1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: This episode contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners. 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: Please check the show notes for more information. 3 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:08,960 Speaker 2: Disgraceland is a production of Double Elvis. 4 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: This is the. 5 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 2: Story of a goddess, sort of. It's the story of 6 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 2: an actress that a man with a very fractured mind 7 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 2: believed was a goddess, a goddess sent to this earth 8 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 2: to battle beasts and demons, A goddess named Sigourney Weaver. 9 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 2: Sigourney Weaver, who was believed to be a real life deity, 10 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 2: believed to be that by a man named Alexander Williams, 11 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 2: a man who literally worshiped Sigourney Weaver through arcane rituals 12 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 2: from the floor of his death row prison cell, a 13 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 2: cell filled with the not so great music playing on 14 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 2: a loop in a not so sane man's head. Not 15 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 2: great music like that music I played for you at 16 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 2: the top of the show that was also not great music. 17 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 2: That was a preset loop for my melotron called idleb 18 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 2: damned MK one. I played you that loop because I 19 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 2: can't afford the rights to Hot Stuff by Donna Summer. 20 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: And why would I play. 21 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 2: You that specific slice of teal square cheese? Could I 22 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 2: afford it, because that was the number one song in 23 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 2: America on June twenty second, nineteen seventy nine, and that 24 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 2: was the day of the film Alien was released, with 25 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 2: a breakthrough role for young actress Sigourney Weaver, in doing so, 26 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 2: sparking a very weird obsession by a killer at the 27 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 2: center of this very weird true crime tale. On this episode, 28 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 2: a fractured mind evins a deity, a weird as true 29 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 2: crime story in the Goddess, Sigourney Weaver, I'm Jake Brennan, 30 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 2: and this is this graceland. Sunlight splintered through the bars 31 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 2: of the prison cell window. It was time for the 32 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 2: ritual to begin. That six inch sliver of luminescence was 33 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 2: the only natural light he got in this eight by 34 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 2: eight box. And this was his home now, had been 35 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 2: for the past fourteen years, and it would continue to 36 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 2: be his home for as long as he was alive. 37 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: How long would that be? 38 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 2: Exactly another week, another year, maybe thirty years or more 39 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 2: if he played his cards right. Only the Goddess could 40 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 2: say for sure, which was why each day he waited 41 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,399 Speaker 2: for the beacon, a glimmer of hope that she sent 42 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 2: from beyond every goddess wants a tribute, and the goddess said, 43 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 2: Alexander Williams worshiped was no exception. He yanked the cold 44 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 2: white sheet from his cot. He pulled it up above 45 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,800 Speaker 2: his head, pinching tight around his neck, and let the 46 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 2: fabric fall loosely from his shoulders. Kneeling down, he arranged 47 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 2: the plastic knives he pilfered from the mess hall into 48 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 2: the shape of a sigil, a symbol with magical powers. 49 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 2: He used the puddle of sunlight as a stage. He 50 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 2: placed a small tea candle at each of the vertices. 51 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 2: He couldn't light them, of course, there were rules about 52 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 2: matches and open flames here, but the flickering sun would 53 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 2: do the job for now. Alexander leaned back on his haunches. 54 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 2: He took a deep breath, His fingers fell limp upon 55 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 2: his thighs, and then suddenly the cell door slid wide open, 56 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 2: followed by the rhythmic thudding of boots on concrete. The 57 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 2: guards always liked to make an entrance. 58 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:13,839 Speaker 1: Get up. 59 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 2: One of the guards said, you get a visitor and 60 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 2: try not to scare this one away. 61 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: Okay. 62 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 2: The guards yanked Alexander up from the floor, and they 63 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 2: didn't care that he was in the middle of the ritual. 64 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 2: They patted him down, clipped the cuffs around his wrists. 65 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:29,279 Speaker 2: Then they shoved him into the corridor and down the 66 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 2: hall to another room. This one was slightly larger than 67 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 2: the one he was used to, just as barn, though 68 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,359 Speaker 2: without even a window, and there was a large metal 69 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 2: table in the center. A bald man in a suit 70 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,280 Speaker 2: sat on one side of it. You must be Alexander, 71 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,159 Speaker 2: the man said, nice to meet you. Alexander didn't say anything. 72 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 2: The guards shoved him down into the other chair. The 73 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 2: man in the suit continued talking. I understand he had 74 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:55,400 Speaker 2: some trouble with the last two lawyers they assigned to you. 75 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,039 Speaker 2: One of them said he wouldn't even talk. That seems 76 00:04:58,080 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 2: to be a pattern. 