Susan Granger’s review of “WHO KILLED ATLANTA’S CHILDREN?” (Showtime TV – Sunday, July 16, and Wed., July 19, at 8 P.M. )
“It’s not quite justice, but it’s a start…” notes James Belushi at the conclusion of this powerful, provocative exploration of the conspiracy and cover-up that diverted the search for the truth in the Atlanta child murders of 1979-1981. Belushi and Gregory Hines play two Spin magazine journalists who went to Atlanta in pursuit of answers to a case that had left frustrated mothers, haunted by grief. “There’s something hanging over this town,” Hines says. “I can feel it.” While Wayne Williams was convicted of some of the slayings, it was obvious that he was not the primary culprit and parents of the slain African-American children were critical of the way the case was abruptly closed. Integral to the reporters’ investigation are tips from an Atlanta police officer about the incompetence of 14 different law enforcement agencies, including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI. That leads them to uncover the secret investigation Task Force which developed evidence from reliable informants that members of a Ku Klux Klan “Death Squad” were involved as part of a child prostitution ring. Meanwhile, both men – husbands and fathers – are concerned that their own families may be in danger, particularly when they’re run off the road in a terrifying encounter with angry locals one night. On the Granger Made-for-TV Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Who Killed Atlanta’s Children?” is a sad, controversial 7. Writer/director Charles Robert Carner reveals that this secret investigation actually occurred but that some names and some details have been changed. Wayne Williams’ appeal case is currently going through the legal process before the Georgia courts.
