But, those were far from the only three suspects in the case. }) Grandmother with dementia died from face wound neglected by staff for days. 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. In statements under oath, the three witnesses say that Michael Hobbs told them, "My uncle killed three boys in West Memphis." 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.". Who killed Stevie 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. During the filming, cameraman Doug Cooper would be given a folding hunting knife by John Mark Byers, Christopher Byers' stepfather. As the rumors increased throughout the community, a Salem-like air descended as names continued to be associated with the alleged cult. It took them 18 years to clear their names. 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). 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." Their trial, which included Many pointed to the irony in that insult, since Byers himself was considered by many to be complicit in not just the boys' murder, and the death of his second wife as well, who had passed away three years after her son's killing. Now, the attorneys are responding in court. Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? ga('ads.send', { Jul. The autopsy in full is harrowing reading, with Moore receiving 63 specific wounds, including ten skull fractures. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), pg.acq.push(function() { How seriously anyone took the Mulder and Scully of West Memphis is uncertain, but they certainly took Echols seriously. Police noted he knew at least one of the victims by name and was on vacation the week the murders took place. The blade had blood on the hinge, and HBO ordered Berlinger and Sinofsky to hand the knife to West Memphis police. 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. 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. But in the process, the West Memphis Three get blamed for the crime they didn't commit. If some stranger who looked very threatening approached these three boys, I think the first reaction of these boys would be to run away, to look for help. Explaining why the test may have indicated this, Martin suggested he believed "the father of Steve Branch killed the boys" and that he suspected shoelaces would have been used to tie up the victims, as "logic tells him that the killer would use something already there." The West Memphis Three had trials in 1994, with Echols and Baldwin tried together and Misskelley tried separately. 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. It took them 18 years to clear their names. 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. 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. Police on the case felt that there were cult-like and satanic overtones to the murders. Their trial, which included So, this tells me that this offender was someone they know," Clemente said. He was sentenced to life plus 40 years. The Brotherhood group he identified himself as being associated with had committed multiple homicides. 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. }); Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were best friends. Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were best friends. "Chief Pope's resignation is completely unrelated to the West Memphis three rumors being sent out on social media," the statement reads. "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. Echols unwisely began to tell the fanatical Driver tall tales about local cults and animal sacrifices when Driver became his parole officer, telling him that he followed Wicca. It went too far, and because of that, he had to kill all three of them," he said. At the scene, Steve Jones, assistant juvenile probation officer, openly speculated that Echols was capable of the crime, saying, "it looks like Damien Echols finally killed someone.". 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. Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. He took one of them I don't know which one cut him on I think it was on this side of his face.". Friends and family tried in vain to find the missing boys. Standing 6-feet-5-inches tall and weighing 238 pounds, Byers was an imposing and threatening presence. Well, it minimizes the package a little bit and makes it easier to control after they're dead.. John Mark Byers was the stepdad of one of the victims and said before the hearing, Theyre innocent. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Sign up to receive breakingFront Page Detectivesnews and exclusive investigations. "We have no vested interest in trying to withhold any evidence from anyone on either side. They were 17, 16, and 18 years old respectively. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. 1." In addition to the offender being a male who had a relationship with one or more of the victims, Clemente thinks the suspect was from the neighborhood, theorizing that he hid the bodies in order to give himself enough time to establish an alibi. She was unable to say where this meeting was or who else was present. Entering a plea of not guilty, Richard Ofshe testified that Misskelley's confession had been a "classic example" of police coercion. He was muddy, bleeding, and brushed against the walls, leaving behind blood stains and feces on the walls, stall, and floor. One individual on the police radar was convicted pedophile James K. Martin. They wouldn't be alone, and witness after witness would state they had heard there was a Satanic cult in the area. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { Echols' legal team has filed a response to the Attorney General's request, where they are asking the court to deny it. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! 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. YoutubeMugshots of the West Memphis Three. hitType: 'event', 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. 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. }); Meeting with Echols, Hutcheson reported that nothing incriminating was said. 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. 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. 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.'. This is where the calluses on a man's hand are bigger than his conscience, and dreams get drowned in sweat and tears.". if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ Who killed Stevie Youtube Mugshots of the West Memphis Three. hitType: 'event', Investigators found the bottle exactly where he said it would be. Suspicion toward John Mark Byers would only increase when the bite marks on Steve Branch's forehead were discovered. 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. He quickly retracted the statement, and police aren't believed to have considered them suspects any longer than the period of their arrest. On the evening of May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys disappeared from the streets of West Memphis, Ark. It took them 18 years to clear their names. },false) However, it wouldn't only be many of the victims' families who were dissatisfied, with former FBI criminal profiler John E. Douglas saying the killings were likely the work of one individual whose intent was to degrade the victims. 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. 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 child claimed they were committed by Spanish-speaking Satanists. Every piece is still there https://t.co/8tzxOWjZLH, - Damien Echols (@damienechols) December 21, 2021. The chief of police was not truthful. One of those people would be Pamela Hobbs. Due to marital problems stemming from Stevies death, the couple divorced in 2004, reported CNN. Clemente pointed out that the killer took his time to conceal the boys' bodies, clothing, and bikes. They seem to me to be more practical ligatures, Clemente said. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. 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. Sometimes justice is neither pretty, nor is it perfect, but it was important to take this opportunity to be free.". 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. Eventually, three local teenagers, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin, were zeroed in on as the prime suspects. 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. 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. After 18 years behind bars, they were freed. Beyond his tales about Misskelley, Baldwin and Echols, Climber claimed to have beaten a police officer, hung a woman and sacrificed a second lady. It became humiliating, something I'd do everything I could to hide from the rest of the world. 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 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. There was a sense of disconnect from society amongst many young people, with the counter-culture that produced grunge giving way to the metal Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. Adding that his client was "a mentally handicapped person who is quite suggestible. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin to life imprisonment. ET. Everywhere you look, you see people with things that you do not have, and it has a profound mental effect. All three bodies were immediately removed from the water before the coroner arrived, meaning that they were exposed to sunlight and insects before judgments could be made surrounding rigor mortis and the time of death.

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