Investigations Carried Out in Atlanta Murder Case and the Beltway Sniper Attack Case - Research Paper Example

Assignment Introduction Interrogation is a method of studying human nature. Criminologists are required to take the support of deceptive techniques in order to make a suspect confess regarding a criminal activity. Most of the interrogators believe that an innocent person would never confess about a crime under any circumstances. The interrogation rooms in the United States are generally sound proof and it contains a one-way mirror for detectives to analyze the reaction of a suspect with respect to the questions asked by the interrogators. Criminologists not only emphasize on proving the guilt of a suspect, they also try to understand and analyze the reason due to which the suspect committed a criminal activity. The primary objective of criminologists is to study various factors that motivate a suspected criminal to commit the crime. They consider social and psychological concerns descriptively and also determine whether any biological situations led a suspect to commit the criminal activity. In order to complete the research successfully two real-time cases related to murder has been considered in the study. The first case is about a famous murder case of United States of America, i.e. “The Atlanta Child Murders.” This murder case became a matter of terror for people because innocent children of Atlanta were abducted and killed by a person named Wayne Williams. Wayne Williams was convicted for the killings of more than twenty children along with two adults. The second case is about “The Beltway Sniper Attacks.” A series of murders were coordinated over a period of three weeks in the month of October 2002. The incident occurred in Virginia, Washington D.C. and Maryland. According to the reports it has been observed that ten people were killed during the shootout and three people were critically injured. This research paper illustrates descriptively about the investigations that were carried out in both the cases after the occurrence of the murders. Analysis This part of the report will analyze two different cases. Case 1: Atlanta Murder Case The Atlanta Child Murders case occurred between 1979 and 1981 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. In the two-year period around twenty eight children were killed along with two adults. During the spring of 1981, Wayne Williams; an Atlanta naïve was arrested for and convicted for the murders of the two adults. Initially the local police did-not know about Williams’ involvement in the murders of the children however, the accused was termed guilty later for killings of more than 20 children in the state. The FBI got the first major break in this case after they confidentially decided to watch over a dozen of bridges in the area. On May 22, 1981, Wayne Williams was arrested by the FBI near a bridge over the river where some bodies of previous victims were recovered. After the break-through the investigation of the murder case was driven positively. The local police and the FBI worked together in the investigation and undermined the evidences that were acquired from the suspected house and vehicle. Since the serial killings lasted for a longer duration there was an active participation of the government and media regarding the issue (Turner, 2012). After the progression of the task force, criminalist Larry Peterson identified some distinctive fibers from the victims’ bodies. There were some violet acetate fibers and yellowish-green nylon fibers on the body of the victims. Peterson was also able to recover dog hair from the bodies which were similar to the dog of the suspect. According to the evidences available from the house of the suspect William it was clear that the suspect was responsible for the murders conducted in Atlanta. The New York Times published on March 15, 1981, that the motive behind the murders was homosexuality. The investigation of the police was affected greatly after they considered homosexuality to be a probable reason behind the murders. The police started to investigate in the Gay community in order to get information about the killings. However, it was significantly proved that the victims were not sexually abused by Dr. John Feegel, medical examiner for Fulton County. The police had another misleading regarding the murders i.e. hate against the Black community. The victims of the serial killings were African-American children. People were led to believe that the hatred against the African-Americans in the American society was the result of the murders in the city. Therefore, the local police started to investigate based on the instincts. After Williams was arrested everyone was shocked because the person himself was an African-American resident of Atlanta. This shows that the investigation of the police lagged greatly because they went behind the most obvious catch. The police department should have responded actively based on the evidences obtained from the body of victims. The Atlanta Children Murders case grew popular in the year 1981 and the President was concerned about the killing himself. The FBI was given the responsibility in the year 1981 to crack the case and secure the people of Georgia (Hickey, 2012). This action could have been