77 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: Xander wonder what. 78 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,280 Speaker 2: Else the last guy had said about him. Demons were 79 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 2: known to lie, so were lawyers. He looked his new 80 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:09,599 Speaker 2: attorney up and down, squinting to see what lay beyond 81 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 2: those beady brown eyes, searching for signs of the devil inside. 82 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:17,839 Speaker 2: The lawyer continued a few months from now, he explained, 83 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 2: someone was going to shove Alexander into a different chair, 84 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 2: a chair he wouldn't get up from and that would 85 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 2: be the end, and that's why they call it death row. 86 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:29,919 Speaker 2: But if he wanted to live, the lawyer explained, Alexander 87 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 2: had to trust him. Alexander wasn't ready for that. He stalled, 88 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 2: using some of the tactics he learned in the appeals 89 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 2: he'd written himself, starting with the lowest hanging fruit, that 90 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 2: the jury was racist. The lawyer rolled his eyes. Nearly 91 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:51,039 Speaker 2: half the jury that convicted Alexander was black. Discrimination was 92 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 2: going to be a hard sell, even in the state 93 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 2: of Georgia, though the lawyer was impressed with the way 94 00:05:56,720 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 2: that Alexander laid out his argument in the court documents. 95 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 2: This was especially true in light of the prison psychiatric evaluation. 96 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 2: Alexander was diagnosed with a severe form of psychosis, known 97 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:15,600 Speaker 2: at the time as paranoid schizophrenia or sometimes schitz effective disorder. 98 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:19,559 Speaker 2: This was the nineteen eighties when every B movie serial 99 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,800 Speaker 2: killer was labeled schizophrenic. But whenever you want to call 100 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 2: the sickness to plague the mind of Alexander Williams. 101 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:27,320 Speaker 1: The state had decided. 102 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 2: He was mentally unfit, that even if he wasn't in prison, 103 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:33,160 Speaker 2: he was still too unstable to live by himself or make. 104 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: His own decisions. 105 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:38,680 Speaker 2: But Alexander Williams was never formally diagnosed until after the 106 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 2: State of Georgia sentenced to death. To make matters more complicated, 107 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 2: he was only seventeen when he was convicted. At the time, 108 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:50,440 Speaker 2: the Supreme Court had just ruled that the Constitution allowed 109 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 2: the death penalty for minors, making the US one of 110 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,880 Speaker 2: the few countries where that was legal. But to execute 111 00:06:56,880 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 2: someone who was severely mentally ill for a crime they 112 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 2: committed as a miner that smelled like a violation of 113 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 2: international law. Even the UN High Commission on Human Rights 114 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 2: spoke out in Alexander's defense. His new lawyer laid out 115 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 2: all this information. It made it clear they did have 116 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 2: a case. It wouldn't get Alexander out of prison, but 117 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 2: at least he could get off death row. Alexander mulled 118 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 2: this over for a moment. He looked up at the 119 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 2: lawyer again, still no sign of demons in his eyes. 120 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:28,680 Speaker 2: Alexander decided it was safe to open up. Did my 121 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 2: last lawyer tell you about the Goddess? The lawyer shook 122 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 2: his head. He had not, and so Alexander began. 123 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 1: To explain. 124 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 2: The goddess first came to earth beneath the Libra's balanced scales. 125 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 2: It was October eighth, nineteen forty nine, the year of 126 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 2: the Ox. She manifested her physical form through Venus' air 127 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 2: and the avatar of the Weaver. Her tall, spindly elegance 128 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 2: cast a shadow of light across the isle of Manahada, 129 00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 2: where she spuwn great yarns of glory, and with the 130 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:05,120 Speaker 2: poisoned grace of a looming tapestry. In her youth, her 131 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:08,200 Speaker 2: story swelled in the lattice work of symmetry, and she 132 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:12,000 Speaker 2: was gracious with her gossamer embrace. But when the Goddess 133 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,560 Speaker 2: came of age, she embarked on Echibbittz. She traveled to 134 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 2: the holy land that so many false idols have written 135 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 2: off and gone to war over. And it was during 136 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 2: that magnificent journey, just as the Weaver crossed the threshold, 137 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 2: that Alexander Williams's father spilled his seed into his mother 138 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 2: six thousand, six hundred and sixty six miles eastward. As 139 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 2: the crow flies, so it was that Alexander was born 140 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,120 Speaker 2: with the blessing of a goddess he had yet to meet. 141 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:43,720 Speaker 2: She the Great Weaver and he her prophet. Alexander hadn't 142 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 2: always recognized his destiny, not until the day he saw 143 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,560 Speaker 2: her face emblazoned on the celluloid amidst the sea of 144 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 2: alien eggs. He watched in awe as the Weaver battled 145 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 2: at demonic xenomorph, a dark inversion of the Great Mother. 146 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:00,200 Speaker 2: The Weaver used the prowess of justice to blast the 147 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 2: beast into the blackness of space, where no one could 148 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:06,120 Speaker 2: hear it scream. No monster could contend with the glory 149 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:09,680 Speaker 2: of the Weaver's flame, and so the newly christened Goddess 150 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 2: began her journey back to Earth on the arc called Nostromo. 