Georgia Serial Killers
ColdCaseIndex documents 4 serial killers whose murders took place in Georgia, with first known killings from 1974 to 2007. 4 of them were caught; 1 linked case file document their victims. The earliest series is Paul John Knowles (1974) and the most recent is Gary Michael Hilton (2007). Profiles are added in order of public interest, so this page is not a complete census of the state.
All 4 profiles
Paul John Knowles
The Casanova Killer
Killed. Paul John Knowles, the Casanova Killer, was linked to at least 18 killings across several states in 1974 after escaping a Jacksonville jail.
Carlton Gary
The Stocking Strangler
Executed. Carlton Gary, the Columbus, Georgia "Stocking Strangler," was convicted in 1986 of the 1977 murders of three elderly women, Florence Scheible, Martha Thurmond and Kathleen Woodruff, and executed by lethal injection in…
Wayne Williams
Wayne Bertram Williams
Serving life. Wayne Williams was convicted in 1982 of murdering two adult men in Atlanta. Police then closed 22 other Atlanta child murders cases as attributed to him without trial; he maintains his innocence, and the city…
Gary Michael Hilton
The National Forest Serial Killer
Imprisoned. Gary Michael Hilton was convicted of killing four people on forest land in 2007 and 2008: Meredith Emerson in Georgia, Cheryl Dunlap in Florida and John and Irene Bryant in North Carolina.
At a glance
| Name | Alias | State | Active | Convicted | Confessed | Suspected | Legal status | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul John Knowles | The Casanova Killer | Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Nevada, Texas, Connecticut, Virginia | 1974 | — | — | 18 to 35 | Died before trial | Killed |
| Carlton Gary | The Stocking Strangler | Georgia, New York | 1977 to 1978 | 3 | — | 7 to 9 | Convicted | Executed |
| Wayne Williams | Wayne Bertram Williams | Georgia | 1979 to 1981 | 2 | — | 24 | Convicted | Imprisoned |
| Gary Michael Hilton | The National Forest Serial Killer | North Carolina, Florida, Georgia | 2007 to 2008 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Convicted | Imprisoned |
Serial murder case files from Georgia
Victim-centred case pages from the cold case index, with their own timelines and sources.