taken earlier and the lives of some victims could have been saved. Even after the first major break Williams was not interrogated properly. The FBI had recovered sufficient evidence to close the case and finalize the charge sheet but they did not put much pressure on the suspect to break by him and confess about the activities. The interrogators and the criminologists working in the investigation of the Atlanta Child Murders had sorted out many evidences based on which Williams was accused as the convict. Based on the explanation provided by the criminologist Larry Peterson it is significant that the van that was seized along with the accused was the carrier of the body of the victims after the murders. The defense lawyer of Williams stated that he was not guilty and the real convicts were still enjoying their freedom. Though similar incidents did-not occur in the area after the arrest of Williams but he did-not confess about the murders for a long time. Williams was mentally very strong and the detectives investigating the case could not break him for confession (Geberth, 2006). The criminologists should have incorporated different type of techniques to recover information from Williams. In order to break the criminals mentally criminologists have different type of techniques including false statements to suppress the mental strength of the convict. Since Williams was caught alone on the bridge where some of the dead bodies were found, the detectives could have charged him strongly against the incidents. Furthermore, the FBI had found a book related to ‘how to beat polygraph test’ in the convict’s house they could have implemented other strategies to break him down. Williams failed three polygraph tests and it became a strong point in favor of his defense during jurisdictions. The agents used strong interrogative strategy against Williams in order to make him confess during the trials. Psychological profiling is an essential aid while conducting investigations. Many criminologists and personality experts believe that the major changes in personality occur after an individual turns-up to teenage. The criminal aspect of an individual’s personality tends to outburst during a particular age range i.e. from 17-24 (Jenkins, 2003). The interest and desire changes radically when an individual incepts criminal thoughts and motives. In case of Wayne Williams, criminologists have recovered that his interest and motives were unlike criminals. He had music in his profession as he used to participate in radio broadcasts. During investigations, the interrogators found that Williams had a violent nature. He did not like to be interviewed repeatedly and he hated to answer same question frequently. This factor became an advantage for the investigators as they implemented frustrating questions repeatedly during the interrogations. Since, Williams refused continuously about the murders therefore the FBI and the local police had to go through the entire evidences randomly. The Atlanta Children murder case had been highlighted in the American society because it included frequent missing of children. The media and the local society demanded the criminal to be caught and punished. Williams had a strong mind-set and it became hard for the investigators to break him. There was one lag in the Atlanta Children Murder case i.e. about 23 children were believed to be killed by Williams during the period. However, on whole 29 African-American children were missing from the society and their murder cases are still unsolved. There is another loop-hole in the murder case that Williams agreed that he murdered the two adults but he never agreed about the killings of the children. The forensic reports and the evidences were put against Williams and he was proved to be guilty. The question here remains that “why Williams did-not agree about the murder of 23 children” for which he was blamed. Another mysterious question remains that “Was Williams set-up for the murder of the children due to immense pressure from the government and people.” These questions remain unanswered because the face of a murderer was shown to the society and they6 became happy (Liebert, 2005). The police also stated later that if Williams was not guilty of the children murders why the killings would stop after his arrest. Case 2: The Beltway Sniper Attack In most of the cases, the motive behind the occurrence of killings can be attention seeking, thrill and anger. The Beltway sniper attacks are viewed as one of the worst outbreaks of crime that terrorized the regions of Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia. These sequences of coordinated shootings lead to the death of 10 people. These series of rampage were breached by Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad. During the time of shootings, the shooters tried to lay fear into eyes of people and alter their day-to-day routine. The crime began with robberies and murders in Washington State, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, California, Arizona and Alabama. The total victim count for crime spree was 10 injuries and 17 deaths. This dramatic event of Beltway sniper attacks took for three weeks in the year 2002. The shooters used to change their location to make hard for investigators (Powell, 2011). An