The immediate response to the murder is shock but also a belief that the authorities will not hold Williams responsible for the murder. Williams tells the police that he acted in self-defense. The night of the murder, Williams and Hansford came home after watching a movie. Hansford became increasingly drunk and high as they played video and board games, eventually becoming angry and violent. He grabs Williams’s gun and shoots at Williams but misses. Williams grabs another gun and shoots at Hansford, killing him.

Central to Williams self-defense claim is a lab test that “would show whether or not Danny Hansford had actually fired a pistol as Williams claimed. A crucial test would be the presence, or absence, of gunshot powder on Hansford’s hands” (173). While the authorities process the tests, Williams is out on bail, and the rest of Savannah is weighing the evidence as they have heard it. Most believe Williams because they heard of Hansford’s stays in juvenile homes and mental hospitals. There are many who can attest to his violence. Despite a few “society ladies,” most of Savannah knew that Williams and Hansford had a sexual relationship. One resident comments, “Of course we knew.