It took them 18 years to clear their names. 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. 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 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. 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. Despite claiming to know Echols well, she denied knowing his close friend Baldwin. 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. WebThe West Memphis Three were the first people in West Memphis, Arkansas who were accused of murdering the three young boys. Another story claimed Aaron saw a mass of "The Dragons," an alleged coven with five members, spoke Spanish and sang about Satan. They seem to me to be more practical ligatures, Clemente said. 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Over the years, however, the West Memphis Three continued to maintain their innocence, claiming they had nothing to do with the slayings of Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers, who were each found nude, hogtied, and mutilated in a bayou. All three spent most of their days as any other mid-1990s teenagers - listening to rock music, watching pro wrestling on television, and either poking around under the hood of a car or simply hanging out and causing trouble. 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He showed several old scars from prior injuries. },false) 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. This is where the calluses on a man's hand are bigger than his conscience, and dreams get drowned in sweat and tears.". 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. So if the West Memphis Three aren't the real killers, who is? Echols, 36, had been on death row, while Baldwin, 34, and Misskelley, 36, were serving life sentences. 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. But in 2011, the West Memphis Three walked free. The West Memphis Three were charged with the murder of three boys in 1994. Police on the case felt that there were cult-like and satanic overtones to the murders. He said the evidence, which he claims city officials previously told him was lost, destroyed or missing, was found intact and organized. 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. On the evening of May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys disappeared from the streets of West Memphis, Ark. "We feel strongly that we are in the right. } 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. Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers were only 8 years old when they viciously murdered in 1993. Now, the attorneys are responding in court. 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. Yet, none of this makes a murderer, and Echols, like most readers of LaVey and Crowley, believed that their work had been unfairly maligned as evil, instead calling to libertarian freedom away from the confines of Christian morality. The time spent to conceal them could have been skipped completely if there was no known relationship to the victims, Clemente told Ruff. Then, after determining the boys final movements, Bob meets with a DNA expert to discuss new technology that might break the case wide open. His prior history of domestic violence didn't reflect well either. He suffered from "grandiose and persecutory delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, disordered thought processes, substantial lack of insight, and chronic, incapacitating mood swings." Their trial, which included Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. Some believe the police immediately thought there was some level of occult involvement in the triple homicide, yet this isn't the case. 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. 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. WebThe West Memphis Three were the first people in West Memphis, Arkansas who were accused of murdering the three young boys. Who killed Stevie Driver's comments surrounding the case raised troubling questions over his competence to serve, stating he believed Echols and his girlfriend intended to sacrifice their expectant child to Satan. 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. "We have no vested interest in trying to withhold any evidence from anyone on either side. Having once been adamant on the West Memphis Three's guilt, he accepted their innocence and, instead, pointed the finger at Terry Hobbs, Steve's stepfather. 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.". 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. It was just days before the trial of Echols and Baldwin. ADVERTISEMENT He explained that the particular petition they filed is not up for interpretation and ultimately is not within their rights. One of those people would be Pamela Hobbs. Workers at the Bojangles restaurant just a mile from the crime scene reported that at 8:42 p.m., a Black male had entered the premises and went into the women's bathroom. 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. Trinocular Co-Axial 1500x Metallurgical Microscope with Top-Bottom Light with 2MP Camera, Trinocular Microscope with DIN Objective and Camera 40x - 2000x, Junior Medical Microscope with Wide Field Eyepiece & LED 100x - 1500x, Trinocular Inverted Metallurgical Microscope 100x - 1200x, Binocular Inverted Metallurgical Microscope 100x - 1200x. But their innocence did leave investigators back at square one. Suspicion toward John Mark Byers would only increase when the bite marks on Steve Branch's forehead were discovered. How seriously anyone took the Mulder and Scully of West Memphis is uncertain, but they certainly took Echols seriously. March 3, 2023, at 3:19 p.m. Video Shows Memphis Jailers Beating Black Inmate Who Died. All three pleaded innocent at the trial and maintained that innocence ever since. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office announced on Twitter that Byers had been killed in an accident on Chambers Road and Shakerag Road in the Millington area on Thursday evening and then died after he was transported to a local hospital. 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 . 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. 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," retired FBI Supervisory Agent Jim Clemente saysin "The Forgotten West Memphis Three.". Sign up for newsletter today. He was 62. March 3, 2023, at 3:19 p.m. Video Shows Memphis Jailers Beating Black Inmate Who Died. Echols filed a petition, which was not granted, but then the decision was overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court. 