders. Two days later, members of the task force declared that Williams had killed twenty-one others on the list.”
News report · Grunge ·
Whatever Happened To Convicted Killer Wayne Williams?“Convicted killer Wayne Williams is serving a life sentence at Georgia's Telfair State Prison for two murders he was found guilty of committing in Atlanta in the early 1980s.”
Other government record · Wikipedia ·
Hancock State Prison“Convicted serial killer Wayne Williams is serving a life sentence at Hancock”
News report · Biography.com ·
Wayne Williams - Murders, Atlanta & Facts“On June 21, 1981, Williams was arrested, and on February 27, 1982, he was found guilty of the murders of Cater and another man, Jimmy Ray Payne, 21.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Atlanta murders of 1979–1981“Over the two-year period, at least 28 African-American children, adolescents, and adults were killed. Wayne Williams, an Atlanta native who was 23 years old at the time of the last murder, was arrested, tried, and convicted of two of the adult murders and sentenced to two consecutive life terms.”
News report · FOX 5 Atlanta ·
FOX 5 I-Team Special 'Pattern of a Killer: The Trial of Wayne Williams'“Williams was convicted of killing two adults in 1982 and sentenced to two life terms in prison. Following William's conviction, police cleared an additional 22 murder cases.”
Law enforcement release · FBI ·
Serial Killers, Part 5: Wayne Williams and the Atlanta Child Murders“The driver was a 23-year-old African-American freelance photographer named Wayne Williams.”
Other · Radford University ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Williams, Wayne“Born in Atlanta's Dixie Hills Neighborhood to Homer and Faye Williams, both of whom were teachers”
News report · Atlanta Journal-Constitution ·
From 1982: Atlanta Child Murders: Williams guilty“Wayne B. Williams, a 23-year-old aspiring musical talent scout, was convicted Saturday of murdering Nathaniel Cater and Jimmy Ray Payne.”
News report · The Washington Post ·
Bloodstains Match, Atlanta Trial Is Told“Bloodstains taken from a white 1970 Chevrolet station wagon Wayne B. Williams drove about the city match the blood types of two young murdered blacks”
News report · The Michigan Daily ·
Williams indicted on 2 counts of murder in Atlanta“Wayne Williams, a self-styled talent scout who lured young blacks with promises of a musical career, was indicted yesterday for two of the 28 murders that terrorized Atlanta”
News report · Atlanta Journal-Constitution ·
From 1981: Wayne Williams is charged in Nathaniel Cater's slaying“Wayne B. Williams, a 23-year-old black freelance cameraman was arrested Sunday afternoon and charged with murder in connection with the slaying of Nathaniel Cater”
News report · TIME ·
At Last, at Least a Suspect“Williams, an electronics and short-wave radio buff, had been arrested (but not convicted) in 1976 for impersonating a police officer”
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