anonymous caller provided a lead for police to check out robbery-murder on a liquor store in Montgomery. It provided opportunity for investigators to respond to crime scene. Eventually, a magazine with fingerprints of Lee Boyd Malvo was found. Furthermore, the identification of John Allen Muhammad was found by purchased blue Chevrolet Caprice. This horror Beltway sniper attacks has paralyzed Washington region for weeks. The prime purpose of the report is to present vivid explanation is finding ways to forecast deter and prevent of further attacks. There are varieties of factors that can determine the occurrence of crimes. The event of Beltway sniper attacks is the cause of attention seeking and anger. Many prosecutors believe that the prime reason behind sniper attacks can be act of terrorism. But from perspective of criminologist, the hunt for innocent people wasan act of anger and aggression. In an area of sociology, the analyzing of crime is to find better ways to prevent future criminal behavior and determine prime reason behind the cause of crime. Some prosecutors stated that Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad used several jihad-related pictures in their attacks.According to the Washington Post, the leader of Islam; Louis Farrakhan was under attack by white people (Pipes, 2006). This is one of the prime reasons behind Beltway sniper attacks. This attack is done to create fear among people of Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia. The pattern of shootings was different. In each of shooting cases, single bullet was fired was long distance. The information provided by prosecutors as act of terrorism is not viable. The shooter tries to generate greater deal of public uneasiness.From personal point of view, the fear of random shootings is an act of attention seeking approach. This rise of fear among public can be found when people used to walk quickly at their personal car quickly at petrol station. On 2nd October, the sniper killed James D. Martin outside of Food Warehouse. Consequently, at two hour time of shooting spree, four people were killed in Montgomery County. Investigators and police department of Washington D.C. announce that they are working on the case (Clark, 2012). It should have been notified earlier that these cases of long distance shooting at various locations can only be done my skilled sniper killer. Furthermore, it required high powered weapons to kill people at fare long distances. On 4th October, a woman was shot outside craft store situated in Fredericksburg. But luckily the woman was sounded and survived. The police department has offered 50,000 dollars as a reward (Stewart, 2005). The police chief of the Montgomery County Police Department is investigating the Beltway sniper attacks. By Friday night, investigators stated that attacks on 2nd October and 3rd October are connected with same gun. Moreover, the shooter tried to engage police department by creating most of the attacks on different locations to make investigators and police confused. It is believed that the motivational factor of teenage is on high. John Allen Muhammad motivated Lee Boyd Malvo to show their power and will to the people. June Boyle, the Fairfax County Police Detective was with interrogation room with Lee Boyd Malvo. At the time of interrogation process, June Boyle stated that the sniper suspect Malvo has rejected and laughed off by hearing some of the shootings. In interrogation room, police detective used microphone rather than using camera. This made sniper suspect Malvo to stop answering any question (Coppola, 2005). The action of Malvo is viewed as true motivational factor. The boy was asked several questions regarding 3 week of shooting spree. The interrogator asked if all of the shootings are connected with the death of Linda franklin. Discussion The part of the essay will discuss about two cases. Case 1: Atlanta Murder Case From the above analysis it is clear that the Atlanta Children Murder mystery was solved by the FBI with extensive help of the local police in the year 1982. Several evidences from the forensic reports prove the participation of Williams in the murders. Since Williams was a 23 year man the police believed that he might have a partner to help him during the mysterious kidnappings and murders. The investigators working in this case experienced huge pressure from the society and media during their work. After frequent interrogations it was observed that Williams was working alone during the kidnappings and murder (Walsh, 2005). The FBI believed that Williams confessed about the murders of the adults because he was caught red-handed during the decomposition of the victim’s body. They also stated that during the murder of the children any direct clue was not found which took time in the investigations. Based on the information available from the analysis two different outcomes can be generated in the murder mystery. First of all, Williams was responsible for the murder of the children according to the forensic reports. This argument is correct and the defense lawyers gave false statements regarding the suspect’s innocence. The second outcome of the murder mystery is the non-acceptance of William towards the murder of the children. William accepted his guilt and