151 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:18,320 Speaker 2: Hold on, that's some batshit crazy shit, but that's where 152 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:22,160 Speaker 2: Alexander Williams was coming from. And the lawyer was just 153 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 2: as fucking confused as you are right now. So back 154 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:29,600 Speaker 2: to our story. The lawyer suddenly interrupted. Just so we're clear, 155 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:33,959 Speaker 2: The lawyer said, this goddess you're referring to is Sigourney Weaver. 156 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 2: Alexander saw something in the lawyer's eye when he spoke 157 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:41,079 Speaker 2: the true name of the goddess, That cruel, reddish glimmer 158 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:43,679 Speaker 2: somewhere in the room he heard the fading echoes of 159 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 2: a demon's cackle. He glanced over at the guards by 160 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:50,040 Speaker 2: the door, and they were just standing there, oblivious to 161 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 2: the fact that evil had finally revealed itself. 162 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: Alexander knew what he had to do. He kicked the chair. 163 00:09:56,559 --> 00:10:00,000 Speaker 2: Back, violently, using it as leverage, lunged across the table, 164 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:02,680 Speaker 2: even with the handcuffs on his fingers still. 165 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 1: Fit around the demon lawyer's neck. 166 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 2: He knew the guards to be on him in a moment, 167 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 2: but that was all the time he needed to wring 168 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:10,439 Speaker 2: the evil from. 169 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:11,800 Speaker 1: The devil's throat. 170 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:39,760 Speaker 2: The purr of the engine was almost loud enough to 171 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:44,319 Speaker 2: drown out the pounding of Alexander Williams's anxious heart. Almost 172 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 2: The seventeen year old pulled the brand new, bright blue 173 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:50,120 Speaker 2: eighty six Mustang into the arcade parking lot and let 174 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:52,760 Speaker 2: it idle. He knew it wasn't safe to hold on 175 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:54,880 Speaker 2: to the car for too long. He just hoped that 176 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:57,320 Speaker 2: someone would see him driving it and then tell everyone 177 00:10:57,320 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 2: how cool he looked. 178 00:10:58,679 --> 00:10:59,560 Speaker 1: But no one noticed. 179 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 2: They didn't even look out the window of the arcade 180 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,240 Speaker 2: to see what was going on. They are probably too 181 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:07,560 Speaker 2: busy playing gomblet too, or, let's be honest, probably bubble 182 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:11,920 Speaker 2: bubble Alexander side. He shut the engine off, and then 183 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:15,439 Speaker 2: he steeled himself up to head inside. Sure enough, John 184 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 2: and Maggie were huddled around the bubble bubble machine, while 185 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 2: Leon and Jerry took their turns at gamblet too. The 186 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 2: games were taking up all their attention. Alexander cleared his throat, 187 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:28,439 Speaker 2: loud and conspicuous. 188 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:30,240 Speaker 1: Anyone out to get rid of a car? 189 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 2: He led his friends out to the parking lot, and 190 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:36,880 Speaker 2: they were more nervous than impress. Uh, how did you 191 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:40,199 Speaker 2: get a brand new Mustang? Alexander told him not to 192 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 2: worry about it, but if they helped out, he'd reward 193 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 2: them in cash. John and Jerry filed into Maggie's car. 194 00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:49,480 Speaker 2: She was the only other one with her own ride. 195 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:53,240 Speaker 2: It wasn't a Mustang, but it got her around. They 196 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 2: followed Alexander, who led the way out of town with 197 00:11:55,600 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 2: Leon riding shotgun. Alexander thought the ride would calm his nerves, 198 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:03,360 Speaker 2: and it almost did, until Leon asked him where the 199 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:07,160 Speaker 2: car came from. Leon promised he wouldn't tell the others. 200 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:10,520 Speaker 2: Alexander wasn't sure if he could trust him wasn't sure 201 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:13,360 Speaker 2: if he could trust anyone. He shook his head. He 202 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 2: didn't want to say. He checked the rear view mirror, 203 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,480 Speaker 2: no sign of the goddess. He was on his own. 204 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 2: Leon kept prodding. Alexander knew he had to tell him something. 205 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 2: I met this chick at the mall, he said, focusing 206 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:28,760 Speaker 2: his gaze on the road to keep himself grounded. And 207 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 2: we were just talking and she told me to get 208 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:32,839 Speaker 2: in asked if I wanted to go for a ride, 209 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 2: you know what I mean. Leon scoffed, yeah, okay, whatever meant. 210 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:40,480 Speaker 2: But once Alexander got going, he couldn't stop himself. The 211 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:43,480 Speaker 2: words poured from his lips with a flat affectation, like 212 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:46,560 Speaker 2: someone else was using his voice. He told Leon how 213 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,280 Speaker 2: the girl had this light around her and aura the 214 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:52,200 Speaker 2: halo of a heavenly being, and it kept getting brighter, 215 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:56,319 Speaker 2: so bright, and so loud, so loud that Alexander told 216 00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 2: her to keep it down and be quiet. Leon laughed again, 217 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:03,520 Speaker 2: she gonna be quiet about you taking her car. Alexander 218 00:13:03,559 --> 00:13:06,480 Speaker 2: hesitated for a moment before he answered, she won't tell 219 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:09,839 Speaker 2: a soul, he said, his unblinking eyes still trained on 220 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 2: the asphalt. He reached over to the glove compartment and 221 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:16,720 Speaker 2: popped it open. Leon saw the twenty two caliber pistol inside. 