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. "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. But their innocence did leave investigators back at square one. 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. But, those were far from the only three suspects in the case. Echols, by most accounts, didn't even consider himself one. }); 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. Here's when clocks will 'spring forward' in 2023, Arkansas Supreme Court chief justice announces departure from WM3 case, West Memphis Three continue fight to get DNA tested. 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. On one occasion, she said she was with her son all day; on another that he left home around 4 p.m. It was rumor and innuendo, overheard gossip and allegations. She described a cult meeting involving Echols, Misskelley and about eight other youths. 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. Who killed Stevie Yet Misskelley kept talking, confessing again on Feb. 4. "I can't understand why exactly people are glossing over the obvious when it comes to Byers and the death of Melissa Byers and all the things that Byers has said and done since this trial," he said. He was 62. Toggle dark mode However, the day afterward, Hutcheson would tell police that she, Echols and Misskelley had all attended a Wicca meeting in Turrell, Arkansas, where Echols became drunk and started to loudly brag about having committed the killings of Branch, Byers and Moore. Echols claimed that Pope's departure and the discovery of the evidence were connected. Branch had 21 particular wounds, including a large gouge to the left side of his face, with Byers having 62 differing injuries. Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore. 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. After 18 years behind bars, they were freed. 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. 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. 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. 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. Their trial, which included The deals disappointed both those who still believed the three guilty and their supporters, with many feeling the bargain made them look guilty. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! There was a sense of disconnect from society amongst many young people, with the counter-culture that produced grunge giving way to the metal 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. Before the case could again reach the courts, Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were allowed to enter Alford plea deals. Some believe the police immediately thought there was some level of occult involvement in the triple homicide, yet this isn't the case. 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. There was a sense of disconnect from society amongst many young people, with the counter-culture that produced grunge giving way to the metal 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. 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. They'd first come into contact almost precisely a year before Echols was arrested alongside his then-girlfriend Deanna Holcomb. 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 documentary was filmed on 79 days over ten months up to the point of the West Memphis Three's conviction. ET. 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. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { Terry Hobbs, meanwhile, still believes in the guilt of the West Memphis Three, telling Memphis ABC affiliate WATN in 2019 that "I still believe in my heart that Jessie, Jason, and Damion Echols are responsible for what happened to our children.". eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 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 Get all the latest information on Events, Sales and Offers. In statements under oath, the three witnesses say that Michael Hobbs told them, "My uncle killed three boys in West Memphis." The elder Byers admitted he whipped Christopher with a belt shortly before he went missing. Echols was from a poor background and struggled both with poverty and his mental health, having been institutionalized for several months after considering suicide. Clemente pointed out that the killer took his time to conceal the boys' bodies, clothing, and bikes. 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. and "Do you know who killed those three boys?". 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. WebThe West Memphis Three were the first people in West Memphis, Arkansas who were accused of murdering the three young boys. Bike found near the "West Memphis Three" crime scene. Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? Jul. eventAction: 'load' 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 Then read about the woman who was convicted for locking her deaf sister in a room for seven years. Misskelley was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. VEGA, Texas (KFDA) - Two people were killed and two others were injured after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 west of Vega. 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. Climber only named Misskelley, Baldwin and Echols. 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 Starting in the weeks that followed the killings, documentary filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky began to investigate the circumstances surrounding the case for their film "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills," airing in June 1996 on HBO. 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. 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. 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 Meanwhile, Byers himself had a long history of drug use and violent criminal behavior, including domestic violence and threats to kill. 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. 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. He failed to recognize where the crime scene actually was, mixed up the timeline and confused the victims. They were 17, 16, and 18 years old respectively. }) } He was sentenced to life plus 40 years. Stating that he was "scared of the police," Misskelley confessed to murder. 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. His mother told him to be home by 4:45 p.m., and the two set off around 3:40 p.m. Therefore, Misskelley had to be tried alone. She also revealed that her ex-husband had once asked her sister point-blank if she suspected him in the killings. He suffered from "grandiose and persecutory delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, disordered thought processes, substantial lack of insight, and chronic, incapacitating mood swings." 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. 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." Moore. So if the West Memphis Three aren't the real killers, who is? 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. Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. 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 had to spend this time because if he didn't, he would get caught. The following afternoon, the bodies of Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were found by a muddy ditch. 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. 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, Misskelley wouldn't only confess in that police interview room. 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. 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. When three boys turn up murdered, a small town is desperate to find the killer. They drew pentagrams, skulls, and snakes on art materials and surprised those at a football game by arriving dressed in black with black tears painted on their faces. In contrast, others contend he remained severely mentally ill and an immature teenager. 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. }) Due to marital problems stemming from Stevies death, the couple divorced in 2004, reported CNN. 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. To learn more about the case, watch The Forgotten West Memphis Three" now on Oxygen. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of The time spent to conceal them could have been skipped completely if there was no known relationship to the victims, Clemente told Ruff. Aaron was restless, and Bray was unable to properly administer the polygraph. 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. Meeting with Echols, Hutcheson reported that nothing incriminating was said. 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. let gads_event; I think he spent more time on concealing the bodies and the clothing and the bikes than he did on the actual murders. 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. He even said that he saw John Mark Byers assisting in the killings. Whether justice has been done in the case of the West Memphis Three depends on entirely who you ask. eventAction: 'view' 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.". In 1997 Byers had all his teeth removed, claiming both that medication he was taking caused gum disease and he'd planned to remove them as he had suffered dental problems for years. Until 2007, when the discovery of new forensic evidence reopened the case and a new statute permitting post-conviction testing of DNA evidence came about.