who killed the west memphis three

Who, then, was responsible for the brutal murders and mutilations of three young children? eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), ga('ads.send', { and "Do you know who killed those three boys?". It took 18 years, a deep probe into the criminal justice system, and the rallying of a Toggle dark mode Steve Edward Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore were all good kids. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. The assailant is also prone to violent outbursts, likely has a history of domestic violence, and places a high importance on punishment. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. }); eventAction: 'click_adunit' Hutcheson was accused of settling from her employer and forced to bring her young son, Aaron Hutcheson, to the interview. Grandmother with dementia died from face wound neglected by staff for days. Sometimes justice is neither pretty, nor is it perfect, but it was important to take this opportunity to be free.". 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. 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. 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. The Story Of The West Memphis Teens Wrongfully Imprisoned 18 Years For Satanic Murder. There's absolutely no indication of that in this case. Copyright 2023 Empire Media Group, Inc. Front Page Detectives is a registered trademark. There are significant issues with the confession, with his claims not aligning with the autopsy and crime scene evidence, seemingly changing his story depending on who he was talking with. Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore. All three were convicted, not based on evidence but by a "twisted portrayal of their character", given sentences varying from death to life in prison, and then eventually exonerated following the advent of improved DNA technology. ga('ads.send', { "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. Hobbs retrieved a .357 magnum pistol from his truck and shot Jackie Hicks, Pamela Hobbs' brother. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. All three were charged and accused of committing a Satanic murder. Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? He was 62. 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. ga('ads.send', { 31 2021, Published 3:16 p.m. 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. On the evening of May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys disappeared from the streets of West Memphis, Ark. Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. She also revealed that her ex-husband had once asked her sister point-blank if she suspected him in the killings. His prior history of domestic violence didn't reflect well either. 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. Branch had 21 particular wounds, including a large gouge to the left side of his face, with Byers having 62 differing injuries. 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. All three had been stripped naked and shackled with their shoelaces their right ankles had been tied to their right wrists behind their backs, with their left ankles to their left wrists behind their backs as well. ga('ads.send', { 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. Increasingly alarmed, searchers saw a black shoe floating in a muddy creek that afternoon. 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. Serving as professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California, it was expert testimony. VEGA, Texas (KFDA) - Two people were killed and two others were injured after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 west of Vega. To learn more about the case, watch The Forgotten West Memphis Three" now on Oxygen. He also initially claimed Echols had choked one victim until he was told that none of the boys had been strangled. 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. Then, perhaps, the punishment went too far, and it resulted in the triple homicide. The child claimed they were committed by Spanish-speaking Satanists. 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. 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. He suffered from "grandiose and persecutory delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, disordered thought processes, substantial lack of insight, and chronic, incapacitating mood swings." hitType: 'event', Misskelley confessed during the interrogation but later took rescinded it, stating that he did it out our fear and intimidation. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! These three would come to be known as the West Memphis Three. 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. The time spent to conceal them could have been skipped completely if there was no known relationship to the victims, Clemente told Ruff. This was a result of getting enraged, going too far, and then having to basically clean up the mess," he said. 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. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin to life imprisonment. We are one of the worlds fastest growing ga('ads.send', { It was just days before the trial of Echols and Baldwin. Toggle dark mode The deals disappointed both those who still believed the three guilty and their supporters, with many feeling the bargain made them look guilty. 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. WebThe West Memphis Three were the first people in West Memphis, Arkansas who were accused of murdering the three young boys. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin to life imprisonment. He has now resigned, and we know that none of the evidence was destroyed. It was rumor and innuendo, overheard gossip and allegations. Whether justice has been done in the case of the West Memphis Three depends on entirely who you ask. In contrast, others contend he remained severely mentally ill and an immature teenager. 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. They wouldn't be alone, and witness after witness would state they had heard there was a Satanic cult in the area. They were released on Aug. 19, 2011. Branch and Moores bikes were discovered on either side of a pipe bridge not far from the crime scene. 