222 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:21,040 Speaker 2: They ditched the blue Mustang near Wooded Creek, just outside Augusta. 223 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:24,440 Speaker 2: Alexander knew he had to buy his friend's silence. He 224 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:26,680 Speaker 2: pulled a shopping bag from the back seat of the car. 225 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:29,600 Speaker 2: Inside were necklaces, earrings, and rings. 226 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 1: Go ahead, take it all, he told them. Then he 227 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:34,719 Speaker 1: flashed a purse full of credit cards. 228 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 2: And told them all to meet him at the mall 229 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 2: the next morning for a shopping spree. On the ride 230 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:42,440 Speaker 2: back into town in Maggie's car, Alexander's heart raced. He 231 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:44,199 Speaker 2: leaned over to Jerry, who sat next to him in 232 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 2: the middle of the car's front bench. Hey Jerry, he whispered, 233 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 2: you ever shot anyone? Jerry hesitated, and then he gave 234 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:55,520 Speaker 2: a subtle nod, which was just enough to prompt Alexander's 235 00:13:55,559 --> 00:13:58,199 Speaker 2: follow up, cush, what did. 236 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:01,439 Speaker 1: You do with the body? 237 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:05,080 Speaker 2: The next morning, Alexander met his friends at the mall 238 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 2: and handed out the credit cards. Just like he promised, 239 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:10,440 Speaker 2: they were all made out to the same name. 240 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:11,680 Speaker 1: I led a bunch. 241 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 2: No one bothered asking who that was, and maybe they 242 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 2: didn't want to know. Alexander's first stop was the comic 243 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 2: book store. He had to get his hands on the 244 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 2: latest issue of Miracle Man. He picked up the comic 245 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 2: book and was looking it over when suddenly he heard 246 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 2: a familiar voice from. 247 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:28,160 Speaker 1: Behind the counter. He turned around. 248 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:31,480 Speaker 2: The store manager was watching Ghostbusters on the small TV 249 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 2: in the corner. That's when the goddess came to him again. 250 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 2: There is no data, There is only Zeel. The Great 251 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:48,000 Speaker 2: Weaver went by many names. After banishing the great demonic Xenomore, 252 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:51,000 Speaker 2: she who was now Sigourney, returned to Earth, where she 253 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:54,080 Speaker 2: won the favor of a deity of time, wealth, and agriculture. 254 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 2: That God was so moved by her performance in the 255 00:14:56,960 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 2: legendary battle that he bestowed upon her the record nition 256 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:04,240 Speaker 2: of his most sacred Saturn Award. Soon enough, a golden 257 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:06,960 Speaker 2: globe began to spin around her name as well, and 258 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:09,360 Speaker 2: though it wouldn't settle in her orbit for several years 259 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:12,880 Speaker 2: to come, she survived through the year of Living Dangerously 260 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 2: and stole the power of the Peacemaker to broke with 261 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:18,520 Speaker 2: the deal of the century. Even the wicked Zul couldn't 262 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 2: resist the way she weaved her melodies upon the cello. 263 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:25,480 Speaker 2: Was there anything the Great Sigourney couldn't do? Alexander Williams 264 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 2: was proud to serve such a noble goddess, though he 265 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:30,880 Speaker 2: was disappointed when he learned that she had chosen another 266 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:35,280 Speaker 2: mortal to be her consort, a human male called Jim Simpson, 267 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:39,760 Speaker 2: who came to her twice removed from the Broadway. Still, 268 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:43,080 Speaker 2: Alexander held out hope. He knew that one day he'd 269 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 2: be rewarded for his worship. When he saw the halo 270 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:49,360 Speaker 2: manifest around that girl around to lead a bunch, he 271 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 2: saw it as a sign. Even when she denied him, 272 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 2: he assumed it was a test. He had waited so 273 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 2: long for his prize, for a. 274 00:15:57,080 --> 00:15:58,520 Speaker 1: Union of the flesh. 275 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:01,520 Speaker 2: He was seventeen years old. Now he knew he'd finally 276 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 2: earned it. He deserved it, so he took it the 277 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:08,920 Speaker 2: only way he knew how. Alexander's mind was suddenly flooded 278 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 2: with memories of what he had actually done. 279 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 1: The world around him began to splinter and spin. 280 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 2: The sound of a girl's voice shouting his name rang 281 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:19,000 Speaker 2: out over and over and over. It took him a 282 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 2: moment to realize it was Maggie she was standing right 283 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:25,720 Speaker 2: beside him in the comic book Star, Hello Earth to Alexander, 284 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:29,280 Speaker 2: I asked you a question. Alexander tried to shake himself 285 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:32,840 Speaker 2: free from his hypnotic dream, and it wasn't easy. So 286 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:35,880 Speaker 2: Maggie repeated herself. She wanted to know where he'd gotten 287 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:40,120 Speaker 2: the credit cards and the jewelry and the mustang. Alexander 288 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 2: told her the same thing he told Leon he met 289 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 2: a girl at the mall, and that much was true, 290 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:48,320 Speaker 2: but Maggie wasn't buying it. She heard what he asked 291 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:50,520 Speaker 2: Jerry on the car ride back if he'd ever shot 292 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 2: someone and where to hide the body. She pulled out 293 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:55,400 Speaker 2: the credit card that Alexander had given her and read 294 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:58,480 Speaker 2: the name out loud. I led a bunch. She threatened 295 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 2: to go to mall security of Alexander didn't tell her 296 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:04,760 Speaker 2: what was going on. Alexander's heart was racing, now, a 297 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:07,439 Speaker 2: frantic rhythm, thutting up his chest and into his skull. 