The Georgia Parole Board denied parole for Wayne Williams, 61, the primary suspect in the Atlanta child murders that devastated the city and the nation 40 years ago, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
Between 1979-1981, more than 20 Black children were murdered in the Atlanta area. Williams has always maintained his innocence in the child murders and has never been charged in any child’s death.
He is currently serving two life sentences with the possibility of parole for the murders of two adults.
The Georgia Parole Board sent a letter to Williams saying that there was an “insufficient amount of time served to date given the nature and circumstances of your offense(s).”
According to Fox5 Atlanta, Williams’ next parole hearing is scheduled for November 2027. The news of the board’s denial comes just as Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announces that evidence collected in the child murders will be re-examined.
In addition to Williams, the Ku Klux Klan has also long been suspected of committing the killings.