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. 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. hitType: 'event', 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. 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. There's absolutely no indication of that in this case. 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 In 1994, in what was widely believed to be a miscarriage of justice, three teens, 18-year-old Damien Echols, 17-year-old Jessie Misskelley Jr., and 16-year-old Jason Baldwin, were convicted in connection to the deaths of Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Steve Branch the previous year. }); 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. Morgan and Holland left town on May 10 and headed to Oceanside in California, their departure shocking many who knew them. Steve Edward Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore were all good kids. 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. 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. Neither Climer nor Bly would be considered competent witnesses at the eventual trial. In statements under oath, the three witnesses say that Michael Hobbs told them, "My uncle killed three boys in West Memphis." VEGA, Texas (KFDA) - Two people were killed and two others were injured after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 west of Vega. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. I believe there was an incident of over-disciplining one of the boys. A subsequent search quickly found the bodies of Branch, Byers and 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 Police Department denied any connection in a statement to ABC 24 Memphis. Clemente pointed out that the killer took his time to conceal the boys' bodies, clothing, and bikes. All three achieved the rank of "Wolf," and Moore had his blue Boy Scouts of America shirt and Boy Scout hat on as he ventured out on his bicycle. 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. 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. 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. 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. They were released on Aug. 19, 2011. Now, Attorney General Tim Griffin has requested the Arkansas Supreme Court to dismiss the case based on the fact that the petition was filed in Crittenden County but Echols was convicted in Craighead County. They did not kill my son.. He even said that he saw John Mark Byers assisting in the killings. Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore. 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. While police initially suspected rape, there was no evidence for it. It took 18 years, a deep probe into the criminal justice system, and the rallying of a 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. He was 62. 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. The chief of police was not truthful. 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. Prosecutors argued that the three teenagers, with Echols as the lead, committed the murders as part of a satanic ritual. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), They were mutilated and bruised, and their clothes were in the nearby creek. "But I didn't wear hats back then; my hair could have blown around anywhere.". The child claimed they were committed by Spanish-speaking Satanists. No matter who committed those terrible crimes at Robin Hood Hills, they still walk free 28 years later, and until the culprits are found, the case is far from over. West Memphis police brought Terry Hobbs in for questioning in June 2007, and coverage soon led to a widespread examination of the original verdict, with Hobbs even telling police that some of his relatives suspected him in the killings. Candy-Land idealism is quietly suffocated in the relentless humidity. 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 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. However, a hair "not inconsistent with" Steve Branch's stepfather, Terry Hobbs, was found, and crucially it was tied into the knots of the bindings that had hogtied one of the children. window.adsContainer = {"positionAfterTitle":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position2":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position3":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Below_Next_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position4":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position5":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle1_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position6":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle2_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position7":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle3_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position8":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle4_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position9":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position10":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle6_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position11":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle7_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position12":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle8_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position13":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle9_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position14":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle10_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position15":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle11_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position16":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle12_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"positionTop":{"code":"Article_Desktop_970x250_Header_Rel","isOrganicUserAd":false,"max_width":970,"max_height":250},"positionBottom":{"code":"Article_Desktop_Sidebar_Bottom_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":300,"max_height":600},"positionBottomRight":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280}} let gads_event; Meanwhile, police questioned Misskelley alone, despite the suspect only having an IQ of 72. He was sentenced to life plus 40 years. 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. Climber only named Misskelley, Baldwin and Echols. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. 