298 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 2: It drowned out the world around him. He thought of 299 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 2: Serebellum was shaking loose, adrenaline was boiling just under his skin, 300 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,160 Speaker 2: and the Goddess was nowhere to be found. He leaned 301 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:21,560 Speaker 2: close to Maggie, hissing through his gritted teeth. You ever 302 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 2: hear of kill and kill again? He asked, because if 303 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:27,720 Speaker 2: I did it once, you damn well better believe I'll 304 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 2: do it again. 305 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:34,600 Speaker 1: We'll be right back after this. We're We're, We're. 306 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:43,399 Speaker 2: Alexander Williams weaved his way through the quiet Georgia streets. 307 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:45,639 Speaker 2: He tried not to fold or bend the comic he 308 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:49,120 Speaker 2: grasped tight against his chest. He'd already risked too much 309 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:52,480 Speaker 2: to get his hands on it. Man Thing issue number one. 310 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:55,560 Speaker 2: It was near mint cost him twenty seven coins from 311 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:59,640 Speaker 2: his meticulous, securated antique penny collection. He had his grandmother 312 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:03,399 Speaker 2: to think for the coin collecting. He enjoyed the tactile experience, 313 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:07,760 Speaker 2: the attention to detail, the proud feeling of ownership possession. 314 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:11,320 Speaker 2: But he was twelve years old now, and coins just 315 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:14,280 Speaker 2: weren't cool anymore. Definitely not as cool as Man Thing. 316 00:18:15,119 --> 00:18:19,359 Speaker 2: The reddish dusk was dimming fast, and Alexander cut across 317 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:23,159 Speaker 2: Missus Johnson's backyard through the baseball field behind Saint Mark's. 318 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:25,920 Speaker 2: It was the most direct route to his mom's house, 319 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:28,439 Speaker 2: even if it did take him past the Bridger's nasty 320 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 2: pitbull He glanced down at the comic book in his 321 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:33,760 Speaker 2: arms and read the slogan on the cover. Whoever knows 322 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:37,120 Speaker 2: fear burns at the touch of man thing. He told 323 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:40,040 Speaker 2: himself he wouldn't be afraid, not of the dog anyway. 324 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:44,600 Speaker 2: Alexander made it past the Bridger's house unscathed. His mother's 325 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:47,640 Speaker 2: house was right there over the horizon. He could see 326 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:51,480 Speaker 2: the fiery sun sinking just behind it, casting an ominous 327 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,919 Speaker 2: shadow on the front porch. As he got closer, he 328 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:57,199 Speaker 2: saw his mother standing in the darkness with a frying 329 00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:59,440 Speaker 2: pan in one hand and a belt. 330 00:18:59,119 --> 00:18:59,640 Speaker 1: In the other. 331 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 2: I told you to be home before the sunset, she said. 332 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:07,080 Speaker 2: She beckoned him up the stairs with a bony finger. 333 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:11,480 Speaker 2: Alexander knew better than to resist or to scream. He 334 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:15,240 Speaker 2: just stood there, stern and silent, and accepted his punishment. 335 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:18,439 Speaker 2: The first lash from the belt tore a button off 336 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 2: of Alexander's shirt. It was a Sunday night, and he 337 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 2: was still in his church clothes, but he was too 338 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 2: distracted by the incoming frying pan to notice. He tried 339 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:30,080 Speaker 2: out the flinch as the cast iron connected with his cheek. 340 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 2: He knew that if he made a sound, she'd just 341 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:34,400 Speaker 2: get mad at him for talking back. 342 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:36,600 Speaker 1: He wasn't minding her, she said. 343 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:40,680 Speaker 2: After his mother was done with her thrashing, she asked 344 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:43,680 Speaker 2: Alexander what happened to his clothes. She pointed to the 345 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 2: missing button on his shirt that had come off with 346 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 2: a belt. Alexander didn't know what to say, so he 347 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:52,399 Speaker 2: said nothing. His mother tore into him verbally this time 348 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:56,520 Speaker 2: he was sloppy, disrespectful. How darry be so careless with 349 00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:58,800 Speaker 2: the clothes she bought for him with the money she earned, 350 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 2: threw all of her hard work. His mother didn't work 351 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 2: three jobs just to watch him ruin everything she built 352 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:06,640 Speaker 2: for him. She ordered Alexander to take his clothes off 353 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 2: right there in the porch. Why while the covering yourself 354 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,440 Speaker 2: If you're just going to make a mess anyway, that 355 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:13,919 Speaker 2: was her logic. At least may as well go out 356 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:15,639 Speaker 2: into the world the same way you came into it. 357 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:18,880 Speaker 2: Then she went inside and locked the door behind her. 358 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,560 Speaker 2: The sun had fully set and the April chill was 359 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:27,480 Speaker 2: setting in in twelve year old Alexander Williams was completely 360 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:31,120 Speaker 2: naked with no way back inside. This wasn't the first 361 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:34,159 Speaker 2: time he found himself in this situation. He did what 362 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:35,959 Speaker 2: he always did when his mother left him like this, 363 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:39,199 Speaker 2: he went for a walk. By Now he knew his 364 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:41,720 Speaker 2: way around those desolate streets in the dark, and where 365 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:43,679 Speaker 2: to find the safest shadows for a naked boy to 366 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:47,400 Speaker 2: get a little shut eye. Sometimes he explored different neighborhoods. 