The fiber evidence played a very vital role in Wayne Williams’ conviction. Before he ever became a suspect in any of the murder cases, yellowish-green nylon and some violet acetate fibers were located on all of the murder victims’ bodies, hence, a total of about 28 different fibers as well as dog hairs. These fibers were always a positive match to each other, and it was determined that they originated from a single source ("NCJRS Abstract - National Criminal Justice Reference Service"). After Williams became a suspect, the police conducted a search of his residence and found carpet in his bedroom which matched the yellowish-green nylon fibers that were found on the bodies of the victims. While searching the home, Wayne Williams had a German shepherd dog, hence, the same dog hairs that were found on the bodies ("The Atlanta Child Murders: Evidence Vs. Psychics - CSI"). …show more content…
Further investigation determined who the manufacturer of the carpet in his bedroom was. Therefore, this led to the knowledge of when and where that particular style of carpet fiber was manufactured, which led to a compiled list of the purchasers of that carpet style. Therefore the investigation led police to find that the carpet was manufactured by West Point Pepperell ("NCJRS Abstract - National Criminal Justice Reference Service"). With all of the information gathered about that particular carpet style, experts were able to determine that the odds of another home in the Atlanta area having the exact same carpet style as in Williams’ bedroom was only 1 in 7,792. The prosecution had to make it easy for the jury to understand the validity of the fiber evidence. They accomplished this by using experts in the textile industry to educate the jury on the basics of the industry ("NCJRS Abstract - National Criminal Justice Reference