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. 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. Sign up to receive breakingFront Page Detectivesnews and exclusive investigations. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { 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. 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. So if the West Memphis Three aren't the real killers, who is? Baldwin meanwhile has ambitions to become a lawyer and began work for a construction company, with Misskelley getting engaged to his high school girlfriend and training as a mechanic. He had an extensive collection of animal skulls, including dogs and cats and local rumors said that he had killed a dog, while no evidence was ever provided. However, the matter was sent to appeal, and Burnett was elected to the Arkansas State Senate, with his replacement being David Laser. Advances in DNA testing allowed forensics to be utilized on hairs found at the scene, with none again matching for the three imprisoned men. 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.". The West Memphis Three were charged with the murder of three boys in 1994. However, this approach was countered by other officers who believed firmly the occult must be involved at some level, looking immediately toward Damien Echols, who had built a reputation in the local community. Get all the latest information on Events, Sales and Offers. He quickly retracted the statement, and police aren't believed to have considered them suspects any longer than the period of their arrest. Candy-Land idealism is quietly suffocated in the relentless humidity. There was circumstantial evidence to suggest Byers knew more than he let on. All three appealed the convictions. He suffered from "grandiose and persecutory delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, disordered thought processes, substantial lack of insight, and chronic, incapacitating mood swings." Yet, while Arkansas certainly has problems seen throughout the South, such as poor wages, West Memphis was then a city of 30,000 with a wide variety of cultures. 1:53 Digital Original Motivations For Investigating The West Memphis Case 1:05 Preview Stating that he was "scared of the police," Misskelley confessed to murder. He has now resigned, and we know that none of the evidence was destroyed. They wanted to overwhelm us, convict us, condemn us and sweep us under the rug.". Then, after determining the boys final movements, Bob meets with a DNA expert to discuss new technology that might break the case wide open. WebThe West Memphis Three are three men convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, United States. 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. According to her new story, police had threatened to take her child if she didn't "cooperate." But what is the purpose of that? While the three, better known as the West Memphis Three, entered an Alford plea and are therefore not innocent in the eyes of the law, DNA evidence suggests someone else is responsible for the 1993 murders of James Michael Moore, Stephen Branch, and Christopher Byers. 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.". VEGA, Texas (KFDA) - Two people were killed and two others were injured after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 west of Vega. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. Echols, 36, had been on death row, while Baldwin, 34, and Misskelley, 36, were serving life sentences. While his repeated confessions may seem incriminating, Lawyer Dan Stidman would say in a 1999 letter to the court that "Absolutely nothing Misskelley told the officers or prosecutors would ever be admissible against him. Talking with police and his lawyer present in the room, he would ignore advice from his counsel to remain silent and detailed how the West Memphis Three had abused and murdered the victims. The belief in a Satanic aspect to the crime was aided by Vicki Hutcheson and her son, when after discovering the bodies, Aaron claimed he'd witnessed the killings. Yet, none of this makes a murderer, and Echols, like most readers of LaVey and Crowley, believed that their work had been unfairly maligned as evil, instead calling to libertarian freedom away from the confines of Christian morality. 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 During part two of the documentary special, Ruff sat down with retired FBI Supervisory Agent Jim Clemente, who created a suspect profile to help narrow down the possible suspect pool. The Brotherhood group he identified himself as being associated with had committed multiple homicides. 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. Echols was from a poor background and struggled both with poverty and his mental health, having been institutionalized for several months after considering suicide. Pamela Hobbs gave numerous interviews to the press where she spoke about the knife, the DNA, and the events of May 5 and 6, 1994. While the three, better known as the West Memphis Three, entered an Alford plea and are therefore not innocent in the eyes of the law, DNA evidence suggests someone else is responsible for the 1993 murders of James Michael Moore, Stephen Branch, and Christopher Byers. Judge David Burnett, the original trial judge, disallowed the presentation of the new information in his court in 2008, citing the DNA tests as inconclusive. March 3, 2023, at 3:19 p.m. Video Shows Memphis Jailers Beating Black Inmate Who Died. Hobbs retrieved a .357 magnum pistol from his truck and shot Jackie Hicks, Pamela Hobbs' brother. 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. } But in the process, the West Memphis Three get blamed for the crime they didn't commit. He took one of them I don't know which one cut him on I think it was on this side of his face.". ga('ads.send', { Clemente noted there was no indication, forensically, that theres more than one offender involved because what happened to each of the victims was consistent. We are one of the worlds fastest growing Sign up for newsletter today. 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." The story will be familiar to many working-class American youths, with Echols' poverty and mental health struggles disconnecting him from society, writing that "As I grew older I learned to be ashamed of being poor, too. }); Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers were only 8 years old when they viciously murdered in 1993. A few years later, he was facing charges relating to the use of terroristic threats, grand theft, and drug use. 'West Memphis Three' case: John Byers, suspect and stepfather of one of the slain boys, dies in car crash. All three spent most of their days as any other mid-1990s teenagers - listening to rock music, watching pro wrestling on television, and either poking around under the hood of a car or simply hanging out and causing trouble. Yet, it is a giant leap toward murder. WebWest Memphis Three, three American men who in 1994, while teenagers, were found guilty of murdering three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, allegedly as part of devil worship. 1." Due to marital problems stemming from Stevies death, the couple divorced in 2004, reported CNN. 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. Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were best friends. They had a daughter together, Amanda Hobbs, who was 4 years old at the time of her brothers death. Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore. 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. Echols' legal team has filed a response to the Attorney General's request, where they are asking the court to deny it. 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. pg.acq.push(function() { Yet, the moral panic would culturally define the decade for many youths, lingering as the remnants of the "Satanic Panic" that led to many wrongful convictions a decade earlier. Grandmother with dementia died from face wound neglected by staff for days. Both men were increasingly concerned about the potential for human sacrifices when it was a full moon. A second hair found at the scene was consistent with his friend, David Jacoby. Every piece is still there https://t.co/8tzxOWjZLH, - Damien Echols (@damienechols) December 21, 2021. She also revealed Terry hadn't informed her that her son was missing until she finished work, having significant concerns over his whereabouts on those days. 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. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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 Youtube Mugshots of the West Memphis Three. Despite claiming to know Echols well, she denied knowing his close friend Baldwin. Attorney General Griffin expects Echols' legal team to refile in Craighead County, but he said that it won't make a difference in the long run. All three were second-grade pupils at Weaver Elementary School, with Branch being an honor student. They allowed police and other workers to walk through the creek, trampling possible evidence such as footprints, and equally failed to drain the water quickly to preserve other evidence. "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." and "Do you know who killed those three boys?". Martin molested both of his stepchildren a son and a daughter over four years, serving just three years in the Colorado State Penitentiary. 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 Echols claimed that Pope's departure and the discovery of the evidence were connected. Well, it minimizes the package a little bit and makes it easier to control after they're dead.. Writing under penalty of perjury to the United States District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas, Pamela would say that he ex-husband kept dentures in a lock-box. In contrast, others contend he remained severely mentally ill and an immature teenager. During the weeks that followed, law enforcement would only state that Echols was a source of information, not officially designating him a suspect despite looking at him more than anyone else. West Memphis police brought Terry Hobbs in for questioning in June 2007, and coverage soon led to a widespread examination of the original verdict, with Hobbs even telling police that some of his relatives suspected him in the killings. A popular perception is that in New York or Los Angeles, is the lifestyles of the West Memphis Three wouldn't have drawn comment, but in Arkansas, it was a different story. eventAction: 'click_adunit' Byers submitted dental records that showed the marks on the body didn't match his original teeth and subsequently passed a polygraph during the documentary's filming. 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