367 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:50,800 Speaker 2: His dad lived around here somewhere, or so they said. 368 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:54,480 Speaker 2: But on this night, in particular, clutching his now crumpled 369 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:58,080 Speaker 2: copy of man Thing Number one, Alexander found a different 370 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:01,040 Speaker 2: kind of shelter. The frying pan to the face had 371 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 2: left him dizzy, and he kept seeing these flickering lights 372 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,640 Speaker 2: in the corners of his eyes. They had disappeared each 373 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:09,320 Speaker 2: time he turned around, but like a moth to a flame, 374 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:12,600 Speaker 2: he followed them anyway, hoping to find the source. The 375 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:15,320 Speaker 2: lights led him to a house where Alexander could see 376 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:17,679 Speaker 2: the ambient flicker of a television set through the window. 377 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:21,280 Speaker 2: His eyes struggled to sift through the static, but soon 378 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 2: enough the bright blur melted into focus, revealing the glorious 379 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:30,040 Speaker 2: visage of a savior on the screen, Sigourney Weaver sitting 380 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:34,639 Speaker 2: in a spaceship an angelic white underwear. A monster lurked 381 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:39,760 Speaker 2: behind her, Alexander just stood there outside, buck naked, staring 382 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:42,440 Speaker 2: at the screen through the window, he squinted as the 383 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:48,520 Speaker 2: radiance washed over him, a baptism of light. Alexander returned 384 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:50,400 Speaker 2: home in the morning to fetch his clothes for school, 385 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:52,840 Speaker 2: and his mother didn't say a word to him, not 386 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 2: about worried Ben or the awful abuse she put him through. 387 00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:59,920 Speaker 2: Alexander didn't tell her anything either. He kept the revelation 388 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:03,240 Speaker 2: and to himself, and the mysterious lights that had guided 389 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:07,119 Speaker 2: him to that religious epiphany. They never went away. He 390 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:10,119 Speaker 2: spent more time in his bedroom after school, exploring new 391 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:13,080 Speaker 2: rituals and ways to commune with the goddess, the great 392 00:22:13,119 --> 00:22:17,560 Speaker 2: weaver Sigourney. It was like collecting coins or comics. His 393 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:20,919 Speaker 2: quiet curation became a ritual in its own right. A 394 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:23,600 Speaker 2: few times, Alexander's mother even found him talking with the 395 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:26,680 Speaker 2: soundless voices that were living in his head. She asked 396 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:28,880 Speaker 2: what was going on, and he knew better than to lie, 397 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:32,199 Speaker 2: though she probably wouldn't have believed him either way, and 398 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 2: to his surprise, she never punished him for the strange 399 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:38,720 Speaker 2: behaviors he displayed in the house. She mostly just ignored it. 400 00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 2: She still had plenty of other reasons to beat him anyway, 401 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:44,840 Speaker 2: like when he came home late, when he wouldn't mind her, 402 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 2: or when he tried to tell her that her new 403 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:48,240 Speaker 2: husband was abusing him. 404 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:50,360 Speaker 1: He was tense, on edge. 405 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 2: He waited for the goddess to reveal herself to him again. 406 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:55,760 Speaker 2: In the dining hall at school, he watched as a 407 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:58,560 Speaker 2: boy write a comic book adaptation of the movie Alien, 408 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:02,159 Speaker 2: starring the Great Weaver as Ripley. He watched for a 409 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:05,520 Speaker 2: close distance as the boy flipped page after page. He 410 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 2: saw the illustrated illumination of his beloved goddess in each 411 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:12,439 Speaker 2: comic panel. He approached the boy, give me that comic. 412 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:15,919 Speaker 2: The boy refused. Alexander grabbed a butter knife from a 413 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,560 Speaker 2: nearby lunch tree. He put the knife to the boy's neck, 414 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:21,240 Speaker 2: and the boy was shaking. Give me that comic, or 415 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 2: I'll cut your fucking throat. That little stunt at Alexander 416 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:27,840 Speaker 2: a few months in juvie, and when he came home again, 417 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 2: the beatings continued. But these beatings weren't at the hand 418 00:23:32,119 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 2: of his mother. These were self inflicted. Alexander took to 419 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:39,080 Speaker 2: pounding his head against the wall, beating the world out 420 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:42,439 Speaker 2: of his mind, just nothing, nothing but the illness that 421 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 2: came with repeated instances of intense pain. He hid his 422 00:23:46,359 --> 00:23:49,000 Speaker 2: head on the wall, over and over until he felt 423 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:51,720 Speaker 2: less than he had before, until his face and the 424 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:54,879 Speaker 2: wall were bloody. His mother brought him to the Georgia 425 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:57,600 Speaker 2: Regional Mental Hospital, replete with the brand new state of 426 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:02,080 Speaker 2: the arid algorithmic computer diagnostic system think Scantron, but for 427 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 2: mental illness. She wanted him committed. But when the doctor 428 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:08,000 Speaker 2: has asked her what was wrong with her son, all 429 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:10,760 Speaker 2: she said was that he was being difficult. He won't 430 00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:14,119 Speaker 2: mind me, she said. The official reason on the hospital's 431 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:18,879 Speaker 2: paperwork was that Alexander was in transigent, literally meaning he 432 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,760 Speaker 2: was just stubborn and disagreeable. The doctors weren't sure how 433 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:25,439 Speaker 2: that made him different from any other teenager, but they 434 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 2: agreed to take him in for a temporary state to 435 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:31,560 Speaker 2: evaluate him. Alexander went through the usual series of tests 436 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:35,640 Speaker 2: and they tracked his behavior on that fancy new computer system. 