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Serving as professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California, it was expert testimony. Neighbors would recall that the abuse suffered by the boy was horrific, describing the whippings as a regular occurrence. Never mentioned in the autopsy or at either trial, they didn't match for Echols, Misskelley or Baldwin. One of the charges of making terroristic threats was connected to a domestic dispute between him and his first wife, Sandra Byers, who accused him of threatening her life and assaulting her with an electronic stunning device. The inherent belief in that line of thought eventually led to the arrest of 18-year-old Damien Echols, 17-year-old Jessie Misskelley Jr., and 16-year-old Jason Baldwin, three out-of-sorts teens who became popularly known as "The West Memphis Three.". Morgan and Holland left town on May 10 and headed to Oceanside in California, their departure shocking many who knew them. An attorney involved in the West Memphis Three case, in which three teenagers were convicted of killing three boys in 1993, is claiming that evidence related to the case that was believed to be lost or destroyed has been located at the West Memphis Police Department, local CBS affiliate WREG reported.Attorney Patrick Benca, who represents 31 2021, Published 3:16 p.m. On Feb. 8, Misskelley claimed he had been drunk at the time of the killings and was drinking Evan Williams whiskey, claiming that he had thrown a bottle away under a bridge in West Memphis, swearing on the Bible as to the truth of his latest claims. "The chief of police was not truthful," Echols tweeted on Wednesday. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. He was sentenced to life plus 40 years. "I am innocent, as are Jason and Jessie, but I made this decision because I did not want to spend another day of my life behind those bars," Echols told the "Arkansas Times." The police were called, but he had left by the time they arrived, and nobody from law enforcement entered the bathroom until the next day after the discovery of the bodies. Aaron was restless, and Bray was unable to properly administer the polygraph. Furthermore, Clemente believes the assailant was a male in his 30s who is either biologically related to one or more of the victims, a family member, or a very close community member. Echols was from a poor background and struggled both with poverty and his mental health, having been institutionalized for several months after considering suicide. While police initially suspected rape, there was no evidence for it. However, during his time at the station, Aaron mentioned that his three friends had been killed at "the playhouse.". }); eventAction: 'render' Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! During one visit to the station, officers used photographs of Echols, Misskelley and Baldwin for dart practice, having made their minds up about their guilt long before their arrests. ga('ads.send', { Who Killed The Forgotten West Memphis Three? Then, after determining the boys final movements, Bob meets with a DNA expert to discuss new technology that might break the case wide open. Misskelley was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. } They did not kill my son.. Now, Attorney General Tim Griffin has requested the Arkansas Supreme Court to dismiss the case based on the fact that the petition was filed in Crittenden County but Echols was convicted in Craighead County. Get all the latest information on Events, Sales and Offers. To understand the story of the West Memphis Three, it's important to remember the cultural atmosphere that was prevalent throughout America in the mid-1990s. If some stranger who looked very threatening approached these three boys, I think the first reaction of these boys would be to run away, to look for help. Prosecutors in the case argued that Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley had killed three boys the prior year as part of Satanic rituals. She would state that her son had strangely said "I love you, mom" repeatedly on the way home from school on the day he vanished. Echols, one of the West Memphis Three, and his legal team have hit another obstacle as they try to get the court's permission to test newly found evidence for DNA. The truth is, the ongoing debate over whether Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were guilty has often clouded the undoubted fact that justice remains elusive for the other West Memphis Three, Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); On one occasion, she said she was with her son all day; on another that he left home around 4 p.m. One individual on the police radar was convicted pedophile James K. Martin. let gads_event; To understand the story of the West Memphis Three, it's important to remember the cultural atmosphere that was prevalent throughout America in the mid-1990s. 31 2021, Published 3:16 p.m. }); In statements under oath, the three witnesses say that Michael Hobbs told them, "My uncle killed three boys in West Memphis." Misskelley's confession couldn't be utilized if he had stood trial alongside Echols and Baldwin under what is known as the Bruton rule stemming from Bruton v. United States. Tape recorded, Misskelley would claim that "When the boys came up, Damien grabbed one of them, I don't know which one and the other two tried to get Damien to stop, and then me and Jason come out and started grabbing them, started hitting them." But it seemed the story for the West Memphis Three was over. Moore. The three would be confirmed to be together between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., with the boys spotted headed toward Robin Hood Hills; Terry Hobbs, Branch's stepfather, calling out for them to return. