The story was portrayed in Season 2 of Mindhunter but the new series goes even deeper. This could be unmissable.
Given the increasing popularity of the true crime genre, it's not surprising to see Sky Crime airing documentaries on serial killers like
Denis Rader and
Edmund Kemper - both of whom were portrayed in Mindhunter.
Fans of the Netflix drama will definitely be interested in HBO's brand new documentary series, which will delve into the Atlanta Child Murders, the horrific murders that formed the main narrative focus for the second season of Mindhunter.
The upcoming feature is already on
JOE's must-watch list of documentaries in 2020 and
Deadline have confirmed that Atlanta Child Murders (working title) will air on HBO in April.
For those that might be unaware, the Atlanta murders of 1979–1981, more commonly referred to as the Atlanta child murders (although several of the reported victims were adults), were a series of murders committed in Atlanta, Georgia, from the middle of 1979 until May 1981.
Over the two-year period, at least 29 children, teenagers and adults were killed.
Wayne Williams, an Atlanta native who was 23 at the time of the last murder, was arrested, tried and convicted of two of the adult murders. Williams was later sentenced to two consecutive life terms.
Police subsequently attributed a number of the child murders to Williams, although he has not been charged in any of those cases and Williams himself maintains his innocence. In March 2019, the Atlanta police, under order of mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, reopened the cases in hopes that new technology will lead to a conviction.
In its official description of the case, the FBI stated: "Between 1979 and 1981, approximately 29 African-American children, teens, and young adults — mostly boys —were kidnapped and murdered. A majority of the killings shared common details. The FBI joined the multi-agency investigation in 1980. The investigation was closed following the conviction of Wayne Bertram Williams for two of the murders in 1982; after the trial, law enforcement linked Williams to 20 more of the 29 murders."
Deadline say that the documentary will provide a "never-before-seen look at the abduction and murder of at least 30 African American children and young adults that occurred over a two-year period in Atlanta in the late-‘70s and early-‘80s, from the initial disappearance and discovery of two murdered teenage boys and the fear that gripped the city, to the prosecution and indictment of 23-year-old Atlanta native Wayne Williams and the rush to officially shut down the case.
"With unprecedented access and a treasure trove of archival material, this timely documentary series brings new evidence to light as the cases are reopened, providing a powerful window into one of America’s darkest chapters."
The series will also reveal a community which "desperately sought justice from the city and law enforcement officials during the crisis and found it heartbreakingly lacking" and provide insights and interviews with key figures and experts, including the victims’ families, law enforcement officials, Williams’ defence attorney and Williams himself.
As is the norm with any HBO feature, we fully expect Atlanta Child Murders to air on Sky Crime and NOW TV shortly after it goes on release in the US.
Watch this space.
