S5 Ep23: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: Separating Fact from Fiction

Crimes of the Centuries

Amber Hunt and Audioboom

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture, History

4.6 • 3.8K Ratings

🗓️ 18 August 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1981, 21-year-old Danny Hansford was shot and killed inside one of Savannah’s grandest mansions. The man who pulled the trigger, antiques dealer Jim Williams, claimed self-defense. What followed was a legal circus resulting in four high-profile trials. Then, less than a year later after the dust settled, Williams was dead. This is the case that inspired Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the bestselling book that turned Savannah into a gothic brand. But the real story is messier than the myth.

"Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK! Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (https://www.centuriespod.com/book)!

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod

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Transcript

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1:33.8	Some crimes are so heartbreaking or shocking. They change laws, change society, or even earn the label
1:43.5	Crime of the Century.
1:45.8	But the stories that made headlines and decades past aren't necessarily remembered today.
1:52.3	I'm Amber Hunt, a journalist and author, and in each episode of this show,
1:56.9	I'll examine a case that's maybe lesser known today, but was huge when it happened.
2:03.6	This is Crimes of the Centuries.
2:26.2	On the evening of January 14, 1990, Doug Seyl knocked on the front door of Mercer House,
	...

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