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), A new round of DNA testing later showed no genetic material linked the men to the crime scene evidence, and they were released from prison in 2011 after agreeing to an Alford plea. Product was successfully added to your shopping cart. The West Memphis Three are Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr., whoas teenagerswere convicted in 1994 of triple murder in West Memphis (Crittenden County). Driver's comments surrounding the case raised troubling questions over his competence to serve, stating he believed Echols and his girlfriend intended to sacrifice their expectant child to Satan. Equally, it was widely known he threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend's father, yet those who had taken against him left out that this was through a fear that the father was going to assault his daughter. On May 5, 1993, that trouble for Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley, seemed to have got indescribably more severe. Echols, one of the West Memphis Three, and his legal team have hit another obstacle as they try to get the court's permission to test newly found evidence for DNA. March 3, 2023, at 3:19 p.m. Video Shows Memphis Jailers Beating Black Inmate Who Died. It took 18 years, a deep probe into the criminal justice system, and the rallying of a The bodies of the three boys had been found in Robin Hood Hills, a stretch of forested land in the city that was popular with children and where Christopher, Michael and Steve were last seen together. Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? Medical examiners were split on whether the three boys died the night they went missing or the morning after, and the bite marks wouldn't even be noticed until photographs were examined years later. Toggle dark mode He was 62. Martin molested both of his stepchildren a son and a daughter over four years, serving just three years in the Colorado State Penitentiary. 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All three achieved the rank of "Wolf," and Moore had his blue Boy Scouts of America shirt and Boy Scout hat on as he ventured out on his bicycle. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' How the three died wasn't the same, with Moore and Branch being killed by multiple injuries and then drowning, with Byers dying of blood loss and not being drowned. The hair would tie in with a reported sighting of a "disoriented" man on the night of the boys' disappearance. Every piece is still there https://t.co/8tzxOWjZLH, - Damien Echols (@damienechols) December 21, 2021. Now, the attorneys are responding in court. The gruesome nature of their deaths led both police and the community to theorize that there had been a satanic element involved something that wasn't too farfetched in the "Bible Belt, where Satanic Panic" was at its peak. "Chief Pope's resignation is completely unrelated to the West Memphis three rumors being sent out on social media," the statement reads. There was a sense of disconnect from society amongst many young people, with the counter-culture that produced grunge giving way to the metal Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. John Mark Byers, stepfather of Chris Byers and initially the subject of considerable suspicion himself, is shown calling Terry Hobbs a "baby killer" outside an Arkansas courtroom. Both knew Misskelley from school but were hardly considered friends, Misskelley having a reputation for violence. Based on the way the boys were tied up hands bound on either side of the body to the same side ankle Clemente theorized the suspect is somebody who works with animal carcasses, a butcher or a hunter., [T]he ligatures are not restraining ligatures. He suffered from "grandiose and persecutory delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, disordered thought processes, substantial lack of insight, and chronic, incapacitating mood swings." document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), The blade had blood on the hinge, and HBO ordered Berlinger and Sinofsky to hand the knife to West Memphis police. All three would be happy to talk, with Bly saying that Misskelley was the leader of a Satanic cult that also involved Baldwin, Echols, his girlfriend Domini Teer, and others 20 in all. hitType: 'event', Judge Laser vacated all previous convictions and ordered a new trial where the West Memphis Three would be allowed to make the plea, sentencing them to time served. So if the West Memphis Three aren't the real killers, who is? }); However, the day afterward, Hutcheson would tell police that she, Echols and Misskelley had all attended a Wicca meeting in Turrell, Arkansas, where Echols became drunk and started to loudly brag about having committed the killings of Branch, Byers and Moore. There were even witnesses who placed Misskelley at his trailer until 6:30 p.m., the time the boys went missing, with one revealing he picked him up to go wrestling around 7:30 p.m. In many respects, the reaction to these new youth movements was nothing new, with the metal bands of the 1970s and 80s having