437 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:39,840 Speaker 2: After seven days of careful observation, doctors are confident in 438 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:45,159 Speaker 2: their assessment Alexander Williams was a normal teenage boy and 439 00:24:45,200 --> 00:25:07,960 Speaker 2: there was absolutely nothing wrong with him. The frogs tried 440 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:11,160 Speaker 2: to tell him. Alexander Williams was kneeling on the concrete 441 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:14,080 Speaker 2: floor of his prison cell, scheming with the flying frogs 442 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 2: who lived beneath his bed. Around his eyes, he wore 443 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:19,199 Speaker 2: a frayed strip of cloth from the foot of his 444 00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:22,399 Speaker 2: bed sheet, with two lopsided eye holes that he carved 445 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:24,680 Speaker 2: using the jagged edge on the corner of his thumbnail. 446 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:27,960 Speaker 2: He knew the makeshift mask looked a little silly, but 447 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:31,760 Speaker 2: then his fantastical amphibian friends, with their bulbous eyes didn't 448 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,919 Speaker 2: always look so great themselves, and the only difference was 449 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:36,240 Speaker 2: no one else could. 450 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:36,960 Speaker 1: See the frogs. 451 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:40,840 Speaker 2: They suddenly let out another warning, a chorus of croaking 452 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:44,680 Speaker 2: that swelled into utter cacophony. Alexander begged them for a 453 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:46,920 Speaker 2: better explanation, and it was no use. 454 00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:48,439 Speaker 1: He couldn't speak frog. 455 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:52,320 Speaker 2: Even worse, the ribbits in this particular hallucination had gotten 456 00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:54,760 Speaker 2: so loud that he couldn't hear anything else over the noise, 457 00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:57,560 Speaker 2: not the snap of the lock of the sliding door 458 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:01,600 Speaker 2: or the bootsteps behind him. By the time Alexander realized 459 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:04,080 Speaker 2: what was happening, one of the prison guards already had 460 00:26:04,119 --> 00:26:07,440 Speaker 2: his arm pressed against his throat while the first guard 461 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:10,679 Speaker 2: kept Alexander pinned in place, the second came around the 462 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:13,560 Speaker 2: front and shoved two pills into his mouth. Then he 463 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:16,480 Speaker 2: clamped Alexander's josh shut with his giant hands and kept 464 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:20,000 Speaker 2: it closed until Alexander swallowed or went blue in the face. 465 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,320 Speaker 2: Alexander went through the same routine every day. Sometimes he 466 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:27,359 Speaker 2: complied and let the pills slide down his throat. Other 467 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:30,359 Speaker 2: times he fought back. Then there were the days when 468 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:32,560 Speaker 2: he wasn't even sane enough to make a decision either way. 469 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:36,240 Speaker 2: The only reason Alexander ended up cooperating this time was 470 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:39,200 Speaker 2: because the prison had just received a DVD of Galaxy Quest, 471 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:42,640 Speaker 2: a nineteen ninety nine sci fi comedy starring none other 472 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:46,080 Speaker 2: than Sigourney Weaver, and he was desperate to seize Goddess 473 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:51,800 Speaker 2: once again. Back in nineteen eighty six, nine months after 474 00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:53,720 Speaker 2: he was released with a clean bill of health from 475 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:57,080 Speaker 2: the Georgia Regional Mental Hospital after doctors said there was 476 00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:00,720 Speaker 2: nothing wrong with him, Alexander kidnapped steen year old it 477 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:03,640 Speaker 2: led a bunch from the Augusta Mall. He raped her, 478 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:07,439 Speaker 2: he shot her four times in the head. Forensics couldn't 479 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:09,879 Speaker 2: figure out the order of those things happened to him. 480 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 2: Alexander was seventeen years old at the time. He spent 481 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:17,640 Speaker 2: the next sixteen years in prison fighting for appeals, though 482 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:19,840 Speaker 2: not because anyone seriously doubted. 483 00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:20,680 Speaker 1: What he'd done. 484 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:23,560 Speaker 2: The legal appeals had more to do with Alexander's trial. 485 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:26,679 Speaker 2: His court appointed lawyer knew that Alexander was facing a 486 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:30,280 Speaker 2: potential death sentence, yet somehow he failed to mention anything 487 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:33,200 Speaker 2: about Alexander's stay in the mental institution or the years 488 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 2: of physical and sexual abuse he endured at home. In fact, 489 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:38,960 Speaker 2: the mother who abused him was one of the only 490 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:42,359 Speaker 2: witnesses called in his defense. She told the jury that 491 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:44,720 Speaker 2: her son was a nice, quiet boy who liked comic 492 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:47,399 Speaker 2: books and antique coins, and that he never did anything wrong. 493 00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:52,320 Speaker 2: The entire defense presentation lasted fifteen minutes. The jury found 494 00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:55,200 Speaker 2: Alexander guilty on all counts and sentenced them to death. 495 00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:59,960 Speaker 2: Alexander's mental health deteriorated rapidly while he waited for his execution. 