The Murder of Candiace Person
Warning, this case does discuss sexual assault.
For this case, I watched an episode of Atlanta Justice. It’s season 1 episode 6, titled ‘Closer Than You Think.’
A 53-year-old woman is found dead in her home.
Background
After high school, Candiace met and married a man named Leon. Together, they had a daughter named Tisha, but they divorced. Tisha became very ill due to kidney failure while she was in high school. She did receive a kidney, and recovered. Candiace was Tisha’s caregiver, until she was well enough to move out and go to college. Candiace and Tisha were very close.
Candiance went to church every Sunday, and volunteered at the church as well. She was very giving, calm, and loving.
The day after Thanksgiving, or Black Friday, Candiace had plans to go shopping with her sister. However, no one could get a hold of Candiace, and her family became worried.
The Crime Scene
On November 26, 2005, Tisha arrived at her mom’s home after her shift at a local hospital. A little after 8pm, Tisha called 911, and said her mom was dead.
Candiace was found on the floor of her bedroom. Her body had been posed on the floor, and she was covered by a comforter. It looked as if she had been taken care of as she died, as there was a pillow under her head.
There was no sign of a struggle, and there weren’t any obvious gun shots or stab wounds. Candiace did have bruising to her neck, and she had petechia in her eyes. Her autopsy report later revealed that she died due to asphyxia.
Candiace had been sexually assaulted. She was wearing her pajama top, but was naked from the waist down. Her underwear had been taken from the scene.
The police found several more odd things at the scene. Candiace’s purse had been dumped out, and her credit cards, cell phone, and car were missing. A cigarette and a bottle of water were found out in the yard, as if someone was lying in wait for Candiace. A brick had been used to break the back window. The fuse box was found open near the carport, and the phone line wires had been severed.
Tisha’s Story
Tisha was interviewed. She told the police that her aunt had contacted her around 6:45pm. Candiace’s family had been trying to get in contact with her all day, and Tisha agreed to go over to her mom’s house after work.
Tisha said the front door was locked, but she used her key to enter. She then found her mom lying in her bedroom. Tisha said she tried calling 911, but there was no dial tone. She tried using a second phone in the house, before having to use her cell phone.
The police found it really odd that Candiace’s house appeared to have been wiped clean. Not even Candiace’s fingerprints were found in the home.
No one had seen anything or anyone unusual in the area.
A Possible Serial Killer?
An APB was put out for Candiace’s missing car. It was eventually found at a Marta train station, 5 miles from Candiace’s house. Inside the car, the police found an empty Ginger Ale can. However, this ended up being a dead end. There was no fingerprints or DNA found in the car.
The police searched through other cases in the area, thinking that maybe Candiace was killed by a serial killer.
In 2003, an 87-year-old woman named Mattie Jackson was killed in her home. She had been beaten.
Five months before Candiace’s death, a 77-year-old woman named Eula Tucker was found stabbed to death in her home.
Candiace had been the only one who was sexually assaulted, but the police thought that the killer could’ve escalated.
On December 1, 2006, a neighbor reported a burglary at a nearby home. The homeowner wasn’t at home during the time of the incident, and the police caught the burglar. It was a man named Raymond Atkinson. He stole the homeowner’s credit cards and wallet, but his DNA wasn’t a match.
Candiace’s ex-husband was also a suspect, but his DNA also wasn't a match.
A Personal Connection
About two weeks passed without any leads, but her killer was dubbed as the ‘Southside Strangler.’
Two weeks after Candiace was killed, the police got a hit on her bank records. Her credit card had been used just a few hours after she was killed by a black male in his 20-30s. He was caught on surveillance footage, and was identified as Willie Lee Bryant.
Willie’s ex-girlfriend, Tiffany, came forward after seeing his picture on the news. She said they dated while they were in college, but she hadn’t seen him in years. She said he became violent, and after she tried to break up with him, he strangled and sexually assaulted her. She had a rape kit done, and Willie’s DNA was found.
Tiffany also told the police that he broke into her back door, and cut her telephone wires. Tiffany said he dumped her purse, and stole her credit cards. The police hadn’t released that information to the public.
Tiffany told the police that she learned that Willie started dating another woman after they broke up. This woman was Tisha Person.
Tisha was questioned about Willie, but she said that it didn't sound like something he would do.
Willie’s Statements
The police tracked Willie down at his job at a local restaurant. He was taken to the station for an interview.
Willie told the police that he had a consensual sexual relationship with Candiace. His exact words were, “just because you have sex with someone, doesn’t mean you killed them.” He told the police that a few days before Candiace was killed, she met him at a seedy motel to see him and bring him food.
The police went to the motel, which was filthy, and filled with cockroaches. They said there was no way this woman would’ve been there, or done something like this to betray her daughter.
Willie also told the police that they wouldn’t find any underwear, or any of his clothing at the crime scene. The police knew that the killer had taken Candiace’s underwear.
The police asked Willie for a DNA sample, and to their surprise, he agreed. The DNA came back as being a partial sample. It said there was a 1 in 6,000 chance it could’ve been DNA from someone else.
Willie was still arrested, and charged with murder.
The Trials
Willie obviously pled not guilty. During his first trial, Tiffany testified, and the prosecution talked about the similarities between Tiffany and Candiace’s cases.
Willie’s defense talked about the 1 in 6,000 chance in the DNA, and that it couldn’t positively identify him.
The trial lasted a week. Ten jurors voted to convict, but there was one holdout, and it led to a mistrial. The holdout said they didn’t like that the DNA was a partial match.
In February 2010, Willie was tried again. This time, the jury voted to convict Willie of murder, felony murder, rape, aggravated assault, and burglary. He was sentenced to life plus 20 years.
Other
Tisha Person died in 2012.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This case is horrifying. Candiace was most likely watched by Willie. He seemed to have become obsessed with her, and knew when she would be alone. Candiace died a horrific death, and didn’t deserve it one bit. She loved her family, God, and helping people. Willie is a piece of shit, and deserves to rot.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/who-killed-candiace-person-where-is-willie-lee-bryant-now/
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ga-supreme-court/1646332.html
https://www.tanyamillerlaw.com/documents/State-vs.-Willie-Bryant-(Murder)-Revised.pdf
