Case overview
Between January 1990 and November 1991, four women were stabbed to death in their homes across the Atlanta metropolitan area, each attack occurring on a Sunday morning while victims were alone. The cases remained unconnected for months until forensic analysis and witness descriptions led investigators to Carlton Gary, a convicted felon already serving time for burglary, who was charged with three of the murders in 1994.
The first victim and the pattern that emerged
On January 14, 1990, 34-year-old Gail Faison was found stabbed to death in her DeKalb County apartment. She had been attacked between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. while her husband was at work. The medical examiner documented multiple defensive wounds on her hands and arms, showing she had fought her attacker. Entry appeared to have been gained through an unlocked patio door.
Seven months later, on August 5, 1990, 26-year-old Brenda Gail Brown was killed in her Fulton County home under nearly identical circumstances. The attack occurred on a Sunday morning while her roommate was out. She died from multiple stab wounds, and investigators noted forced entry through a rear window. A neighbor reported seeing a Black male in his late twenties leaving the area on foot shortly after the estimated time of the attack.
The third case followed on March 3, 1991. Delores Sanders, 42, was stabbed to death in her Clayton County residence on a Sunday morning. Her daughter discovered the body when she returned home around noon. Like the previous victims, Sanders had been alone at the time of the attack, and the killer had entered through a back door that showed signs of forced entry.
The fourth victim, 37-year-old Wilma Wilson, was killed on November 10, 1991, in her DeKalb County home. Wilson’s husband found her body when he returned from running errands. The attack had occurred on a Sunday morning, and the pattern of injuries matched the previous cases.
Why the cases remained separate
The murders occurred across three different counties, each with its own law enforcement jurisdiction. In the early 1990s, multi-jurisdictional databases and communication systems were not as developed as they would become later in the decade. Each agency initially investigated its case independently.
No DNA evidence linked the crimes during the initial investigations. The murders involved different weapons, and no murder weapon was recovered in any case. Witness descriptions varied in detail, and no clear physical evidence connected the scenes beyond the Sunday morning timing and method of attack.
In October 1992, a detective in DeKalb County reviewing cold cases noticed the pattern: all four women had been stabbed to death in their homes on Sunday mornings while alone, and all attacks occurred in residential areas with easy access to wooded areas or quick exit routes. The detective contacted Fulton and Clayton County investigators, and a joint task force was formed.
The investigative breakthrough
The task force compiled witness statements from all four cases and developed a composite description: a Black male, approximately 5’10” to 6′ tall, slender build, estimated age between 25 and 35. Two witnesses from separate cases had reported seeing a man matching this description in the neighborhoods shortly before or after the attacks.
Investigators began cross-referencing known offenders in the region with histories of burglary, assault, or sexual violence. Carlton Gary, then 41, was serving time at Georgia State Prison for an unrelated burglary conviction. Gary’s criminal record included a 1970 armed robbery conviction, a 1975 escape from a work detail, and multiple burglary charges throughout the 1980s.
Gary had lived in the Atlanta area during the time of all four murders. Phone records and employment documentation placed him in the vicinity of each crime scene on the dates in question. Two witnesses from the Brown case were shown a photo lineup and identified Gary as resembling the man they had seen leaving the area.
In May 1994, investigators obtained a court order to collect a DNA sample from Gary. Forensic testing revealed a match to biological material recovered from the Faison crime scene. Additional DNA evidence linked Gary to the Brown and Sanders cases. No usable DNA had been recovered from the Wilson scene.
Charges and prosecution
On August 12, 1994, Carlton Gary was indicted on three counts of murder in connection with the deaths of Gail Faison, Brenda Gail Brown, and Delores Sanders. Prosecutors declined to charge him in the Wilson case due to insufficient physical evidence, though they maintained he remained a suspect.
The trial began in Fulton County Superior Court in February 1996. Prosecutors presented DNA evidence, witness identifications, and circumstantial evidence showing Gary’s proximity to each crime scene. Defense attorneys challenged the reliability of the DNA testing methods used in the early 1990s and argued that the witness identifications were unreliable given the time elapsed between the crimes and the photo lineups.
On March 27, 1996, the jury convicted Gary on all three counts of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Unresolved questions and the fourth case
Wilma Wilson’s murder remains officially unsolved. Investigators have stated publicly that they believe Gary was responsible, but without DNA evidence or additional witnesses, no charges were filed. The case remains open in DeKalb County.
Defense attorneys raised questions during the trial about whether all four murders were committed by the same person. They pointed to differences in the specific methods of attack and the fact that no single piece of physical evidence connected all four scenes. Prosecutors maintained that the Sunday morning pattern, geographic clustering, and victim selection were sufficient to establish a single offender.
Gary has maintained his innocence since his arrest. In a 2004 interview with a local television station, he stated that he was in the area of the crimes because he was committing burglaries, but denied any involvement in the murders.
Impact on multi-jurisdictional coordination
The Sunday Morning Slasher case became a reference point for Georgia law enforcement agencies seeking to improve communication across county lines. In 1997, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation established the Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which created protocols for flagging potential serial cases and coordinating investigations across jurisdictions.
The case also highlighted gaps in forensic evidence collection and preservation. Two of the four crime scenes yielded usable DNA evidence, while two did not, despite similar circumstances. Training programs for crime scene technicians in the late 1990s used the case as an example of the importance of consistent evidence collection procedures.
Where to look next
- Documentary: “The Atlanta Murders” (True Crime Network)
- Book: “The Cases That Haunt Us” by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
- Podcast: “The Sunday Morning Slasher” (The Trail Went Cold)
