CASE #009: William Sallie

On a March night in 1990, a family home in rural Bacon County, Georgia, became the scene of a violent attack that would lead to a murder conviction, a death sentence, years of appeals, and ultimately an execution. William Sallie had separated from his wife, Robin, and was involved in a bitter divorce and custody dispute. In the early morning hours of March 29, Sallie entered the home where Robin and her family were staying. The attack left Robin’s father, John Moore, dead, her mother Linda wounded, and Robin and her teenage sister abducted. In this episode of Coffins & Confessions, Dae and Spencer take a look at the case of William Sallie, the events leading up to the attack, the investigation and evidence against him, and the complicated legal history that followed. We’ll explore his first conviction and death sentence, the legal issues that eventually led to a new trial, and the years of appeals that followed. Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses murder, domestic violence, kidnapping, sexual violence, and other disturbing subject matter. Sources Bandura, Albert. Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm and Live with Themselves. Worth Publishers, 2016. https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/us/product/Moral-Disengagement/p/1462543984 Bandura, Albert. “Moral Disengagement in the Perpetration of Inhumanities.” Personality and Social Psychology Review, vol. 3, no. 3, 1999, pp. 193–209. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15661671/ Campbell, Jacquelyn C., et al. “Assessing Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Homicide.” National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice. https://nij.ojp.gov/library/publications/assessing-risk-factors-intimate-partner-homicide Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Risk and Protective Factors.” Intimate Partner Violence Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/intimate-partner-violence/risk-factors/index.html Federal Bureau of Investigation. Serial Murder: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators. U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GOVPUB-J1_14-PURL-gpo38709 Georgia Department of Corrections. “Execution Date Set for Bacon County Murderer.” 17 Nov. 2016. https://gdc.georgia.gov/press-releases/2016-11-17/execution-date-set-bacon-county-murderer Georgia Department of Corrections. “Sallie Execution Final Media Advisory.” 6 Dec. 2016. https://gdc.georgia.gov/press-releases/2016-12-06/sallie-execution-final-media-advisory Georgia Office of the Attorney General. “Execution Date Set for William Sallie, Convicted of Murder.” 17 Nov. 2016. https://law.georgia.gov/press-releases/2016-11-17/execution-date-set-william-sallie-convicted-murder Georgia Office of the Attorney General. https://law.georgia.gov/press-releases/2016-12-06/william-sallie-executed-evening-murder Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles. https://pap.georgia.gov/press-releases/2016-12-05/clemency-request-william-sallie-has-been-denied Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles. https://pap.georgia.gov/document/document/here-26/download Hare, Robert D. Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us. https://www.guilford.com/books/Without-Conscience/Robert-Hare/9781572304512 Ressler, Robert K., Ann W. Burgess, and John E. Douglas. Sexual Homicide: Patterns and Motives. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/sexual-homicide-patterns-and-motives Sallie v. State, 269 Ga. 446, 499 S.E.2d 897. https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/1998/s98p0013-1.html Sallie v. State, 276 Ga. 506, 578 S.E.2d 444. https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/2003/s02p1702-1.html United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. Sallie v. Humphrey https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-gamd-5_11-cv-00075/pdf/USCOURTS-gamd-5_11-cv-00075-16.pdf Death Penalty Information Center. https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/georgia-set-to-execute-man-despite-serious-juror-misconduct-that-no-court-has-ever-reviewed