American killing and murder trial
Danny Lewis Hansford (March 1, 1960 – May 2, 1981) was killed by his employer, historic preservationist and antiques dealer Jim Williams, at Williams' home in Savannah, Georgia, United States. His death was recounted in John Berendt's 1994 non-fiction book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", its 1997 film adaptation, and its 2024 musical stage adaptation. After four trials, Williams was acquitted of Hansford's murder.
Early life.
Danny Hansford was born in Savannah, Georgia, to Emily Bannister. He was one of three sons, the others being John and William.
Shooting.
In the early hours of May 2, 1981, Hansford and Jim Williams had an argument at Williams's residence at Mercer House, in Monterey Square, Savannah. According to police statements made by Williams, Hansford had resided in the home for two years and was playing a video game when the argument ensued. During the argument, Hansford, of whom Williams had been a sexual partner for about two years, pushed over an 18th-century English grandfather clock which stood in the hallway. Williams was in his study at the time, and Hansford soon entered, whereupon he drew a gun on Williams. The gun jammed upon firing, however, and Williams pulled a 9mm Luger pistol from his desk and shot Hansford in the head, chest and back, in what he claimed was self-defense. Prosecutors claimed Williams then proceeded to stage the crime scene to make it appear as if Hansford "had" actually fired at him. Williams called the police at 3:00 A.M. to report the shooting, just over half an hour after the incident occurred. Chatham County coroner Dr. James C. Metts attended the scene. Williams was taken into custody and charged with murder. Georgia Superior Court Judge Eugene H. Gadsden set Williams' bond at $25,000, which he posted.
Hansford, 21, was buried in Savannah's Greenwich Cemetery, which is adjacent to Bonaventure Cemetery.
Trials.
Williams was tried four times, a record for the state of Georgia. Bobby Lee Cook defended Williams during the first trial in 1982, presided over by Judge George Oliver. Williams was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He appealed, posting the $25,000 bond. Cook later anonymously received a copy of the police report showing that the arresting officer had contradicted himself about a bullet hole in a floor in Mercer House. The verdict was overturned in January 1983 by the Georgia Supreme Court and a new trial was ordered. As Berendt wrote in his book: "The ruling appeared to be little more than a temporary reprieve. The hole in the floor had been unimportant in the trial; the main points of evidence in Spencer Lawton's case against Williams still remained intact."
Sonny Seiler assumed Williams' defense at the second trial, beginning in September 1983, and decided to have Williams openly bring up his sexuality. Little else differed from the first trial: on October 8, Williams was again found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. In June 1985, the Georgia Supreme Court overturned the conviction again, stating that the sheriff should not have been allowed to testify as an expert, and that the prosecutor waited until his closing argument to demonstrate some evidence.
The third trial, held in the spring of 1987, resulted in a mistrial. New evidence showed Hansford's hands were not bagged by the police at the crime scene, which meant that if there was gunpowder residue present on the victim's hands it could have been rubbed off during the subsequent movement of the body. During deliberations, a juror supposedly called a paramedic to ask some medical questions, though it could not be proven. After two deliberations, the jury still had not reached a verdict, with one woman adamantly insisting she saw reasonable doubt and would not alter her verdict. On June 9, 1987, with 11-1 jurors in favor of a "guilty" verdict, it was declared a hung jury.
The fourth and final trial, which was moved to Augusta, resulted in Williams' acquittal in May 1989, eight years after his conviction, after the jury's hour-long deliberation.
On January 14, 1990, after eight months of being a free man, a 59-year-old Williams collapsed and died at home. He is believed to have died in his study, the scene of the shooting, although Sonny Seiler stated that he found Williams on the threshold between the study and the hallway.
"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil".
Hansford was renamed "Billy Hanson" in the 1997 Clint Eastwood-directed movie adaptation of the book, in which he was portrayed by Jude Law. Hansford appears as a character in the musical adaptation of the book.
References.
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