Evil is real and alive in every state or country. Read the following horrific stories of some of the most notorious serial killers that hailed from Georgia. Some of our darkest days in Georgia history happened because of these five evil people.
1. Joseph Dewey Akin
Akin was a nurse from Marietta, GA that killed his victims in both Alabama and Georgia hospitals. Thirty-two-year-old paraplegic Robert J. Price died of a Lidocaine overdose administered by Akin. Akin claimed that he was trying to resuscitate the man, but the victim's body was found with two times the lethal dosage of Lidocaine and four times the therapeutic amount. Akin became a point of suspicion when coworkers noticed more emergency situations took place when he was around in both Georgia and Alabama. Also, coworkers noticed at least four types of heart drugs stolen. Akin was only convicted of one murder, but it is strongly believed he is involved in the deaths of 16+ victims. Police officers believe Akin received a thrill from the emergency situations. Read more about Akin here
2. Clinton Bankston, Jr.
Bankston was a juvenile with a blood curdling taste for murder. In 1987, three women, 63-year-old Ann Morris, her 59-year-old sister, Sally Nicholson and Sally's daughter, Helen (22) were found brutally hatched to death in their home in Athens, GA. Their bodies were so mutilated that they had to be identified through post-mordem testing. The next day, cops snagged Bankston and he was charged with the brutal stabbing of Glen and Rachel Sutton. Only 16-years-old at the time of his crimes, Bankston was saved from the death sentence because of a state law forbidding the death sentence to juveniles 16 or younger. He is now serving five consecutive life sentences. Read more about Bankston here
3. Mark Barton
Barton's chilling smile is the mark of a madman on the edge. Barton hails from Stockbridge, GA and is known for the 1999 shootings at Atlanta trading firms, Momentum Securities and the All-Tech Investment Group. He shot and killed nine people and injured 13 others. What made Barton snap that day? It's believed to be because of the more than $100K he lost in the previous two months. When police caught up with him at an Acworth gas station, Barton ended his life with a gun. But this disturbing story gets even more gruesome--his second wife and two children were found hammered to death in his home. Before this tragic incident, Barton was a suspect in the beating murders of his first wife and mother-in-law. In a note he left by his murdered children, he denied any involvement in the murders of his first wife and mother-in-law saying "...There is no reason for me to lie now." Read more about Barton here
4. Carlton Gary
Gary hails from Columbus, GA and is known for the gruesome rape and murders of seven elderly women in Columbus, GA--and only one rape victim survived. He is believed to be responsible for even more raping and murders in New York. His stories of how he committed his crimes are even more disturbing than the crimes themselves. Gary moved to Albany, NY and he and an accomplice robbed an 85-year-old retired teacher in her home. She was raped and murdered, and while Gary was a suspect, he testified against his accomplice accusing him of the rape and murder and was only jailed for being an accomplice to the crime. When he was released in 1975, he moved to Syracuse, NY where two more women were raped and strangled with a scarf. Gary was never convicted of these crimes but was sent back to prison on a parole violation even though he was caught trying to sell stolen items from one of the victim's homes. He escaped from his low-level security prison by sawing through the bars and made it back to his hometown, Columbus, GA. He became known as the Stocking Strangler, raping and strangling elderly women throughout Columbus, GA. He was apprehended while attempting to rob a South Carolina restaurant. He was sentenced to death row in 1986. Read more about Gary here
5. Wayne Williams
In 1980, the FBI was called to investigate the murder of several African American children in Atlanta, GA. Wayne Williams was identified as the main suspect in the murders but was never charged for the children's murders. Williams was born and raised in Atlanta's Dixie Hill neighborhood, the place where many of his alleged victims dissapeared from. He was an aspiring DJ and a known compulsive liar. The police heard a loud splash right beneath William's car and when they interrogated him about it, he lied saying he was going out of town to audition a singer. The phone number and name of the singer he provided was never identified. Three days later, the nude body of a male turned up in the same river police stopped Williams by. In addition to his suspicious activity, Williams failed three polygraph tests and a book on how to beat a polygraph test was found in his home. When put on trial for the murder of the young man, prosecuters matched several sources of fibers from Williams's environment connected to a number of victims. From the summer of 1979 til the spring of 1981, a total of 28 African American children and adults were killed. Williams was only convicted of two of the murders, but is suspected to be involved in many more. Read more about Williams here
Do any of you remember these horrific cases when they happened? Are they any other notorious serial killers from Georgia that you remember in recent history? Tell us about them in the comments below.
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