5 Cities In Georgia Where Completely Insane People Were Born
It’s hard to imagine Georgia as the birthplace for anybody considered criminally insane. When we talk about Georgia, it’s normally in such high regard, because well, let’s face it; It’s an amazing place to visit and an even better place to live. But Georgia does have a dark side that many might not know about. Sure, we’re familiar with the famous people born out of our great state, Martin Luther King Jr., Julia Roberts, Franklin D. Roosevelt, etc. But do we know the sordid past of the ones born to Georgia that left trails of evil in their wake? Here are five cities in Georgia, where some of the scariest, most insane people were born.
Joseph Dewey Akin was suspected in more than 100 deaths over the span of 10 years. He was one of the most lethal serial killers born in Marietta, Georgia. But how did he do it, you ask? Akin was a registered nurse that killed his victims in Georgia and Alabama hospitals. Akin would administer Lidocaine, often times well over the necessary amount. He was convicted in 1992 of the murder of Robert J. Price, after providing twice the lethal dose of Lidocaine and four times the therapeutic dose.
Carlton Michael Gary is a well-known American serial killer who was convicted of the murders of elderly white women in Columbus, Georgia during 1977 and 1978. He also was suspected of more murders in New York. But it wasn't just murder that Carlton Gary participated in. He was also convicted of raping, and stealing from these elderly women before strangling or beating them to death. Although questions were raised about Gary's involvement, citing that his fingerprints were nowhere to be found in some crime scenes, he was ultimately sentenced to Death Row in 1986.
They called him the madman with a hatchet. Clinton Bankston Jr. was born in the beautifully quiet town of Athens, Georgia. On August 15, 1987, Bankston savagely hacked three women to death with a hatchet. Bankston was later tied to two more murders, the stabbings of Glenn and Rachel Sutton. Bankston readily admitted guilt to all five murders, and blamed his behavior on his evil internal accomplice named "Chris". Bankston was found legally insane and guilty. He is now serving five consecutive life terms.
Stockbridge is known to some as a more affluent area of Georgia. So many may find it difficult to believe that this is where serial killer Mark Barton was born. On July 29, 1999 Barton killed 12 people and injured 13 more during a shooting spree at two Atlanta trading firms. Noted in those killings were Barton's second wife and two children, who were murdered by hammer blows while they slept. It was reported that Barton lost more than $100K in two days, which prompted his killing spree. Barton ended his life in Acworth, Georgia after police chased him down. Prior to the massacre, Barton had been a suspect in the 1993 beating deaths of his first wife and her mother in Alabama, although he was never convicted.
5. Southwest Atlanta, GA: Birthplace of Wayne Williams
Wayne Williams is one of the most notorious serial killers in the entire state. What started as being convicted for the murder of two men in 1982 eventually led to the discovery of more than 23 murders of children in the Atlanta area. The "Atlanta Child Murders" became a huge case across the country, and Williams maintained his innocence throughout. Although he was the primary suspect, he never was convicted for the child murders, despite the fact he failed three polygraph tests. It was later discovered that a book on how to beat a polygraph test was found in his home.
It’s a tad bit haunting to know that some of these madmen were born right in our backyards. However, it’s a relief to know that they can never hurt another soul again. Do you know any notoriously insane people born in a Georgia city?
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A New Jersey native with over 15 years of writing experience, Marisa has studied at both New York University and Florida International University. She has lived all over the country, including a decade stint in South Florida. Marisa is well-versed in exploration as she travels a good majority of the year in her self-converted Sprinter van. Her articles have been featured in various notable publications over the years, she has a published collection of short stories, and three completed screenplays under her belt.