faced similar condemnation as "the Devil's music." pg.acq.push(function() { New evidence immediately began to come to light that cast even further doubts on the already shaky judgment and presented new and surprising suspects. She was unable to say where this meeting was or who else was present. Everywhere you look, you see people with things that you do not have, and it has a profound mental effect. He kept a calendar of the lunar cycle so he and Jones could patrol the county and check for covens. Explaining why the test may have indicated this, Martin suggested he believed "the father of Steve Branch killed the boys" and that he suspected shoelaces would have been used to tie up the victims, as "logic tells him that the killer would use something already there." Taylor's presence suggests that at 4:30 p.m., Branch and Moore had not yet found their friend Byers. Classmates at Weaver Elementary School, the three were active in their Cub Scout troop and responsible enough to be trusted to roam their neighborhood without While the charges were expunged from his record, documents detailing them were found at the Crittenden County Court by journalist Mara Leveritt. They were released on Aug. 19, 2011. },false) The West Memphis Three were the distinctive people in the town of West Memphis; however, there was little evidence suggesting they killed the three young boys. Echols unwisely began to tell the fanatical Driver tall tales about local cults and animal sacrifices when Driver became his parole officer, telling him that he followed Wicca. The time spent to conceal them could have been skipped completely if there was no known relationship to the victims, Clemente told Ruff. Benca said he hopes the evidence can be tested for DNA to help clear the name of his client, who along with Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelley Jr. was convicted of murder as a teenager in 1994. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { On one occasion after the killings at Robin Hood Hills, he had beaten Pamela so severely that she told the family that she thought her jaw was broken, prompting them to drive to the Hobbs home to confront him. Police noted he knew at least one of the victims by name and was on vacation the week the murders took place. On the evening of May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys disappeared from the streets of West Memphis, Ark. When he was informed that the blood matched both his and Chris' blood type, he claimed he had no idea how the blood might have gotten on the knife before suggesting he might have left it out accidentally. Suspicion toward John Mark Byers would only increase when the bite marks on Steve Branch's forehead were discovered. The 'West Memphis Three' were exonerated following the advent of improved DNA technology (West Memphis Police Department) John Mark Byers, who was suspected in the deaths of three West Memphis children in 1993, died in a car crash earlier this week, officials in Tennessee revealed on Friday, June 19. On May 5, 1993, Branch was at home with his mother, Pamela Hobbs, and shortly after the end of school, Moore rode over on his bike and asked if his friend could take a ride with him. That changed on May 5, 1993, when three second-grade boys were reported missing. At one point, he told locals he obtained superpowers from consuming human blood and was often seen to have sharpened his fingernails and drawn deliberately provocative tattoos on himself. Ultimately, the judge will make a final ruling on whether to proceed. They'd first come into contact almost precisely a year before Echols was arrested alongside his then-girlfriend Deanna Holcomb. In contrast, others contend he remained severely mentally ill and an immature teenager. Sign up to receive breakingFront Page Detectivesnews and exclusive investigations. They seem to me to be more practical ligatures, Clemente said. Writing in his future memoir, "Life After Death," Echols would say, "Down here in the deep, dark South we know and live with the real world. Until 2007, when the discovery of new forensic evidence reopened the case and a new statute permitting post-conviction testing of DNA evidence came about. All three boys were naked and hogtied using their shoelaces, each ankle tied with a wrist behind their backs. To learn more about the case, watch The Forgotten West Memphis Three" now on Oxygen. In 1994, in what was widely believed to be a miscarriage of justice, three teens, 18-year-old Damien Echols, 17-year-old Jessie Misskelley Jr., and 16-year-old Jason Baldwin, were convicted in connection to the deaths of Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Steve Branch the previous year. The following afternoon, the bodies of Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were found by a muddy ditch. He showed several old scars from prior injuries. The men garnered national attention due to a series of documentaries and books that questioned their convictions as well as the vocal support of numerous celebrities. Increasingly alarmed, searchers saw a black shoe floating in a muddy creek that afternoon. Both had histories of drug offenses, and Morgan claimed to police he suffered from memory loss and blackouts, stating he "might have" killed the three boys. Watch: Man connected to 'West Memphis Three' learns evidence connected to the case is missing By Dominique Dillon, FOX13memphis.com July 08, 2021 at 5:53 pm CDT WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. "I can't understand why exactly people are glossing over the obvious when it comes to Byers and the death of Melissa Byers and all the things that Byers has said and done since this trial," he said. