By David Lohr

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February 2, 2007

ATLANTA, GA.(Crime Library) —  Earlier this week, Georgia prosecutors agreed to allow DNA testing of dog and human hair evidence used in the 1982 trial of alleged serial child murderer Wayne Williams.  The key evidence at the trial was fiber and dog hair. 

According to the prosecution, a microscopic comparison of dog hairs and tri-lobal carpet fibers found on some of the victims were consistent with hair and fibers taken from Williams' family home and cars.  The evidence was considered controversial from the start.  Despite the fact that the fibers were common to many homes throughout the Atlanta region and the fact that the dog hair evidence was part of an early, inexact science, Williams was convicted of the murders of two young African American men and sentenced to two life terms.  He was also held responsible for 22 other deaths.  

In an article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Dr. James Starrs, a professor of forensics at George Washington University, asserted that microscopic comparison could be helpful in determining a person's race, but not their identification.  "It cannot pinpoint a particular suspect," he said.  Starrs also said that prosecutors sometimes overstate the significance of hair evidence.

Kevin Jon Heller, Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Georgia School of Law, recently published an article at Michiganlawreview.org entitled "The Cognitive Psychology of Circumstantial Evidence."  According to the article, there are methods of forensic analysis that are so "error-prone" that they border on "junk science."  Included in this category is microscopic hair analysis, which Heller says has a false-positive rate of approximately 4%.

Williams' attorneys consider the DNA test a step towards proving their client is innocent.  While state prosecutors do not object to the tests, they say the results will not have an impact on Williams' conviction. 

In an article dated Jan. 30, 2007, published by the Associated Press, Williams' attorney, Jack Marin, is quoted as saying:  "The good news is they've agreed to DNA testing. We just want to see what the testing shows and we'll argue about what it means later.  It's odd that they should claim the dog hair evidence doesn't make any difference when they made such a big deal about it at trial."

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Contact  David Lohr at           crimewriter74@hughes.net

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