confessed about the murder of the adults but he did-not confess about the murder of the children. The forensic reports could have been tampered in order to fix Williams for the murder cases as three polygraph tests failed to prove Williams as guilty. These factors are very important in this murder case. From a criminologist’s perspective the motive of the accused has not been quite clear in this murder case. Moreover, Williams was a teenager and he did-not have any homosexual attributes. The body of the victims also did-not have any sign to be sexually assaulted by the murderer. Williams was a local naïve of Atlanta who used to stay with his parents (Anderson, 2007). Williams was an African-American. Therefore, there is no direct link that can prove the convicts motive to the murders. Several questions have been asked about the murder being framed in the history but the FBI and the local police illustrated all the evidences acquired from the body of the victims and showed the link between William and the victims. Some local people had also reported after the arrest of Williams that He was seen with one or two of the children before they were murdered. Therefore, anger and rage against the society can be a possible factor for Williams to conduct the murders. Another outcome strictly denies Williams involvement with the murder of the children because evidences obtained could be framed. Case 2: The Beltway Sniper Attack It is believed that the lack of public progress have created difficulty for investigators to find enough evidence to suspect Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad on sniper attacks. But finding trace of blue Chevrolet Caprice helped investigators to stop this series of coordination attacks on people of Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland.Lee Boyd Malvo was first victim to get caught by police. The early signal of eyewitness was white box truck. Furthermore, it is considered that the process of interrogation was some not effective way to get complete information and some hint about sniper attacks. The interrogation process was done with microphone with prevented Lee Boyd Malvo to provide sufficient information about severe attacks during the time of three weeks (Bunker, 2009). Moreover, it would have been identified earlier by federal authorities that these attacks were done my professional shooter. It took almost 5 days for police department to state that these dramatic Beltway sniper attacks were done from long distances. At the time f interrogation, stable individuals do not react to the matter of long process of questioning (Knox, 2003). The process of interrogation should take small time. The interrogator tried to ask Lee Boyd Malvo that the prime cause behind the occurrence of sniper attacks. Therefore, it can be stated that murder is still a case of mystery. There can be participation of other external sources. This makes this brutal case of Beltway sniper attacks more mysterious. Conclusion From the above analysis and discussion, it is possible to state that both the interrogations and investigations by detectives were beneficial in the two murder cases. In the first case, the Atlanta Children Murder case became a distinct mystery for the police and people. The localities of Atlanta were traumatized by the killings of the children and they needed help from the police and the government. The issue became vital for the police and they started to take aggressive steps to get the murderer. Wayne Williams was caught in the year 1982 and his trials continued for two months. Williams did-not confess about the murder of the children even after he was sentenced for imprisonment. The jurisdiction of Williams was conveyed based on the reports and evidences available from the forensics. In the second case, the investigators have done a pretty good job to gather evidences against the prime suspects, who were responsible for the sniper attack. The type and nature of the attack can clearly suggest that the crime was committed by the professional shooters. In the initial stage, the investigation should have taken more pace and the investigators should handle this case expertly. It took five day to determine the distance from shooting area, which is unacceptable. Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad were the major suspects in this case and they should have handled more strictly to determine whether there is an external influence or not and the administration department should also have taken an expert’s step to get external support to find out the external bodies reasons behind this shooting case. References Anderson, E. (2007). “Black Atlanta: An Eco-social Approach to Narratives of the Atlanta Child Murders”. PMLA Studies, 2(1), 14. Bunker, R. (2009). “Domestic Radical Islamic Insurgency by Ones and Twos and the Politics of Self-Delusion”. Journal of Legislation, 1(1), 16. Clark, D. (2012). “Tag-liability for damages’. Communication Studies, 8(3), 5. Coppola, D. (2005). “Gripped by fear”. Disaster Prevention and Management, 2(1), 12. Geberth, V. (2006). “Mass, serial and sensational homicides: the investigative perspective”. Bulletin of the New York Academy, 2(1), 8. Hickey, E. (2012). “Serial Murders and Their Victims”. 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