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { During questioning, Echols mentioned wounds to the genital that one of the victims suffered. How seriously anyone took the Mulder and Scully of West Memphis is uncertain, but they certainly took Echols seriously. "I think maybe for the general public it's not quite as scary to believe that blood-thirsty Satanists were out murdering children as it is to believe that parents are actually murdering their own children. The West Memphis Three were charged with the murder of three boys in 1994. What came after the arrest is quite well-documented. She also revealed that her ex-husband had once asked her sister point-blank if she suspected him in the killings. The 'West Memphis Three' were exonerated following the advent of improved DNA technology (West Memphis Police Department) John Mark Byers, who was suspected in the deaths of three West Memphis children in 1993, died in a car crash earlier this week, officials in Tennessee revealed on Friday, June 19. There was a sense of disconnect from society amongst many young people, with the counter-culture that produced grunge giving way to the metal By Benjamin H. Smith Who Killed The Forgotten West Memphis Three? However, he was far from the only person of intense interest with two other teenagers, Chris Morgan and Brian Holland, attracting early interest. The case for his guilt was put forward by Echols himself in Peter Jackson's 'West of Memphis.' Efforts to release the West Memphis Three would be aided in 2003 when Vicki Hutcheson ultimately recanted her testimony, telling the "Arkansas Times" that everything she told police was a lie. Curiously, most of the injuries suffered by Byers were to the lower body, whereas the damage inflicted on Branch and Moore was primarily to the upper body. The autopsy in full is harrowing reading, with Moore receiving 63 specific wounds, including ten skull fractures. Despite the alarming inconsistencies and recanting his confession, saying that he was fatigued, threatened and intimidated, police quickly arrested Echols and Baldwin. WebDevil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three is a 2002 true crime book by Mara Leveritt, about the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old children and the subsequent trials of three teenagers charged with and convicted of the crimes.The names of the three teens convicted - Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley - would come to be The deals disappointed both those who still believed the three guilty and their supporters, with many feeling the bargain made them look guilty. Bike found near the "West Memphis Three" crime scene. The 'West Memphis Three' were exonerated following the advent of improved DNA technology (West Memphis Police Department) John Mark Byers, who was suspected in the deaths of three West Memphis children in 1993, died in a car crash earlier this week, officials in Tennessee revealed on Friday, June 19. Many pointed to the irony in that insult, since Byers himself was considered by many to be complicit in not just the boys' murder, and the death of his second wife as well, who had passed away three years after her son's killing. Who killed Stevie One of those people would be Pamela Hobbs. 1:53 Digital Original Motivations For Investigating The West Memphis Case 1:05 Preview In 2010, the West Memphis Three were granted to appear before the Arkansas Supreme Court based on the new DNA evidence and potential misconduct by the jury. Authorities figured Echols as a suspect because had shown an interest in occultism. I believe there was an incident of over-disciplining one of the boys. WebSeason 1 Episode 1 Preview: Host and investigator Bob Ruff explores the flaws from the original ""West Memphis Three"" case to lay the groundwork for his evidence-driven investigation. Like John Mark Byers, Hobbs was a wifebeater. At the scene, Steve Jones, assistant juvenile probation officer, openly speculated that Echols was capable of the crime, saying, "it looks like Damien Echols finally killed someone.". Over the years, however, the West Memphis Three continued to maintain their innocence, claiming they had nothing to do with the slayings of Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers, who were each found nude, hogtied, and mutilated in a bayou. Steve had taken this knife everywhere and was never without it, with Pamela believing the killer had stolen it when it wasn't found at the scene. Speaking about Echols to The New York Times in 1993, high school teacher Jim Ferguson said, "he's like some wacko cult member.". Meanwhile, at the Marion Police Department, Detective Don Bray was attempting to administer a polygraph test to Vicki Hutcheson, who had recently moved to the city. The West Memphis Three are Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr., whoas teenagerswere convicted in 1994 of triple murder in West Memphis (Crittenden County). Despite suspicion eventually falling away from Byers, Jason Baldwin praised the "Paradise Lost" documentaries as essential to their case, telling the "National Podcast of Texas" in 2019 that "The documentary saved my life, saved Damien's life, and saved Jessie's life.