From the 1960s through the early 1990s, a violent predator known as the “Handcuff Man” targeted gay men and male sex workers in Atlanta. He lured them into his car with promises of money and alcohol before drugging, beating, and burning them. People in the community knew he was dangerous, but fear of being publicly identified and distrust of police kept many from coming forward. The attacks continued for decades before attorney Robert Lee Bennett Jr. was finally arrested in 1991.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum looks back at the Handcuff Man case and how Bennett managed to target vulnerable men for so many years. Through the stories of survivors, she highlights what investigators missed and why building relationships within a community, earning people’s trust, and listening to those closest to a case can be critical to stopping a violent predator.

Highlights:

(0:00) Why criminals target vulnerable populations and the challenges investigators face

(3:30) The Handcuff Man’s attacks on gay men and male sex workers in Atlanta

(6:00) Why victims and witnesses were reluctant to report the attacks to police

(7:00) Survivors recount their encounters with the Handcuff Man and the severe injuries they suffered

(9:45) How Atlanta police officer J.D. Kirkland identified Robert Lee Bennett Jr. years before his arrest

(11:45) Bennett’s arrest, guilty plea, and the importance of building relationships and trust within a community to help solve crimes

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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work has included high-profile investigations involving the Boston Strangler, Natalee Holloway, Tupac Shakur, and the Moore's Ford Bridge lynching. She is an Emmy Award-winning crime scene investigator and was inducted into the National Law Enforcement Officer Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer's Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.