West Memphis 3

[Pauli]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYT9QgWVpsc

[Pauli]

Part 2 of LKL interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iykNVaS7EIo&feature=related


Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufXfHJ4XGLo

[Pauli]

Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cQsXIF2k5Q&feature=related



Damien Echols From Death Row Pt 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB4QZedL2zo&feature=related

[Pauli]

Part 6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3lp2kH8TaM

Conclusion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jE9FwxGZXU

[Pauli]

West Memphis Three New 2007 DNA evidence Coverage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDl5lsjaplE

[Pauli]

West Memphis Three innocent - WM3 - KARK TV news coverage 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylj04jYNK-g&feature=related

[Pauli]

Exculsive Interview with John Mark Byers father of Michael Byers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxKyQJg_Xjk&feature=related

[Pauli]

FREE THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqTKk5ebmGU&feature=related

[Pauli]

Celebrities join effort to free three convicted in 1993 killings

The Associated Press


LITTLE ROCK, Ark. | An effort to free three young men convicted in the lurid 1993 slayings of three 8-year-old boys is gathering speed, with rock stars and other celebrities taking up their cause.

About 150 supporters rallied Wednesday on the Arkansas Capitol steps.

Supporters allege that prosecutors and police railroaded the defendants because of the fascination the three had with heavy metal music and the occult. New DNA tests and other forensic evidence call their guilt into question, they say.

At the Capitol, sympathizers including Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks unfurled a banner of postcards asking for the men to be released.

The convictions have withstood numerous appeals over the years.
http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation/story/411188.html

[Pauli]

Rally held for 'West Memphis Three'

LITTLE ROCK -- Supporters of three men convicted as teens in the deaths of three second-graders proclaimed their innocence at a Capitol rally Wednesday and said new evidence would exonerate the trio known as the West Memphis Three.

"It's not about opinion any more, it's not about debate, it's about science," Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines told about 200 supporters of Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jesse Misskelley, who have been imprisoned for nearly 15 years following their convictions in the 1993 murders in West Memphis.

Maines took to a stage at the foot of the Capitol steps with Echols' wife, Lorri Davis, at the rally spurred by new DNA evidence that lawyers for the three say cast doubt on their convictions.

Supporters also unfurled a banner, several hundred feet long, of post cards sent from around the world in support of the three. About 2,000 letters of support also were placed at the base of a podium.

"Looking at these post cards and letters is exactly why I'm here," Maines told the crowd. "These letters will matter. It forces elected officials to know that we are watching."

Echols and Baldwin each were convicted of capital murder and Misskelley was convicted of first- and second-degree murder in the deaths of second-graders Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. The boys disappeared while riding bicycles in their tree-lined blue-collar neighborhood in West Memphis. Their bodies were found a day later in a drainage ditch.

Misskelley was sentenced to life in prison plus 40 years, Baldwin was sentenced to life without parole and Echols received the death penalty.

The case has gained international attention over the years -- there have been two HBO documentaries -- and last month, attorneys for the three offered new DNA evidence in the case and asked for a new hearing. A federal judge asked the state attorney general's office to examine the evidence first.

Supporters contend Baldwin, Echols and Misskelley were convicted on largely circumstantial evidence because they listened to heavy metal music. At the time, authorities pushed the notion that the murders were part of a Satanic act.

However, the Arkansas Supreme Court said in its decision upholding the convictions that Misskelley, in a confession he gave police, had knowledge of the injuries inflicted on the boys that "suggests he was in physical proximity to the activities taking place and took a much more active role than he admitted."

Maines, who Wednesday called the convictions an "absolute injustice," said she became aware of the case only recently after watching the HBO documentaries. She said she made a donation to a defense fund established to help the three men as they continue to fight for their freedom.

Maines said Echols' wife later got in touch with her and thanked her for the support. The two got to know each other and Maines later agreed to attend Wednesday's rally, she said.

After Wednesday's rally, Maines, Davis and rally organizer Cappi Peck of Little Rock carried the letters to Gov. Mike Beebe's office, where they met with the governor's chief counsel, Tim Gauger, spokesman Matt DeCample and communications director Grant Tennille. Beebe was away from the Capitol speaking at a luncheon.

"It went well," Davis said after the 15-minute meeting.

"We asked what we should be doing and they said continue to do what you are doing," Peck said. "It was very positive."

DeCample described the meeting as "very cordial," and said the women were told the governor could do little because the case is in court.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said Tuesday his office is reviewing the evidence and any decisions made would be based on evidence, not public opinion.

Maines said Wednesday she understood the governor and attorney general would not make decisions based on the petitions or post cards.

"This gives the cause wings and draws attention to it," she said. "I'm absolutely fine with them just looking at the evidence."

