He took one of them I don't know which one cut him on I think it was on this side of his face.". It was a fact, leading investigators to believe he had inside knowledge of the case. ga('ads.send', { Like John Mark Byers, Hobbs was a wifebeater. Then, after determining the boys final movements, Bob meets with a DNA expert to discuss new technology that might break the case wide open. 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. ga('ads.send', { 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. They were released on Aug. 19, 2011. Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore. 1." Meanwhile, police questioned Misskelley alone, despite the suspect only having an IQ of 72. Echols filed a petition, which was not granted, but then the decision was overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court. The West Memphis Three were charged with the murder of three boys in 1994. For the state, the Alford pleas were a face-saving exercise. Over the nine years since their release, there have been dozens of theories that pointed to other suspects who could have been behind the deaths of Christopher, Michael, and Steve. Toggle dark mode WebThe West Memphis Three were the first people in West Memphis, Arkansas who were accused of murdering the three young boys. Get all the latest information on Events, Sales and Offers. Terry Hobbs, meanwhile, still believes in the guilt of the West Memphis Three, telling Memphis ABC affiliate WATN in 2019 that "I still believe in my heart that Jessie, Jason, and Damion Echols are responsible for what happened to our children.". Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. It took them 18 years to clear their names. 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. March 3, 2023, at 3:19 p.m. Video Shows Memphis Jailers Beating Black Inmate Who Died. Christopher Byers' father, Rick Murray, was one of the early voices to speak out against the West Memphis Three's convictions, with Pamela Hobbs perhaps becoming the most vocal. Undertaking a polygraph, Martin seemingly showed deception when asked, "Do you know what was used to tie up those three boys?" 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. The Story Of The West Memphis Teens Wrongfully Imprisoned 18 Years For Satanic Murder. 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 The child claimed they were committed by Spanish-speaking Satanists. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' On May 5, 1993, that trouble for Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley, seemed to have got indescribably more severe. 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. 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. In contrast, others contend he remained severely mentally ill and an immature teenager. They were 17, 16, and 18 years old respectively. It was rumor and innuendo, overheard gossip and allegations. He even said that he saw John Mark Byers assisting in the killings. eventAction: 'view' A second hair found at the scene was consistent with his friend, David Jacoby. 1:53 Digital Original Motivations For Investigating The West Memphis Case 1:05 Preview But in the process, the West Memphis Three get blamed for the crime they didn't commit. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Suspicion toward John Mark Byers would only increase when the bite marks on Steve Branch's forehead were discovered. To prove his innocence, he agreed and passed a polygraph test during the filming of 'Paradise Lost 2: Revelations,' only for the documentary to throw doubts on the results by revealing he was under the influence of several psychoactive prescription medications that could have affected the test results. Right on the border of Tennessee, West Memphis was a bible belt city unaccustomed to much publicity. 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. Opinion remains divided on whether the right men were convicted or if the actual killers still walk the streets of West Memphis. 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. 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. That changed on May 5, 1993, when three second-grade boys were reported missing. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin to life imprisonment. It took them 18 years to clear their names. Friends and family tried in vain to find the missing boys. },false) It doesn't take much effort to get him to say or do anything at all.". 31 2021, Published 3:16 p.m. Meanwhile, Byers himself had a long history of drug use and violent criminal behavior, including domestic violence and threats to kill. He suffered from "grandiose and persecutory delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, disordered thought processes, substantial lack of insight, and chronic, incapacitating mood swings." 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. However, it wasn't just about the music with many embracing rebellious philosophies that were inherently offensive to the traditions of Christianity, respect and patriotism that have always defined small-town rural America. 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). They had a daughter together, Amanda Hobbs, who was 4 years old at the time of her brothers death. 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. 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. 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. I think he spent more time on concealing the bodies and the clothing and the bikes than he did on the actual murders. hitType: 'event', The assailant is also prone to violent outbursts, likely has a history of domestic violence, and places a high importance on punishment. They were mutilated and bruised, and their clothes were in the nearby creek. Serving as professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California, it was expert testimony. His prior history of domestic violence didn't reflect well either. },false) We are one of the worlds fastest growing eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 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. },false) He admitted the crime on June 3, June 11 and Aug. 19 and implicated others. Never mentioned in the autopsy or at either trial, they didn't match for Echols, Misskelley or Baldwin. When West Memphis teens Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr. were tried and convicted of the murders of three 8-year-old boys in 1994, many in the community felt confident that investigators had put the right men behind bars. 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. While the stepfather initially denied it had ever been used, he later changed his story and said he had used it just once, to cut deer meat. This is the world where fist meets face. But what is the purpose of that? While the documentary opened the public's eyes to the miscarriage of justice that had transpired to get Echols, Miskelley Jr., and Baldwin convicted for a crime they did not commit, it also threw doubt on Byers, a suspicious character who seemed to have a penchant for theatrics. Starting in the weeks that followed the killings, documentary filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky began to investigate the circumstances surrounding the case for their film "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills," airing in June 1996 on HBO. 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. The first of that evidence emerged during the filming of HBO's 1996 documentary on the case: 'Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills.'. 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. There was a sense of disconnect from society amongst many young people, with the counter-culture that produced grunge giving way to the metal of Rob Zombie, Korn, Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails. 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. "I want to live and to continue to fight for our innocence. 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. March 3, 2023, at 3:19 p.m. Video Shows Memphis Jailers Beating Black Inmate Who Died. All three were charged and accused of committing a Satanic murder. "We are trying to find the real killers. They seem to me to be more practical ligatures, Clemente said. This was a result of getting enraged, going too far, and then having to basically clean up the mess," he said. His mother told him to be home by 4:45 p.m., and the two set off around 3:40 p.m. 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. Police on the case felt that there were cult-like and satanic overtones to the murders. Their trial, which included Bike found near the "West Memphis Three" crime scene. This would give him no time to meet his Echols and Baldwin, get drunk as he claimed, and then kill three children in an extended attack in the woods. ga('ads.send', { Back with the search, the main focus was Robin Hood Hills near where witnesses last saw the trio, and that morning Branch andMoore's bikes were found next to a pipe bridge that crossed the bayou. 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. 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. To this day, it is still unclear who is responsible for the brutal murders, and in hopes of uncovering new potential leads, investigative podcaster Bob Ruff reexamined the case in The Forgotten West Memphis Three, streaming now on Oxygen. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ 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. Misskelley confessed during the interrogation but later took rescinded it, stating that he did it out our fear and intimidation. The plea deal was accepted. Entering a plea of not guilty, Richard Ofshe testified that Misskelley's confession had been a "classic example" of police coercion. This is where the calluses on a man's hand are bigger than his conscience, and dreams get drowned in sweat and tears.".

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