Who killed Stevie Their clothing was found tied to sticks implanted into the creek bed, with two pairs of underwear missing. 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 deal is a plea whereby a defendant maintains their innocence but recognizes that the evidence presented would be enough to convict them. Sometimes justice is neither pretty, nor is it perfect, but it was important to take this opportunity to be free.". Misskelley was interrogated for 12 hours, of which less than an hour were recorded. All three appealed the convictions. Baldwin got life behind bars, and Echols was sentenced to death by lethal injection. Like John Mark Byers, Hobbs was a wifebeater. When three boys turn up murdered, a small town is desperate to find the killer. Police detective Bryn Ridge would later testify he somehow lost the samples from Bojangles' wall. 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. 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. 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. He also theorized that the killer knew the victims because he was able to control three victims without any help.. Sign up to receive breakingFront Page Detectivesnews and exclusive investigations. 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. 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. However, her description of the boy she nearly hit was inconsistent with either Branch, Byers or Moore, and it was, in fact, a fourth boy by the name of George Taylor. 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. Subsequent interviews with Vicki Hutcheson were just as contradictory. hitType: 'event', 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. Nine days later, Misskelley would confess again. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ It took them 18 years to clear their names. 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. "Chief Pope's resignation is completely unrelated to the West Memphis three rumors being sent out on social media," the statement reads. },false) The Story Of The West Memphis Teens Wrongfully Imprisoned 18 Years For Satanic Murder. No semen was found at the scene, and there was no evidence of molestation. 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. The case for his guilt was put forward by Echols himself in Peter Jackson's 'West of Memphis.' } WebThe West Memphis Three were the first people in West Memphis, Arkansas who were accused of murdering the three young boys. 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. But what is the purpose of that? Police on the case felt that there were cult-like and satanic overtones to the murders. ADVERTISEMENT MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. 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 elder Byers admitted he whipped Christopher with a belt shortly before he went missing. }); ADVERTISEMENT Meanwhile, patrons at the Blue Beacon, a truck wash close to the scene, all had their credit card receipts collected, and the first suspects brought in were transients, with information being sought about two "dirty-looking" hitchhikers. }) 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. Branch had 21 particular wounds, including a large gouge to the left side of his face, with Byers having 62 differing injuries. Some believe the police immediately thought there was some level of occult involvement in the triple homicide, yet this isn't the 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 There is a strong Christian identity, and crime is an issue, but the behavior of Echols, in particular, would have drawn comment everywhere. They wouldn't be alone, and witness after witness would state they had heard there was a Satanic cult in the area. eventAction: 'click_adunit' Toggle dark mode But in the process, the West Memphis Three get blamed for the crime they didn't commit. 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. 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. 1:53 Digital Original Motivations For Investigating The West Memphis Case 1:05 Preview 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 "Lawyers have to follow the law and when you file in the wrong place that's not my fault," said Attorney General Griffin. VEGA, Texas (KFDA) - Two people were killed and two others were injured after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 west of Vega. 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. Then, after determining the boys final movements, Bob meets with a DNA expert to discuss new technology that might break the case wide open. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore. 1." 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. Their trial, which included But their innocence did leave investigators back at square one. Two of the boys' underwear, however, was missing. 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 was 62. }); 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. Branch and Moores bikes were discovered on either side of a pipe bridge not far from the crime scene. Due to marital problems stemming from Stevies death, the couple divorced in 2004, reported CNN. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 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. Who, then, was responsible for the brutal murders and mutilations of three young children? He also initially claimed Echols had choked one victim until he was told that none of the boys had been strangled. On one occasion, she said she was with her son all day; on another that he left home around 4 p.m. 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. 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. However, the matter was sent to appeal, and Burnett was elected to the Arkansas State Senate, with his replacement being David Laser. Both had histories of drug offenses, and Morgan claimed to police he suffered from memory loss and blackouts, stating he "might have" killed the three boys. Jones, the assistant juvenile probation officer, was one of the chief voices pushing the line alongside his supervisor Jerry Blackwood Driver. 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. After 18 years behind bars, they were freed. The deals disappointed both those who still believed the three guilty and their supporters, with many feeling the bargain made them look guilty. The alert was assigned to Officer Regenia Meek, who filled out reports and, with Officer John Moore, did a brief search, but nothing more expansive. I believe there was an incident of over-disciplining one of the boys. In statements under oath, the three witnesses say that Michael Hobbs told them, "My uncle killed three boys in West Memphis." Beyond his tales about Misskelley, Baldwin and Echols, Climber claimed to have beaten a police officer, hung a woman and sacrificed a second lady. Echols, 36, had been on death row, while Baldwin, 34, and Misskelley, 36, were serving life sentences. The documentary was filmed on 79 days over ten months up to the point of the West Memphis Three's conviction. Talking with police and his lawyer present in the room, he would ignore advice from his counsel to remain silent and detailed how the West Memphis Three had abused and murdered the victims. "I want to live and to continue to fight for our innocence. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. 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. Opinion remains divided on whether the right men were convicted or if the actual killers still walk the streets of West Memphis. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Attempting to shelter from a storm, the two broke into a trailer and were charged with burglary and sexual misconduct. The plea deal was accepted. "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. 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. Hutcheson was accused of settling from her employer and forced to bring her young son, Aaron Hutcheson, to the interview. pg.acq.push(function() { 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.". 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. The assailant is also prone to violent outbursts, likely has a history of domestic violence, and places a high importance on punishment. This was a result of getting enraged, going too far, and then having to basically clean up the mess," he said. Example video title will go here for this video. However, police thought they had their culprits and were willing to ignore Ricky Climer and Avis Bly's severe mental illnesses. He showed several old scars from prior injuries. 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. 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. 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, 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. Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? A roll of toilet paper was soaked through with blood. Jul. 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. However, Misskelley wouldn't only confess in that police interview room. The inherent belief in that line of thought eventually led to the arrest of 18-year-old Damien Echols, 17-year-old Jessie Misskelley Jr., and 16-year-old Jason Baldwin, three out-of-sorts teens who became popularly known as "The West Memphis Three.". It became humiliating, something I'd do everything I could to hide from the rest of the world. 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. 31 2021, Published 3:16 p.m. Right on the border of Tennessee, West Memphis was a bible belt city unaccustomed to much publicity. One of those people would be Pamela Hobbs. Byers had been a step-father to Christopher Byers, who along with his two eight-year-old friends Michael Moore and Steve Branch, had been killed in West Memphis on May 5, 1993, and whose murders remain unsolved to this day, almost three decades later. ET. } To learn more about the case, watch The Forgotten West Memphis Three" now on Oxygen.