William Henry Hance American killer. Country: USA

1. Biography of William Henry Hance
2. The 'Stocking Strangler' Murders
3. Conviction and Execution

Biography of William Henry Hance

William Henry Hance was an American soldier who was executed on the electric chair in the state of Georgia. He was convicted of murdering three people but is believed to be responsible for four killings on military bases and in their vicinity.

The 'Stocking Strangler' Murders

In 1978, Columbus, Georgia, experienced a wave of murders known as the 'Stocking Strangler' killings. Several elderly white women were killed by the perpetrator. Additionally, the bodies of two young African American prostitutes were found near the Fort Benning area. These seemingly unrelated victims were connected by a letter sent to the local police chief. The handwritten letter claimed to be from a gang of seven white men who were holding an African American woman hostage. They threatened to kill her if the 'Stocking Strangler' was not apprehended soon. The media at the time speculated that the serial killer was African American. The seven white members of the criminal gang wanted to be called the 'Forces of Evil' and demanded communication with the police chief through radio and television messages. The letters were followed by phone calls.

However, the letters and calls turned out to be a hoax intended to divert attention from the real killer. It is believed that the hostage had been dead for five weeks before her body was discovered and before the first letter was sent. In April 1978, the body of Gail Jackson, a 21-year-old, was found. Following instructions received from the 'Forces of Evil' group over the phone, another body, Irene Thirkield, a 32-year-old, was found at a shooting range near Fort Benning. FBI profiler Robert K. Ressler stated that there was a single killer, not seven, and that he was African American, not white. Based on the profile, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations began searching bars near the military community of Fort Benning. William Hance, a truck driver attached to an artillery unit, quickly became a suspect. He had started his career as a Marine before being drafted into the Army.

When William realized that voice recordings, handwriting, and shoeprints from the crime scenes pointed to him, he confessed to the murders of Jackson and Thirkield. He also confessed to killing another white woman, Karen Hickman, in September 1977. Hickman had ties to African American soldiers and frequented bars where African Americans gathered. Although William was not convicted in civilian court for Hickman's murder, he was convicted by a military court. Additionally, William was identified as the killer of a young African American woman in Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, but no charges were brought against him. Despite this, he was innocent of the crimes attributed to the 'Stocking Strangler,' which were later linked to another African American man, Carlton Gary.

Conviction and Execution

William Hance was sentenced to death by a civilian court for the murder of Gail Jackson and by a military court for the murder of Irene Thirkield. The civilian court's decision remained in effect, unlike the military court's decision. Hance was executed in Georgia by means of the electric chair. He became the 231st executed inmate in the United States after the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, and the 18th executed in Georgia. Just hours before his execution, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 not to consider an appeal of the decision. Justice Harry Blackmun stated his disagreement, as there was substantial evidence suggesting that Hance was mentally retarded and mentally ill. In fact, Hance had an IQ score of 75-79, placing him on the intellectual border and, according to modern medical standards, considering him mentally retarded. Furthermore, there was reason to believe that racial prejudice had influenced the sentencing.

Hance's initial death sentence was overturned due to prosecutorial misconduct, and during the second trial, one of the jurors, Patricia Lemay, a white woman, reported that other jurors made racist comments, saying, "(This is) just another sorry n****r that nobody will miss." According to Lemay, the jurors stated that if Hance were executed, "there will be one less n****r to breed." Among the jury members, there was only one African American woman, Gayle Lewis Daniels, who was 26 years old. According to Lemay, Daniels faced a torrent of racial insults in the jury deliberation room. Lemay and Daniels refused to vote for the death penalty. However, the other jurors ignored their stance and informed the judge that they reached a unanimous decision. When the jury members were questioned in the courtroom, Daniels was too afraid to speak the truth.

The testimony of Lemay and Daniels sparked outrage in many media outlets. One newspaper stated that Hance was likely lynched because he was denied due process. It also claimed that there was compelling evidence suggesting that Hance fell victim to racism and political expediency.