eventAction: 'click_adunit' However, that isn't quite the truth. Police detective Bryn Ridge would later testify he somehow lost the samples from Bojangles' wall. Echols, by most accounts, didn't even consider himself one. Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore. ga('ads.send', { 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.". It wouldn't be the only evidence that linked Hobbs to the murders, with his wife Pamela finding a knife that her son had carried with him in her husband's nightstand. The new documentary focused on the bite marks, with the prosecution arguing that the marking seen on Christopher Byers' face in photographs is from a belt buckle and not teeth. This is where the calluses on a man's hand are bigger than his conscience, and dreams get drowned in sweat and tears.". The West Memphis Three were charged with the murder of three boys in 1994. Police almost immediately turned their attention to Baldwin, Echols and Misskelley and suspected them of killing the boys. It can now be tested, to see who left DNA at the crime scene. ga('ads.send', { 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. "Chief Pope's resignation is completely unrelated to the West Memphis three rumors being sent out on social media," the statement reads. Meanwhile, patrons at the Blue Beacon, a truck wash close to the scene, all had their credit card receipts collected, and the first suspects brought in were transients, with information being sought about two "dirty-looking" hitchhikers. Echols was from a poor background and struggled both with poverty and his mental health, having been institutionalized for several months after considering suicide. 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. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), }); 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. He kept a calendar of the lunar cycle so he and Jones could patrol the county and check for covens. From the murder of Shanda Sharer to the Columbine massacre, there was little that wasn't blamed on this new devilish culture. 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. Despite the defense stating that Echols' statements on Byers genitals and the boys being drowned could have been public knowledge locally, particularly considering known leaks had been made, both Echols and Baldwin were found guilty on three counts of murder. They drew pentagrams, skulls, and snakes on art materials and surprised those at a football game by arriving dressed in black with black tears painted on their faces. 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. If the offender came across the boys as they were doing something wrong or misbehaving, it would have been even easier to control and reprimand them, said Clemente. Entering a plea of not guilty, Richard Ofshe testified that Misskelley's confession had been a "classic example" of police coercion. Eventually, three local teenagers, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin, were zeroed in on as the prime suspects. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Jessie Misskelley was given two 20 year-sentences on top of life imprisonment, while Jason Baldwin also received life imprisonment. Adding that his client was "a mentally handicapped person who is quite suggestible. ga('ads.send', { In addition to the offender being a male who had a relationship with one or more of the victims, Clemente thinks the suspect was from the neighborhood, theorizing that he hid the bodies in order to give himself enough time to establish an alibi. 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. Every piece is still there https://t.co/8tzxOWjZLH, - Damien Echols (@damienechols) December 21, 2021. My attorney was in the evidence room this morning and saw it with his own eyes. 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. 1." The friends rode over to Bobby Posey's house, where they learned Christopher had been whipped by his adoptive father, John Mark Byers, and planned to run away. },false) When three boys turn up murdered, a small town is desperate to find the killer. While he remained immature, he was on an early road to adulthood as he worked part-time as a roofer and expecting a baby with his girlfriend, Domini Teer. }); "Even if he files within the right court, there is no body that's required under habeas corpus because he's released," said Attorney General Griffin. At the trial, the prosecution continued the claims of Satanic overtones, calling Dale W. Griffis of the unaccredited Columbia Pacific University distance learning school as an "expert" witness to affirm the killings were definitely occult related. During the filming, Byers had given cameraman Doug Cooper a hunting knife which makers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky handed over to the police after discovering what appeared to be blood on it. 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. Sometimes justice is neither pretty, nor is it perfect, but it was important to take this opportunity to be free.". 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. 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. All three were charged and accused of committing a Satanic murder. Their trial, which included Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { Goths, punks and skaters were in the ascendency, and Middle America was horrified. let gads_event; Youtube Mugshots of the West Memphis Three. 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. After 3 years of fighting to get new evidence tested for DNA, the state says the WM3 petition should be tossed out and now, the attorneys are responding in court. } She also revealed that her ex-husband had once asked her sister point-blank if she suspected him in the killings. }); Advances in DNA testing allowed forensics to be utilized on hairs found at the scene, with none again matching for the three imprisoned men. LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas After three years of fighting to get new evidence tested for DNA, the state is saying the West Memphis Three petition should be tossed out. Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore. The three men spent nearly 17 years in prison before being released in 2012 after entering an Alford plea, pleading guilty while maintaining their innocence. He also initially claimed Echols had choked one victim until he was told that none of the boys had been strangled. WebThe West Memphis Three were the first people in West Memphis, Arkansas who were accused of murdering the three young boys. eventAction: 'view' Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers were only 8 years old when they viciously murdered in 1993. While Morgan, Holland and "Mr. Bojangles" already seem to have more against them than Echols, the police were now focusing solely on the one angle and one suspect, getting Vicki Hutcheson to agree to have her home wired. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin to life imprisonment. Opinion remains divided on whether the right men were convicted or if the actual killers still walk the streets of West Memphis. Since his release, Echols has forged a career in the arts, moving to the infamous Salem, Massachusetts and publishing a memoir, "Almost Home: My Life Story Vol. 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. 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 "I want to live and to continue to fight for our innocence. Based on the new information, the three men asked for an Alford plea, in which the defendant maintains their innocence, but acknowledge that prosecutors have evidence to convict them. He was muddy, bleeding, and brushed against the walls, leaving behind blood stains and feces on the walls, stall, and floor. 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." "We have no vested interest in trying to withhold any evidence from anyone on either side. Into this misunderstanding step Damien Echols, 18, Jessie Misskelley Jr., 17, and Jason Baldwin, 16. It took them 18 years to clear their names. eventAction: 'render' Echols was generally seen as the dominant personality where Baldwin was concerned. The following morning, May 6, a far more thorough search throughout West Memphis began, Crittenden County Search and Rescue personnel leading the effort, including the use of a helicopter. March 3, 2023, at 3:19 p.m. Video Shows Memphis Jailers Beating Black Inmate Who Died. According to her new story, police had threatened to take her child if she didn't "cooperate." They seem to me to be more practical ligatures, Clemente said. 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. Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were best friends. Two of the boys' underwear, however, was missing. WebThe West Memphis Three were the first people in West Memphis, Arkansas who were accused of murdering the three young boys. The documentary was filmed on 79 days over ten months up to the point of the West Memphis Three's conviction. However, Aaron's story constantly changed, saying on one occasion he saw a victim bundled into a car by a Black man and on another stated that he witnessed the killings but didn't know who the killers were. Terry Hobbs and Pamela Hicks. It was likely the teenager was deliberately provoking Driver and exaggerating his lifestyle, leading the officer to become convinced that Echols was involved in a Satanic cult straight from a horror film. 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. He showed several old scars from prior injuries. During questioning, Echols mentioned wounds to the genital that one of the victims suffered. 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. Investigators found the bottle exactly where he said it would be. It went too far, and because of that, he had to kill all three of them," he said. Moore. Now, the attorneys are responding in court. 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." However, her description of the boy she nearly hit was inconsistent with either Branch, Byers or Moore, and it was, in fact, a fourth boy by the name of George Taylor. One of those people would be Pamela Hobbs. 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.
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