I never believed, as Spencer Lawton did, that Jim was guilty of premeditated murder (with malice aforethought, in legal terms). It made no sense. For three decades, Jim had worked relentlessly to make a fortune for himself and to become an important figure in Savannah society. He thoroughly enjoyed living like an aristocrat and deciding who would be favored with an invitation to his famous Christmas parties. The people who came to his parties did not know Danny and would have disapproved if they had been exposed to him. Jim and Danny were rarely seen together in bars and clubs because Danny reflected badly on Jim-the social power broker, the man who met with Jacqueline Onassis, and the man whose home was highlighted in Architectural Digest.
Why on earth would Jim create an elaborate hoax of self-defense that would suddenly spotlight his sordid relationship with a male prostitute? If Jim wanted to rid himself of Danny, he had many other alternatives and opportunities that didn't ensure a scandal: He could pay off Danny and change the locks on the doors; he could wait until Danny's next suicidal overdose and not rush him to the hospital, as he did at least once before; or, in desperation, he could take the drug-addicted young man out to the swamps, shoot him, and make him food for alligators.
After numerous interviews and reading trial transcripts, I have come to believe that Jim shot Danny in self-defense. My rationale follows.
In the month before Jim shot Danny, their two-year relationship had approached a crisis stage. Though Jim was aware of Danny's violent episodes with his family and other people in Savannah, Jim had only witnessed it once when Danny suddenly attacked Barry Thomas, who managed Jim's workshop. Jim's personal experience was that when Danny appeared to be losing control of himself, Jim had always been able to calm him down.
Jim got his first taste of an out-of-control Danny on April 3, 1981. Danny went on a rampage, destroying furniture and shooting a pistol into the floor. He then shot into Monterey Square. Jim forgave him the next day and, a few days later, arranged for Danny to go with him to Europe.
Jim's early sexual attraction to Danny appeared to have evolved into an ego-gratifying delusion that he could mentor him. Jim actually believed that he could change Danny's behavior and help him learn a trade. This delusion continued well past the point when Jim should have realized that Danny was unfixable. During Danny's life, many people-psychiatrists, social workers, military counselors, and finally Jim-tried to help Danny, but he didn't want help. He had no real interest in a normal life. Joe Goodman, Jim's longtime friend, understood Danny's character when he warned Jim, "This kid is trouble and he's going to make you sorry someday." Dr. Henry Brandt, the psychiatrist that testified in the second trial, put a label on the problem: Danny was a psychopath and he was always going to be a psychopath. Danny had no true affection for Jim. Jim was a sugar daddy, and Danny was able to manipulate him sexually and emotionally.
Even sophisticated people like Jim, who are master manipulators when it suits them, are not immune to being conned. It was clear to Debbie and to George Hill, Danny's best friend, that Danny mostly had the upper hand with Jim. George Hill said, "Whenever Mr. Williams wouldn't give Danny the money that he wanted, Danny would start a small argument and then we'd leave the house and come back later when he was calmed down and Mr. Williams would apologize for the fight and he'd usually give him what he wanted." Debbie saw Jim behave the same way when Danny wanted something.
Only love or deep affection can explain Jim's behavior towards Danny, which continued until to the hours before Danny's death. Even after Danny conned Jim into buying him the $400 gold chain necklace and then immediately gave it to Debbie, Jim overcame his anger and let Danny come back two days later. One might think that Danny would be on his best behavior if he wanted to keep his "meal ticket," but he wouldn't do that.
Danny complained that because he didn't have a real job, he couldn't get married. Jim gave the problem some thought and suggested a solution. Recognizing that Danny loved computer games, he suggested that Danny go to school to learn about computers. Records showed that at 9:41 p.m., several hours before the fatal shooting, Jim called his computer programmer friend to get the name of a vocational school in the northern part of the state. Jim was willing to help pay the tuition as he had helped several of the craftsmen in his workshop. After that, he further indulged Danny and sat through at least one low-budget zombie movie that Danny wanted to see.
Back at Mercer House, doped and drinking heavily, Danny started to feel sorry for himself for losing the Europe trip to Joe Goodman. He got wild and started breaking things up, and when Jim tried to get to the phone to call the police, Danny grabbed him and threw him up against a door. For the first time, he had attacked Jim, and Jim was scared-too scared to try to call the police.
Instead, Jim tried to defuse Danny's anger. He called Joe to tell him the trip to Europe was off, but it was not enough to get Danny to control his rage. The tables were now permanently turned. Jim, the mentor, became Jim, the hostage of a violent man much more forceful than himself. Once he heard the sounds of Danny breaking up things in the other room, Jim must have opened his desk drawer with the pistol.
When Danny came back in the study with a pistol in his hand, Jim reacted. He testified, "The minute I saw that loaded Luger, I reached in my drawer there, pulled it out, had the gun in my hand coming out. I was coming up from my seated position when a bullet was fired at me. I felt the breeze by my right arm. I'd never been as scared in my life, and I stood up and as fast as I could pull the trigger, I shot."
I have no reason to disbelieve him. I would have done the same thing.
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