In 1979, 1980 and 1981, Atlanta was hit like a time bomb when kids were being abducted and murdered in the city. At that time, I was in a group called Gemini - a group formed and managed by Wayne Williams. We were rehearsing and recording material for our upcoming album. Long hours and many days were spent with Wayne in the studio and at photo shoots.

During this time, I got to know his parents and some of his friends. And, Wayne was introduced to my mother and my brothers and sisters. Wayne and I became like family, spending about four days out of the week putting together our music project.

At the end of spring, 1981, the police and FBI started harassing Wayne. The group members and I noticed that we were being following to and from the studio. We asked Wayne about it and he confirmed that they were, in fact, being following and that the FBI thought that Wayne had something to do with the murdered children. He told us not to worry about the harassment and to just stay focused on the music project at hand.

But, on June 3, 1981, as Wayne was driving us home from the studio, he got frustrated with the continued harassment and pulled over to a store to make a call. At that point, the FBI and police swarmed Wayne’s vehicle and told me and the other group member that they were going to take us home because they were getting ready to take Wayne into custody for questioning.

The police took us home and Wayne went to jail. After Wayne’s arrest warrant in June, we were instructed by the attorneys to freeze the music project. That was in 1981 and the group, Gemini, never moved forward after that.

Lives were devastated, time moved on and nothing was ever the same again. This case became known as the Atlanta Missing and Murdered Chidrens Case and my life and many others would be altered and changed forever. My heart goes out to Faye and Homer Williams, Wayne’s parents, whom I got to know very well; and my heart goes out to the parents of the victims. None of us have forgotten your pain. Wayne is the 30^th victim in this case and my heart breaks for his 30+ year incarceration.

It is my hope that there will come a day in the very near future when Wayne Williams walks out of prison a free man, with his name cleared. I knew in my heart and soul from the start and I know in my heart and soul now that Wayne is an innocent man. My feelings towards this have never wavered. I look forward to the day when I can shake his hand again, as a free man. I pray for that day to come sooner rather than later.

Howard J.