He was 62. "I want to live and to continue to fight for our innocence. 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. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. The assailant is also prone to violent outbursts, likely has a history of domestic violence, and places a high importance on punishment. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 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. They were released on Aug. 19, 2011. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. It was rumor and innuendo, overheard gossip and allegations. Neither Climer nor Bly would be considered competent witnesses at the eventual trial. WebThe West Memphis Three were the first people in West Memphis, Arkansas who were accused of murdering the three young boys. It went too far, and because of that, he had to kill all three of them," he said. 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. His mother told him to be home by 4:45 p.m., and the two set off around 3:40 p.m. 31 2021, Published 3:16 p.m. With the new evidence in hand alongside expert testimony that suggested the knife wounds and mutilation had been animal predation, Echols petitioned for a retrial. Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were best friends. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Who killed Stevie } Echols interest in the occult as an outlet led him to Wicca, and he was a reader of Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey and English occultist Aleister Crowley. Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? Climber only named Misskelley, Baldwin and Echols. 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. Local community members also rallied in support of the three, believing that their initial trial was unfair and handled incorrectly. There was a sense of disconnect from society amongst many young people, with the counter-culture that produced grunge giving way to the metal 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. They'd first come into contact almost precisely a year before Echols was arrested alongside his then-girlfriend Deanna Holcomb. 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. 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. 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. It was just days before the trial of Echols and Baldwin. Then, after determining the boys final movements, Bob meets with a DNA expert to discuss new technology that might break the case wide open. It took 18 years, a deep probe into the criminal justice system, and the rallying of a }) The state of Arkansas was hoping to do like they do in so many other cases with poor people, with people who are powerless to defend themselves. Indiana man accused of murdering motorist after accident in Illinois now facing charges in separate murder, Man shot, killed after crash on highway, suspect charged with murder, police say, Woman Started Firing At Pool Party, Killing One And Injuring Two, Police Say, Subscribe to Front Page Detectives Newsletter. Echols claimed that Pope's departure and the discovery of the evidence were connected. Prosecutors would only give up harassing Misskelley for his testimony when I threatened to hold a press conference and disclose their efforts to entice his testimony." 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. So if the West Memphis Three aren't the real killers, who is? },false) He took one of them I don't know which one cut him on I think it was on this side of his face.". 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. }); Their trial, which included Investigators found the bottle exactly where he said it would be. With the evidence mounting that all three accused had been innocent, the deal ensured that Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley would never be allowed to pursue civil action against the state of Arkansas for wrongful imprisonment. They would have been local and have a violent history, be familiar with the victims, and were engaging in a personal cause when they killed the boys. 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. He also initially claimed Echols had choked one victim until he was told that none of the boys had been strangled. 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. Echols, by most accounts, didn't even consider himself one. Despite claiming to know Echols well, she denied knowing his close friend Baldwin. 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. Hobbs, who had previously been under the police scanner for the murders because of inconsistencies in his story, had later been cleared of any wrongdoing but found himself being verbally abused by Byers in front of cameras outside a courtroom. We are one of the worlds fastest growing 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. gads_event = event; 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. A formal interview on May 9 led to further suspicion against the young man when he mentioned the damage to Byer's genitals, something seen as incriminating. He was sentenced to life plus 40 years. Attorney Patrick Benca, who represents defendant Damien Echols, wrote in a Wednesday statement that he located evidence from the case after being granted access to the police department through an Arkansas state court order, according to WREG. 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. }); 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 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.'. Martin molested both of his stepchildren a son and a daughter over four years, serving just three years in the Colorado State Penitentiary. 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. 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. 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. Serving as professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California, it was expert testimony. 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. An investigation of the murders looked into several suspects, including the stepfather of Steve Branch as well as two teenage boys who had abruptly fled to California shortly after the bodies were discovered. Both men were increasingly concerned about the potential for human sacrifices when it was a full moon. 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. So if the West Memphis Three aren't the real killers, who is? 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. eventAction: 'view' Meanwhile, police questioned Misskelley alone, despite the suspect only having an IQ of 72. "We have no vested interest in trying to withhold any evidence from anyone on either side. Terry Hobbs and Pamela Hicks. Like John Mark Byers, Hobbs was a wifebeater. 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. 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. 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. Initially a suspect himself amongst some people, John Mark Byers added his voice to those doubts before being killed in a car crash last year. He was called a 'baby killer.'. Who killed Stevie } How much of Echols reputation came down to his mental illness and how much teenage desire to shock is open to debate. }); 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. If the judge makes the decision to deny the state's request for dismissal, then Attorney General Tim Griffin will get a chance to respond to that decision. Suspicion toward John Mark Byers would only increase when the bite marks on Steve Branch's forehead were discovered. Echols filed a petition, which was not granted, but then the decision was overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court. 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). 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. Moore. },false) Baldwin got life behind bars, and Echols was sentenced to death by lethal injection. hitType: 'event', VEGA, Texas (KFDA) - Two people were killed and two others were injured after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 west of Vega. 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. Despite the alarming inconsistencies and recanting his confession, saying that he was fatigued, threatened and intimidated, police quickly arrested Echols and Baldwin. He showed several old scars from prior injuries. 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. However, the matter was sent to appeal, and Burnett was elected to the Arkansas State Senate, with his replacement being David Laser. }); My attorney was in the evidence room this morning and saw it with his own eyes. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ Ultimately, the judge will make a final ruling on whether to proceed. 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. But it seemed the story for the West Memphis Three was over. 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. In statements under oath, the three witnesses say that Michael Hobbs told them, "My uncle killed three boys in West Memphis." I developed an overwhelming sense of being excluded from everything. And while both Michael and Steve had bruises across their body, Christopher had suffered the most gruesome injuries and had lacerations to various parts of his body, and mutilation to his scrotum and penis. Echols, 36, had been on death row, while Baldwin, 34, and Misskelley, 36, were serving life sentences. The hair would tie in with a reported sighting of a "disoriented" man on the night of the boys' disappearance. 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. Undertaking a polygraph, Martin seemingly showed deception when asked, "Do you know what was used to tie up those three boys?" The following afternoon, the bodies of Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were found by a muddy ditch. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), The Supreme Court ruled that a defendant would be deprived of his rights if a confession was introduced in a joint trial under the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment, stating that "in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the rightto be confronted with the witnesses against him."