"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" Murder - Savannah, Georgia
N 32° 04.276 W 081° 05.730
17S E 490986 N 3548339
This house on Savannah's Monterey Square is the scene of the murder portrayed in the non-fiction book and movie, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil".
Waymark Code: WM2DC7
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 10/15/2007
Views: 201
In was in this house on the night of May 2, 1981, that the murder of Danny Hansford took place, a murder made famous in John Berendt's best-selling non-fiction novel and subsequent movie, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil".
Charged in the murder was Hansford's employer, Jim Williams, noted Savannah antiques dealer and restorer of historic homes. After four trials, Williams was eventually aqcuitted for the murder. He is the only defendant in the state of Georgia to be tried four times for the same crime.
Unfortunately, Williams was not able to enjoy his freedom for very long; he died unexpectedly in his home on January 14, 1990, aged 59, from pneumonia and heart failure, six months after the fourth and final trial. The odd thing about his death is that he is reported to have fallen to the very spot where he would have lain had Danny shot him, as he claimed Danny meant to do. He is buried next to his mother, Blanche Brooks Williams, in Ramah Church Cemetery, Gordon, Georgia.
The Mercer-William Museum, located on the city's Monterey Square, is a frequent stop for tourists seeking to revisit this and other scenes depicted in the movie and book.
Date of crime: 05/02/1981
Public access allowed: yes
Fee required: yes
Web site: [Web Link]
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