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 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. On the evening of May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys disappeared from the streets of West Memphis, Ark. Kara Goldfarb is a writer living in New York City. Morgan was an ice cream truck driver and would likely have been familiar with all three victims. There was a sense of disconnect from society amongst many young people, with the counter-culture that produced grunge giving way to the metal How much of Echols reputation came down to his mental illness and how much teenage desire to shock is open to debate. She was unable to say where this meeting was or who else was present. His mother told him to be home by 4:45 p.m., and the two set off around 3:40 p.m. When three boys turn up murdered, a small town is desperate to find the killer. 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. 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. Byers had a long history of run-ins with the law and been accused of multiple violent crimes. Who killed Stevie 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. Benca and the West Memphis Police Department did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. hitType: 'event', }); 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. It took 18 years, a deep probe into the criminal justice system, and the rallying of a 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. With the addition of a 10-year suspended sentence, a probation type sentencing which meant if they did anything illegal they would be put back in jail, the West Memphis Three were sentenced to time served. The West Memphis Three were charged with the murder of three boys in 1994. The use of shoelaces had yet to be revealed to the public, yet Martin was eventually cleared of any involvement. Three teenage boys convicted of the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, Thailand's 'most beautiful transgender woman' and husband wear $580K in attire at extravagant wedding, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; 'We are coming,' sheriff says, U.S. court won't require FAA to make airplane seat size, spacing rules, Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh's new mugshot revealed after double life sentence, Rebel Wilson says she was banned from Disneyland for 30 days for taking a bathroom selfie, SoCal in for cool start to weekend, but light rain makes brief return, CHONK: State champion quartet prepping for show this weekend, Opinion: Fix loophole that increases copay costs for prescription drugs, Ambulancia para pacientes "posedos" lleva psiclogos y exorcistas en Bolivia. Clemente pointed out that the killer took his time to conceal the boys' bodies, clothing, and bikes. One of those people would be Pamela Hobbs. 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. Jones, the assistant juvenile probation officer, was one of the chief voices pushing the line alongside his supervisor Jerry Blackwood Driver. Echols' legal team has filed a response to the Attorney General's request, where they are asking the court to deny it. He said the evidence, which he claims city officials previously told him was lost, destroyed or missing, was found intact and organized. The discovery comes after West Memphis Police Chief Michael Pope resigned Tuesday. 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. 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.". Their trial, which included However, once again, Misskelley claimed Baldwin pulled out a knife, despite the evidence presented by experts that no knife had ever been used. Taylor's presence suggests that at 4:30 p.m., Branch and Moore had not yet found their friend Byers. Baldwin would later say that he had been resistant to the plea as a matter of principle, but turning it down would have kept Echols on death row. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. Meanwhile, Byers himself had a long history of drug use and violent criminal behavior, including domestic violence and threats to kill. Soon after, witness, Narlene Hollingsworth, reported she saw three boys riding bikes, almost hitting one when he rode out in front of her car. Suspicion toward John Mark Byers would only increase when the bite marks on Steve Branch's forehead were discovered. The hair would tie in with a reported sighting of a "disoriented" man on the night of the boys' disappearance. But, those were far from the only three suspects in the case. But in the process, the West Memphis Three get blamed for the crime they didn't commit. Eventually, three local teenagers, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin, were zeroed in on as the prime suspects. 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. Byers claimed the knife had never even been used, changing his story to say he'd used it to cut deer meat after the presence of blood was found. From the murder of Shanda Sharer to the Columbine massacre, there was little that wasn't blamed on this new devilish culture. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. She described a cult meeting involving Echols, Misskelley and about eight other youths. hitType: 'event', Who Killed The Forgotten West Memphis Three? Well, it minimizes the package a little bit and makes it easier to control after they're dead.. 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. "But I didn't wear hats back then; my hair could have blown around anywhere.". 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). He was also charged in 1990 for stealing $65,000 in jewelry from a store where he previously worked, and in 1992 for "conspiring to sell cocaine and with carrying a dangerous weapon.". 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. hitType: 'event', 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. 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. Into this misunderstanding step Damien Echols, 18, Jessie Misskelley Jr., 17, and Jason Baldwin, 16. In 1973, his parents had called the police to report that he was threatening them with a butcher knife. If they thought they could trust the person who was the actual threat, then that person could get close enough to them to control them so that they couldn't run away," he told Ruff. What came after the arrest is quite well-documented. The Story Of The West Memphis Teens Wrongfully Imprisoned 18 Years For Satanic Murder. All three appealed the convictions. Despite the alarming inconsistencies and recanting his confession, saying that he was fatigued, threatened and intimidated, police quickly arrested Echols and Baldwin. Sign up for newsletter today. Echols, 36, had been on death row, while Baldwin, 34, and Misskelley, 36, were serving life sentences. Equally, Wiccans reject their beliefs are a form of Satanism, with the movement being closer to Neo-Paganism and nature religions and almost exclusively pacifistic in nature. During the filming, cameraman Doug Cooper would be given a folding hunting knife by John Mark Byers, Christopher Byers' stepfather. 