Supporter Amber Padgett of Gravel Ridge, who carried a sign saying the three men were innocent, said she hopes they get a new trial.

"They should be retried in a new court, new venue with new evidence," Padgett said before the rally.

Jay Gray of Little Rock said he was in a punk rock band and has performed several benefits where all of the money raised went to the West Memphis Three's defense fund.

"I've been following this case for a long time," said the 35-year-old said, who also said he thought the three were innocent.

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/12/19/news/122007lrwestmenphis3.txt

[Pauli]

AG says protest won't affect 'West Memphis Three' case
Wednesday, Dec 19, 2007

By Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - Advocates have a right to protest what they believe to be an injustice, Arkansas' attorney general said Tuesday, on the eve of a Capitol rally on behalf of three men convicted as teenagers in the deaths of three West Memphis boys.

But speeches and letters will have no affect on how authorities view new evidence in the case that has become a national cause celebre for celebrities and in Internet forums, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said.

Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines is expected to be among supporters of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelley - known as the "West Memphis Three" - at a scheduled rally today on the Capitol steps. Supporters also plan to deliver letters and petitions to Gov. Mike Beebe and to ask the governor and McDaniel to help overturn the three men's convictions.

"If people believe that there is an injustice at hand, then they are right to try and call attention to it," McDaniel said Tuesday. "And it's important for people to know on all sides in Arkansas that the attorney general's office does not make decisions based on petitions or protests. We base our actions on the law and the evidence."

Beebe said Tuesday the state Constitution prohibits him from ordering a new trial, and he said he has no plans to pardon the men or grant clemency.

"One of the things, I think, they need to understand is, it's in the courts and I can't order a new trial," the governor said. "They can present all the petitions they want."

Echols and Baldwin each were convicted of capital murder, and Misskelley was convicted of first- and second-degree murder in the 1993 deaths of 8-year-old second-graders Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. The boys disappeared while riding bicycles in their tree-lined blue-collar neighhorhood in West Memphis. Their bodies were found a day later in a drainage ditch.

Misskelley was sentenced to life in prison plus 40 years. Baldwin was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Echols was sentenced to death.

In October, attorneys for the three offered new DNA evidence in the case and asked for a new hearing. A federal judge asked the attorney general's office to examine the evidence first.

"We are taking this one step at a time, but we are giving it a great deal of weight and we are being very serious about it," McDaniel said Tuesday. "Anyone concerned for any reason that adequate attention is not being paid to the case, let me assure them that is simply not the case."


http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2007/12/19/News/344625.html

[Pauli]

Beebe rules out pardon for 3 in 1993 slayings

BY SETH BLOMELEY
Posted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007



Gov. Mike Beebe said Tuesday that he won’t pardon or commute the sentences of the “West Memphis Three” and has never heard of the celebrity scheduled to be at the state Capitol today to advocate their cause.


Natalie Maines, a singer for the group Dixie Chicks, is to be on hand in support of Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley, all of whom were convicted of murdering three boys in West Memphis in 1993.
Organizers of the rally have said they want the three men released from prison.


“One of the things I think they need to understand is that it’s in the courts,” Beebe told reporters. “I can’t order a new trial, constitutionally. The only thing I can do is pardon them or commute their sentence. They can present all the petitions they want to present but what they really have to do, it seems to me, if they really want this done, is pursue it through the judicial channels a request for a new trial based on new evidence.” Beebe, a former Arkansas attorney general, said there are procedures for admitting new evidence, particularly DNA evidence.


A Web site devoted to freeing the three, www.wm 3.org (http://www.wm%203.org/), says the purpose of the rally is “to urge Gov. Beebe to take action in the case.” Asked if he would consider pardoning or commuting their sentences, Beebe said, “No. Absolutely not. I wouldn’t consider that. If there were irrefutable proof that — and I don’t know how you get to that because you can’t substitute your judgment for the court’s judgment — that would be the basis [on which ] you would do a commutation or pardon. But short of a trial, I don’t know how you do that, unless you have DNA evidence and a confession that was believable from someone else, then maybe you’d look at it.” Asked if he would meet with Maines, Beebe responded, “Who’s that ?” He said he is to speak to a contractors group at another location at the time of the rally.


Echols was sentenced to death for the slayings of Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. Baldwin and Misskelley received life sentences.




http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/211105/

[Pauli]

Supporters Bring West Memphis Case Back To Fore


http://www.todaysthv.com/assetpool/images/03102234536_Damien_Echols.jpg
Damien Echols

An effort to free three men convicted as teenagers in the sexually charged slayings of three 8-year-old boys will move Wednesday from Internet forums and the mouths of rock stars to the front steps of the Arkansas state Capitol.

Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley are known to sympathizers as the "West Memphis Three." Their supporters will rally Wednesday on behalf of the men they fear prosecutors and a small-town police force railroaded because of the teens' interest in heavy metal music and the occult.

Lisa Fancher, who runs a punk rock record label in Los Angeles, says the three are sensitive and thoughtful and smart and she can't believe they're stuck in prison.

But the state's highest court has ruled juries convicted the three because of Misskelley's detailed confession -- not a prosecutor's claim that the three killed Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore in 1993 for satanic purposes.

The killings shocked West Memphis, a blue-collar town just across the Mississippi River from bustling Memphis, Tennessee. Police found the bodies of the three Cub Scouts a day after they disappeared from their quiet, tree-lined neighborhood May 5, 1993. Their hands bound to their legs by shoelaces, the boys showed signs of suffering severe beatings before being left in a drainage ditch. One boy was sexually mutilated.

A month passed and the community posted a $30,000 reward before police arrested the three teens. Misskelley told investigators how he watched Baldwin and Echols sexually assault and beat two of the boys as he ran down another who tried to escape, and courts said the convictions appeared large based on that confession.

A new group called Arkansas Take Action is focused on the case. Wednesday, members will take to the steps of the state Capitol with a long banner made of postcards supporting the three and letters addressed to Governor Beebe. The governor says he won't be there, as he is scheduled to be at another event at the time.


But among those scheduled to appear is a new supporter, Natalie Maines, lead singer for the Dixie Chicks. CNN's "Larry King Live" is to devote an hour to the case Wednesday night, including a death-row interview with Echols.

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=57842

[Pauli]

A Most Heinous Crime

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On the afternoon of 6 May 1993, West Memphis was rocked by the news of the discovery of the mutilated bodies of three eight-year-old boys. Rumours regarding the nature of the murders spread like wildfire through the town. It was soon well known that the boys had been cut with a knife, raped and at least one of the boy’s genitals had been cut, many of these rumours were based on inaccurate police assumptions. By 12.00 p.m. the next day, police were questioning their first suspect, Damien Echols. Several weeks later Jessie Misskelley, an associate of Echols, confessed to the murders, implicating Damien Echols and another friend, Jason Baldwin. Soon after, following a confession by Misskelley, the three teenagers were arrested and charged with the murders of James M. Moore, Steven E. Branch and Christopher M. Byers.


The citizens of West Memphis were relieved that the monsters that had committed these heinous crimes had been apprehended and justice would be served. There was a great deal of anger in the community directed towards these three adolescents, supposedly involved in Satanic cults, who were accused of killing three innocent boys as part of a Satanic ritual.


Rumors of Satanic groups had abounded in this dominantly Baptist community for decades. Details of their exploits were well known although there was never any proof of any murders actually having been performed in the past. From the time the arrests were made until they were tried, local papers fed the community’s blood-lust, with stories of Satanic abominations appearing on a regular basis.


On Wednesday 19 January 1994, Jessie Misskelley was sent to trial after an attempt to have his confession suppressed was denied. Two weeks later, he was found guilty on one count of first degree capital murder and two counts of second degree capital murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole. He was seventeen years old.


The trial of Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols began on Tuesday 4 February 1994. On Monday 18 April 1994, they were both found guilty on three counts of capital murder. The next day Jason, just sixteen, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of forty years.


Eighteen-year-old Damien Echols was sentenced to death by lethal injection.


More than five years after these sentences were handed down the three young men continue to proclaim their innocence and are persevering in their attempts to have new trials granted. This in itself is not unusual. There are many guilty men who have succeeded in tying up the legal system in the process of appeals for as many as fifteen years. What is unusual in this case is that they are not alone in proclaiming their innocence. Thousands of American citizens are convinced that Jessie, Jason and Damien were wrongly tried and convicted and are now lending their support to the fight for justice. Everyday this support is growing and now includes many criminal and legal experts who are throwing the weight of their knowledge and experience behind the three boys.


Damien Echols claims that he was found guilty long before the trial began because he was considered weird by many in the community, having practiced the Wicca religion and listened to the music of supposedly Satanic groups such as "Metallica." Jason believes he was found guilty by association. Jessie claims that his confession was coerced, claiming he had told police whatever they had wanted him to so that they would let him go.