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. Their trial, which included 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. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. 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. Interested, police arrested both of them on May 17, placing them under a polygraph which indicated they were deceptive when denying involvement in the killings. 'Feels Like Home:' electrical failure from a light fixture caused December fire that killed 1, Shelby County reporting an increase in drug-related overdoses, largely due to fentanyl, Severe weather threat is over | Prepare for a sunny weekend, Daylight saving time starts soon. There were even witnesses who placed Misskelley at his trailer until 6:30 p.m., the time the boys went missing, with one revealing he picked him up to go wrestling around 7:30 p.m. On one occasion, she said she was with her son all day; on another that he left home around 4 p.m. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ By Benjamin H. Smith Who Killed The Forgotten West Memphis Three? 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. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ During the filming, cameraman Doug Cooper would be given a folding hunting knife by John Mark Byers, Christopher Byers' stepfather. But, those were far from the only three suspects in the case. ADVERTISEMENT The West Memphis Three were charged with the murder of three boys in 1994. }); window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { 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. pg.acq.push(function() { Equally, Pamela's sister Jo Lynn McCaughey saw Hobbs washing clothes, bed linens, and curtains from Steve's room around the time of the killings. In statements under oath, the three witnesses say that Michael Hobbs told them, "My uncle killed three boys in West Memphis." ga('ads.send', { Whose blood was on the knife was uncertain as it matched both Byers and the victim, both having the same HLA-DQ genotype. 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. Eventually, three local teenagers, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin, were zeroed in on as the prime suspects. All three appealed the convictions. 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. Bike found near the "West Memphis Three" crime scene. In statements under oath, the three witnesses say that Michael Hobbs told them, "My uncle killed three boys in West Memphis." 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. VEGA, Texas (KFDA) - Two people were killed and two others were injured after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 west of Vega. Youtube Mugshots of the West Memphis Three. Opinion remains divided on whether the right men were convicted or if the actual killers still walk the streets of West Memphis. At one point, he told locals he obtained superpowers from consuming human blood and was often seen to have sharpened his fingernails and drawn deliberately provocative tattoos on himself. 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. I developed an overwhelming sense of being excluded from everything. 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. His behavior as it became apparent Echols, Misskelley, and Baldwin would be cleared of the murders, was questioned as well. }); All three were charged and accused of committing a Satanic murder. The hair would tie in with a reported sighting of a "disoriented" man on the night of the boys' disappearance. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), With John Mark Byers ruled out, revelations in 2007 would point in a new direction equally close to home. Advances in DNA testing allowed forensics to be utilized on hairs found at the scene, with none again matching for the three imprisoned men. 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." Investigators found the bottle exactly where he said it would be. On the evening of May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys disappeared from the streets of West Memphis, Ark. 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 Jones, the assistant juvenile probation officer, was one of the chief voices pushing the line alongside his supervisor Jerry Blackwood Driver. My attorney was in the evidence room this morning and saw it with his own eyes. Two of the boys' underwear, however, was missing. Driver was the kind of individual who saw Satanism in every corner, blaming campfires, dead animal carcasses and pentagram graffiti on the dark arts. 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 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. "I want to live and to continue to fight for our innocence. "We are planning to move ahead and test this evidence using the latest DNA technology available to hopefully identify the real killer(s) of the three children in 1993, and exonerate Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelley.". 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. 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. Benca and the West Memphis Police Department did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. All Rights Reserved. Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers were only 8 years old when they viciously murdered in 1993. Before the case could again reach the courts, Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were allowed to enter Alford plea deals. 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. Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? Moore. 1:53 Digital Original Motivations For Investigating The West Memphis Case 1:05 Preview Standing 6-feet-5-inches tall and weighing 238 pounds, Byers was an imposing and threatening presence. Jul. 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. 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. They had a daughter together, Amanda Hobbs, who was 4 years old at the time of her brothers death. "We are trying to find the real killers. 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. During the trial, Echols blew kisses to the victim's family, a sign taken by many as a sure sign of guilt. 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. 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. When three boys turn up murdered, a small town is desperate to find the killer. Terry Hobbs and Pamela Hicks. She was unable to say where this meeting was or who else was present. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Misskelley confessed during the interrogation but later took rescinded it, stating that he did it out our fear and intimidation.