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. They had a daughter together, Amanda Hobbs, who was 4 years old at the time of her brothers death. He even said that he saw John Mark Byers assisting in the killings. It is easy for many to look at the South as hillbilly central, full of prejudice and backward attitudes, with somewhat elitist attitudes often prevalent when discussing the case. hitType: 'event', 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. Echols filed a petition, which was not granted, but then the decision was overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court. eventAction: 'view' 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. All three were second-grade pupils at Weaver Elementary School, with Branch being an honor student. New evidence immediately began to come to light that cast even further doubts on the already shaky judgment and presented new and surprising suspects. For the state, the Alford pleas were a face-saving exercise. }); 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 in the process, the West Memphis Three get blamed for the crime they didn't commit. Generation X was seen as cynical slackers, beholden to social-tribal identity and influenced by the likes of MTV and the ever-growing internet. 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). Baldwin got life behind bars, and Echols was sentenced to death by lethal injection. A polygraph indicated some level of deception in his statements to police, yet it should be noted that a heart condition may have affected the results. "Lawyers have to follow the law and when you file in the wrong place that's not my fault," said Attorney General Griffin. Sign up to receive breakingFront Page Detectivesnews and exclusive investigations. Attempting to shelter from a storm, the two broke into a trailer and were charged with burglary and sexual misconduct. 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. "We have no vested interest in trying to withhold any evidence from anyone on either side. Yet, it is a giant leap toward murder. John Mark Byers was the stepdad of one of the victims and said before the hearing, Theyre innocent. The boys were naked and tied up by their shoelaces. In statements under oath, the three witnesses say that Michael Hobbs told them, "My uncle killed three boys in West Memphis." There was a sense of disconnect from society amongst many young people, with the counter-culture that produced grunge giving way to the metal Echols was generally seen as the dominant personality where Baldwin was concerned. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) A former Memphis Fire Department emergency medical technician told a Tennessee board Friday that officers impeded patient care by refusing to remove Tyre Nichols ' handcuffs, which would have allowed EMTs to check his vital signs after he was brutally beaten by police. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! "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." 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. 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 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. I think he spent more time on concealing the bodies and the clothing and the bikes than he did on the actual murders. 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. let gads_event; He tried to fight back and showed defensive injuries. March 3, 2023, at 3:19 p.m. Video Shows Memphis Jailers Beating Black Inmate Who Died. But in 2011, the West Memphis Three walked free. Their clothing was found in the same creek, and some of it had been twisted around sticks that had been fixed into the muddy ditch bed. 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. A self-identified white supremacist and freemason, his personality and affiliations led many to suspect that he was the kind of man who may have been involved in the killings. Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore. They wanted to overwhelm us, convict us, condemn us and sweep us under the rug.". 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. While they showed the bravado and sense of adventure associated with many scouts, they were still innocent, with Byers said by his mother to still "[believe] in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus.". Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin to life imprisonment. Misskelley was interrogated for 12 hours, of which less than an hour were recorded. Devastating Photos Of Hiroshima Before And After The Atomic Bombing That Changed History Forever, Jury Finds Man Guilty Of Teaching Pug Nazi Salute [VIDEO], What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, black Americans are wrongfully convicted at a far greater rate, woman who was convicted for locking her deaf sister in a room for seven years. Everywhere you look, you see people with things that you do not have, and it has a profound mental effect. When three boys turn up murdered, a small town is desperate to find the killer. Bike found near the "West Memphis Three" crime scene. Then, after determining the boys final movements, Bob meets with a DNA expert to discuss new technology that might break the case wide open. While police initially suspected rape, there was no evidence for it. "Chief Pope's resignation is completely unrelated to the West Memphis three rumors being sent out on social media," the statement reads. Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Martin molested both of his stepchildren a son and a daughter over four years, serving just three years in the Colorado State Penitentiary. Adding, "Then, uh, Jason pulled out a knife. He was interrogated for 12 hours with only two segments running to 46 minutes being recorded, and although he was read his Miranda rights, he later said that he hadn't understood them. They'd first come into contact almost precisely a year before Echols was arrested alongside his then-girlfriend Deanna Holcomb.

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