Echols lawyer stated that new DNA evidence did not place him at the scene of the crime. "I want to live and to continue to fight for our innocence. Toggle dark mode 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. 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. He was 62. Taylor's presence suggests that at 4:30 p.m., Branch and Moore had not yet found their friend Byers. Efforts to release the West Memphis Three would be aided in 2003 when Vicki Hutcheson ultimately recanted her testimony, telling the "Arkansas Times" that everything she told police was a lie. Whose blood was on the knife was uncertain as it matched both Byers and the victim, both having the same HLA-DQ genotype. eventAction: 'click_ads' VEGA, Texas (KFDA) - Two people were killed and two others were injured after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 west of Vega. The discovery comes after West Memphis Police Chief Michael Pope resigned Tuesday. Local community members also rallied in support of the three, believing that their initial trial was unfair and handled incorrectly. 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. There was a sense of disconnect from society amongst many young people, with the counter-culture that produced grunge giving way to the metal 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. 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. Meanwhile, police questioned Misskelley alone, despite the suspect only having an IQ of 72. Subsequent interviews with Vicki Hutcheson were just as contradictory. 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. However, Misskelley wouldn't only confess in that police interview room. 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 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). 1:53 Digital Original Motivations For Investigating The West Memphis Case 1:05 Preview Speaking about Echols to The New York Times in 1993, high school teacher Jim Ferguson said, "he's like some wacko cult member.". eventAction: 'click_adunit' 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. His behavior as it became apparent Echols, Misskelley, and Baldwin would be cleared of the murders, was questioned as well. The elder Byers admitted he whipped Christopher with a belt shortly before he went missing. It took 18 years, a deep probe into the criminal justice system, and the rallying of a In statements under oath, the three witnesses say that Michael Hobbs told them, "My uncle killed three boys in West Memphis." if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ After being told that she was questioning his involvement, Hobbs is alleged to have replied, "I could skin a man alive, I could cut him up.". 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. Two of the boys' underwear, however, was missing. I believe there was an incident of over-disciplining one of the boys. He tried to fight back and showed defensive injuries. But in 2011, the West Memphis Three walked free. Police noted he knew at least one of the victims by name and was on vacation the week the murders took place. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ hitType: 'event', Branch had 21 particular wounds, including a large gouge to the left side of his face, with Byers having 62 differing injuries. It took them 18 years to clear their names. Right on the border of Tennessee, West Memphis was a bible belt city unaccustomed to much publicity. 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. By Benjamin H. Smith Who Killed The Forgotten West Memphis Three? 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 Authorities figured Echols as a suspect because had shown an interest in occultism. }); 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. Driver was the kind of individual who saw Satanism in every corner, blaming campfires, dead animal carcasses and pentagram graffiti on the dark arts. The documentary was filmed on 79 days over ten months up to the point of the West Memphis Three's conviction. "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. They'd first come into contact almost precisely a year before Echols was arrested alongside his then-girlfriend Deanna Holcomb. Quoted by WMC-TV in 2013, Jacoby said, "They said close to the crime scene because at one time I did walk near where they had found the kids with Terry Hobbs, his father-in-law, his wife," adding. No ritual paraphernalia or markings were found at the scene, and many in the police believed those responsible had been sexual predators or strangers from outside the town. 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. }); 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. Copyright 2023 Empire Media Group, Inc. Front Page Detectives is a registered trademark. Beyond his tales about Misskelley, Baldwin and Echols, Climber claimed to have beaten a police officer, hung a woman and sacrificed a second lady. Every piece is still there https://t.co/8tzxOWjZLH, - Damien Echols (@damienechols) December 21, 2021. 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. He again repeated the incorrect police suspicion that Echols had sexually violated one of the boys, claiming this time his friend had ejaculated on the victim's trousers. 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. Some believe the police immediately thought there was some level of occult involvement in the triple homicide, yet this isn't the case. } The varying wounds included unrecognized bites, and possible stab wounds to his groin and castration, with some putting this down to animal predation. 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's mostly during the teenage years.". 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. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin to life imprisonment. His mother told him to be home by 4:45 p.m., and the two set off around 3:40 p.m. Into this misunderstanding step Damien Echols, 18, Jessie Misskelley Jr., 17, and Jason Baldwin, 16. Echols was generally seen as the dominant personality where Baldwin was concerned. Echols, 36, had been on death row, while Baldwin, 34, and Misskelley, 36, were serving life sentences. It became humiliating, something I'd do everything I could to hide from the rest of the world. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { 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. It took 18 years, a deep probe into the criminal justice system, and the rallying of a town. 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. In 1973, his parents had called the police to report that he was threatening them with a butcher knife. 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. Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? "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. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. let gads_event; By Benjamin H. Smith Who Killed The Forgotten West Memphis Three? 31 2021, Published 3:16 p.m. Despite claiming to know Echols well, she denied knowing his close friend Baldwin. 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. As the rumors increased throughout the community, a Salem-like air descended as names continued to be associated with the alleged cult. He admitted the crime on June 3, June 11 and Aug. 19 and implicated others. 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. New evidence immediately began to come to light that cast even further doubts on the already shaky judgment and presented new and surprising suspects. He took one of them I don't know which one cut him on I think it was on this side of his face.". 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. Despite suspicion eventually falling away from Byers, Jason Baldwin praised the "Paradise Lost" documentaries as essential to their case, telling the "National Podcast of Texas" in 2019 that "The documentary saved my life, saved Damien's life, and saved Jessie's life. pg.acq.push(function() { March 3, 2023, at 3:19 p.m. Video Shows Memphis Jailers Beating Black Inmate Who Died. 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. 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. He showed several old scars from prior injuries. It doesn't take much effort to get him to say or do anything at all.". eventAction: 'view' In statements under oath, the three witnesses say that Michael Hobbs told them, "My uncle killed three boys in West Memphis." During questioning, Echols mentioned wounds to the genital that one of the victims suffered. 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. 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." Well, it minimizes the package a little bit and makes it easier to control after they're dead.. 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 He said the evidence, which he claims city officials previously told him was lost, destroyed or missing, was found intact and organized. 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. Police almost immediately turned their attention to Baldwin, Echols and Misskelley and suspected them of killing the boys. March 3, 2023, at 3:19 p.m. Video Shows Memphis Jailers Beating Black Inmate Who Died. 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. However, during his time at the station, Aaron mentioned that his three friends had been killed at "the playhouse.". Bike found near the "West Memphis Three" crime scene.