PUTNAM COUNTY
Back by popular demand, an evening of crime stories and wine tasting will return to Georgia Writers Museum (GWM) June 24, as longtime investigator and former police chief Clay Bryant will speak about his latest book, The Cold Case Murder of Fred Wilkerson.
Interviewed by Crime & Wine founder Sheryl McCollum, Bryant will discuss and describe the riveting details of how he solved this 17-year-old Georgia cold case.
Born and raised in Troup County, Bryant claims he was raised in the front seat of a patrol car. He officially began his law enforcement career in 1973 as a radio operator with the Georgia State Patrol and three years later, at the age of 21, graduated as the youngest trooper in the state.
In 1980, Bryant became police chief of Hogansville and remained in that position until resigning in 1992 to enter the private sector. The Cold Case Murder of Fred Wilkerson is his second book, following 2021’s Solving the West Georgia Murder of Gwendolyn Moore: A Cry from the Well.
Bryant has been recognized as the most prolific cold case investigator in the United States for single-event homicides.
His cases have been chronicled on TV shows 48 Hours Investigates, Bill Kurtis Cold Case Files and Discovery ID Murder Book, as well as featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and in many articles published by various local and regional newspapers.
Bryant’s appearance will mark the seventh Crime & Wine program presented at Georgia Writers Museum with McCollum, founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute (CCIRI) and a Georgia-based author herself with Cold Case: Pathways to Justice.
The Crime & Wine event featuring Bryant at Georgia Writers Museum (109 S. Jefferson Ave., Eatonton), is scheduled for Saturday, June 24, with doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. program start.
Pre-registration is required with tickets $45 per person or $40 each for two or more, with a table for six available for $200 (a $70 savings over purchasing individual tickets). Copies of Bryant’s books are available at GWM and he will be signing books after the presentation.
Visit online at georgiawritersmuseum.org or call 706-991-5119 for more information.