These three would come to be known as the West Memphis Three. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ 31 2021, Published 3:16 p.m. 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. 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. She described a cult meeting involving Echols, Misskelley and about eight other youths. Friends and family tried in vain to find the missing boys. Moore was the group leader and, like his best friends, a proud cub scout, wearing his uniform even when not at meetings. On one occasion, she said she was with her son all day; on another that he left home around 4 p.m. Echols claimed that Pope's departure and the discovery of the evidence were connected. 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.'. As the rumors increased throughout the community, a Salem-like air descended as names continued to be associated with the alleged cult. 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. 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. A roll of toilet paper was soaked through with blood. So if the West Memphis Three aren't the real killers, who is? Nine days later, Misskelley would confess again. How seriously anyone took the Mulder and Scully of West Memphis is uncertain, but they certainly took Echols seriously. Copyright 2023 Empire Media Group, Inc. Front Page Detectives is a registered trademark. 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. It can now be tested, to see who left DNA at the crime scene. However, it wasn't just about the music with many embracing rebellious philosophies that were inherently offensive to the traditions of Christianity, respect and patriotism that have always defined small-town rural America. "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. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. By Benjamin H. Smith Who Killed The Forgotten West Memphis Three? According to her new story, police had threatened to take her child if she didn't "cooperate." Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore. 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. Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? They had a daughter together, Amanda Hobbs, who was 4 years old at the time of her brothers death. On the evening of May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys disappeared from the streets of West Memphis, Ark. }); They allowed police and other workers to walk through the creek, trampling possible evidence such as footprints, and equally failed to drain the water quickly to preserve other evidence. Autopsies revealed that Byers died of multiple injuries, while the other two boys died of multiple injuries with drowning. eventAction: 'view' She also revealed that her ex-husband had once asked her sister point-blank if she suspected him in the killings. eventAction: 'click_adunit' Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers were only 8 years old when they viciously murdered in 1993. Investigators found the bottle exactly where he said it would be. 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. To learn more about the case, watch The Forgotten West Memphis Three" now on Oxygen. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. Byers had a long history of run-ins with the law and been accused of multiple violent crimes. There's absolutely no indication of that in this case. They seem to me to be more practical ligatures, Clemente said. Everywhere you look, you see people with things that you do not have, and it has a profound mental effect. 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. }); ", 'Very open to the idea': Julia Wandelt takes DNA test to verify if she is missing Swiss girl Livia Schepp, Kayla Lemieux: Teacher with prosthetic Z-cup breasts suspended WITH PAY after pics show her dressed as man, 'We have lots to reveal': Madeleine McCann lookalike Julia Wandelt posts footage of meeting with PI probing claims, Lindsay Clancy case: Psychologist reveals psychosis red flags family members could have spotted, Horror at Larchwood Care! Then read about the woman who was convicted for locking her deaf sister in a room for seven years. The story of the West Memphis Three traces back to 1993, set in the city of West Memphis, Arkansas. 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. 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. Both knew Misskelley from school but were hardly considered friends, Misskelley having a reputation for violence. However, that isn't quite the truth. 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. Like John Mark Byers, Hobbs was a wifebeater. He has devoted himself to writing, music and art. 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. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), } They did not kill my son.. Hutcheson was accused of settling from her employer and forced to bring her young son, Aaron Hutcheson, to the interview. It was likely the teenager was deliberately provoking Driver and exaggerating his lifestyle, leading the officer to become convinced that Echols was involved in a Satanic cult straight from a horror film. Morgan and Holland left town on May 10 and headed to Oceanside in California, their departure shocking many who knew them. A few years later, he was facing charges relating to the use of terroristic threats, grand theft, and drug use. So if the West Memphis Three aren't the real killers, who is? "Chief Pope's resignation is completely unrelated to the West Memphis three rumors being sent out on social media," the statement reads. The police contended the tapes couldn't confirm this, with interference masking conversations. This was a result of getting enraged, going too far, and then having to basically clean up the mess," he said. However, Misskelley wouldn't only confess in that police interview room. Get all the latest information on Events, Sales and Offers. hitType: 'event', 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 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 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. Soon after, witness, Narlene Hollingsworth, reported she saw three boys riding bikes, almost hitting one when he rode out in front of her car. 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. But in 2011, the West Memphis Three walked free. 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. 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. But in the process, the West Memphis Three get blamed for the crime they didn't commit. He was 62. Into this misunderstanding step Damien Echols, 18, Jessie Misskelley Jr., 17, and Jason Baldwin, 16. Aaron was restless, and Bray was unable to properly administer the polygraph. "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. Meanwhile, Byers himself had a long history of drug use and violent criminal behavior, including domestic violence and threats to kill. Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? VEGA, Texas (KFDA) - Two people were killed and two others were injured after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 west of Vega. The Story Of The West Memphis Teens Wrongfully Imprisoned 18 Years For Satanic Murder. VEGA, Texas (KFDA) - Two people were killed and two others were injured after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 west of Vega. 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 . Then, after determining the boys final movements, Bob meets with a DNA expert to discuss new technology that might break the case wide open. Echols filed a petition, which was not granted, but then the decision was overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court. He quickly retracted the statement, and police aren't believed to have considered them suspects any longer than the period of their arrest. 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." In many respects, the reaction to these new youth movements was nothing new, with the metal bands of the 1970s and 80s having faced similar condemnation as "the Devil's music." If the offender came across the boys as they were doing something wrong or misbehaving, it would have been even easier to control and reprimand them, said Clemente. Neither Climer nor Bly would be considered competent witnesses at the eventual trial. 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. There was a sense of disconnect from society amongst many young people, with the counter-culture that produced grunge giving way to the metal I developed an overwhelming sense of being excluded from everything. The DNA of these three children is likely in that evidence," said Lonnie Soury, a member of Damien Echols' legal team. Their trial, which included 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. Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were best friends. ET. The boys were naked and tied up by their shoelaces. While the charges were expunged from his record, documents detailing them were found at the Crittenden County Court by journalist Mara Leveritt. and "Do you know who killed those three boys?". 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. 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. The case for his guilt was put forward by Echols himself in Peter Jackson's 'West of Memphis.' During the filming, cameraman Doug Cooper would be given a folding hunting knife by John Mark Byers, Christopher Byers' stepfather. With continuing advances in DNA testing, that day may finally be around the corner. Police on the case felt that there were cult-like and satanic overtones to the murders.