496 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:04,359 Speaker 2: The prison doctors formerly diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenias it 497 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:07,080 Speaker 2: gets effective disorder, though it was pretty clear to everyone 498 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:09,639 Speaker 2: that he'd been losing his grip on reality long before 499 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:14,240 Speaker 2: he raped and killed poor letter Bunch in August two thousand, 500 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 2: about eight months after Galaxy Quest was released. In fourteen 501 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:20,080 Speaker 2: years after the death of a Letter Bunch, more than 502 00:28:20,119 --> 00:28:23,160 Speaker 2: half of the jury from Alexander's trial sent a letter 503 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:27,679 Speaker 2: with a signed affidavit in his defense. They said they 504 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:29,439 Speaker 2: never would have agreed to the death sentence if they 505 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:32,520 Speaker 2: had known anything about his mental health. A flood of 506 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 2: public support followed. Amnesty International, the UN Commission on Human Rights. 507 00:28:37,359 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 2: Even former First Lady Rosalind Carter, a lifelong advocate for 508 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 2: mental health reform, spoke up, but it still wasn't enough. 509 00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:47,320 Speaker 2: The State of Georgia was committed to following through with 510 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 2: the sentence, even though Alexander Williams would be the only 511 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:53,280 Speaker 2: person in US history who would have to be forcibly 512 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:58,120 Speaker 2: medicated in order to make him sane enough to legally kill. 513 00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:01,000 Speaker 2: No one was trying to prove Alexander innocence or get 514 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:03,800 Speaker 2: him out of prison, but there was some serious legal 515 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:07,120 Speaker 2: and ethical questions about executing someone with a debilitating mental 516 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:11,680 Speaker 2: illness for a crime they committed as a miner. Alexander 517 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:15,520 Speaker 2: Williams's death was finally scheduled for February twenty six, two 518 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,840 Speaker 2: thousand and two, Just a few hours before his execution, 519 00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:22,160 Speaker 2: the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles agreed to commute 520 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:25,440 Speaker 2: his death sentence. Alexander would still have to spend his 521 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:28,440 Speaker 2: life in prison, but at least he'd have a life 522 00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:32,320 Speaker 2: to spend for another nine months anyway, which is how 523 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:35,080 Speaker 2: long it was before Alexander was discovered in his cell, 524 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:38,320 Speaker 2: hanging from his own shirt wrapped around his neck, dead 525 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:40,000 Speaker 2: from an apparent suicide. 526 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:41,240 Speaker 1: He was thirty four. 527 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:45,920 Speaker 2: His mother maintained his innocence even after his death, Even 528 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 2: after all she put him through, she still insisted he 529 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:51,080 Speaker 2: was a nice, quiet boy who would always mind her, 530 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:54,360 Speaker 2: and while he was still alive, she encouraged the prison 531 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:56,520 Speaker 2: guards to let him keep the candles and trinkets from 532 00:29:56,520 --> 00:29:59,120 Speaker 2: the rituals he did to commune with his goddess, the 533 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:03,000 Speaker 2: Great Weaver called Sigourney. Of course, his mother never knew 534 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:06,120 Speaker 2: the true name of the goddess. Maybe that's because Sigourney 535 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:10,000 Speaker 2: Weaver wasn't actually a deity, a great actress, sure, but 536 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:14,040 Speaker 2: not divine, not literally. For all we know, she never 537 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:17,760 Speaker 2: even heard about Alexander Williams. People do all kinds of 538 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:21,120 Speaker 2: heinous things in the names of gods and goddesses. But 539 00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:23,800 Speaker 2: we don't blame the deities, even if they are real, 540 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:27,480 Speaker 2: because we know that ordinary human beings are very good 541 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:30,560 Speaker 2: at being evil without any supernatural. 542 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:33,120 Speaker 1: Help, and that is a disgrace. 543 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:52,520 Speaker 2: I'm Jake Brennan in this is Disgraceland, all right. 544 00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:55,560 Speaker 1: Guys, how weird was that? One? In honor of Sigourney 545 00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:57,920 Speaker 1: Weaver and the excellent film Alien. 546 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 3: I want to know which movies about space should I 547 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:00,960 Speaker 3: be watching? 548 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:03,160 Speaker 1: And why? Which ones do you guys want to watch? Again? 549 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:05,720 Speaker 3: What are the great space movies, the great alien movies, 550 00:31:05,760 --> 00:31:06,800 Speaker 3: the iconic ones. 551 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:09,880 Speaker 1: This isn't my bag. I need entry into this realm. 552 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:10,600 Speaker 3: Hook me up. 553 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:12,680 Speaker 1: You can leave out Star Wars. I'm up to date 554 00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:13,440 Speaker 1: on that at least. 555 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:16,040 Speaker 3: Uh hit me with you rex okay six one seven 556 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:18,800 Speaker 3: nine oh six six six three eight, Leave me a voicemail, 557 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:20,400 Speaker 3: send me a text and let me know. You can 558 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:23,680 Speaker 3: also reach me at disgrace lampod as well on Instagram, 559 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:24,760 Speaker 3: X and Facebook. 560 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:25,440 Speaker 1: Leave a review for. 561 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:27,520 Speaker 3: The show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and. 562 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,240 Speaker 1: Win some free merch. All right, here come some credits. 563 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:34,960 Speaker 4: Disgraceland was created by Yours Truly and is produced in 564 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:38,400 Speaker 4: partnership with Double Elvis. 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Visit disgraylampod dot 574 00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:13,160 Speaker 2: com slash membership for details, rate and review the show, 575 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:16,160 Speaker 2: and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook at 576 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:21,400 Speaker 2: disgracelampod and on YouTube at YouTube dot com slash at disgracelampod. 577 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:28,720 Speaker 1: Rock a Roller, He's a bad band man.