Under question in this case is not merely whether Jessie, Jason and Damien are guilty or innocent, but whether the correct legal processes were upheld to secure their convictions. Was the basic tenet of the American legal system, the presumption of innocence, discarded in order to satisfy a community’s call for the revenge of the dreadful murders of three innocent children?
http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/1a.jpg Arial view of site where bodies were found.
A. Truck stop car park
B. Truck wash
C. Trail
D. Pipe where bikes were found
E. Site where boys' bodies were found
(POLICE)http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/index_1.html

[Pauli]

The Victims

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According to the families of the three boys, they were last seen together between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on the evening of 5 May 1993. The three boys had finished school for the day at Weaver Elementary School at 3:00 p.m. Steven Branch went home but left shortly afterwards, according to his mother Pam Hobbs. Christopher Byers’s step-father, John Mark Byers, arrived home at 3:10 p.m. but Christopher was not there, his brother Ryan arrived home at 3:30 p.m. Chris did not have a key to the house and was expected to wait outside until Ryan arrived to let him in.


John Mark Byers drove Ryan to the courthouse for a 4:00 p.m. appointment. After dropping Ryan he drove to pick up his wife, Melissa Byers from work. They both arrived back at their home at 5:20 p.m. to find that Chris was not at home, although there was evidence that he had been there. Soon after, John Mark Byers left home to pick up Ryan, but on the way he found Christopher riding a skateboard. He took Christopher home where Byers gave him "2 or 3 licks" with a belt, in the presence of Melissa, as punishment for not staying at home as instructed. Before returning to the courthouse to pick up Ryan, Byers instructed Christopher to clean up the carport area. He was last seen doing this at 5:30 p.m. by Byers.


At 6:00 p.m., Diana Moore saw her son (James) Michael riding bicycles with Steven Branch and Christopher Byers but had been unable to stop them before they rode off. Chris had been sitting on the back of Steven’s bike.


At 6:30 p.m. John Mark Byers claims that he arrived home from the courthouse with Ryan to find that Chris was again not at home. Melissa was inside on the phone to her boss and had not been aware that Chris was gone again. John, Melissa and Ryan Byers left their home at 6.30 p.m. to drive around the neighbourhood in order to find Chris. During the course of this search Byers informed a police officer of his son’s disappearance.
According to Byers, he was told to wait until 8:00 p.m. before making an official report with the police. Byers explained to the officer that the reason he was so concerned was that Chris had never disappeared like this before.
This statement was later contradicted by Melissa Byers, during an interview on 25 May 1993, when she told police that Christopher had disappeared on several other occasions for hours at a time.


John Mark Byers called the West Memphis Police Department at 8:00 p.m. to report that his step-son Christopher was missing. In response to this report Officer Regina Meek went to the Byers' home. Fifteen minutes later, Diana Moore spoke with John Mark Byers, informing him that she had seen the three boys at 6:00 p.m. Byers stated that this was the first time he had been aware that Chris was not alone. Together with Diana Moore, Melissa Byers and Ryan Byers, John Mark Byers began to search the Robin Hood Hills area, the last known location of the boys. It was already dark by then, according to Byers. At some time between, 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Byers went home alone to change out of the shorts and thongs that he had been wearing, into a pair of overalls and boots. At the time that he left, the search party consisted of Ryan Byers, Ritchie Masters, Brett Smith and his sister, along with many others. They were soon joined by Officer Moore from the West Memphis Police Department, who continued to search with them from 10:20 until 11:00 p.m.


When John Mark Byers arrived home at 11:00 p.m., he called the Sheriff to request a search and rescue team. He was told to call Denver Reed, the leader of the Crittenden County team the following morning. He and Ryan left the house again and drove to the Blue Beacon Truck Wash. Here he told the people inside that he was looking for Chris and two other boys. He then drove his vehicle around the back. For some time Byers and Ryan shouted for the boys and honked their horn. Still unable to find the boys, Byers and Ryan drove back home. They were met there by Melissa, Terry Hobbs, Steven Branch’s grandfather, and Diana Moore. After a short discussion, the group decided to make another attempt to search for the boys in the woods.


At 1:30 a.m., Thursday 6 May 1993, Sergeant Ball of WMPD, drove to the Byers’s home to inform John Mark Byers and Melissa Byers that a search for the boys was being conducted in the area. After he left at about 2:00 a.m., Tony Hudson, a friend of Byers, came to the house. Byers and Hudson left soon after to search the Mid-Continent building which was being rebuilt after having been blown over. They thought that the boys may have been hiding there. When they arrived, they saw a black van nearby. It was locked and they assumed that it belonged to one of the workers at the site. They continued their search for an hour before they returned home with the intention of resuming their search in the morning.
http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/2a.jpghttp://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/2b.jpg Christopher Byers and James Moore http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/2c.jpg Steven Branch, victim photos
http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/victims_2.html

[Pauli]

A Grisly Discovery

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The next day began early for John Mark Byers. At 6:30 a.m. he called Denver Reed and arranged to meet him at 8:00 a.m. In the meantime, the search resumed in the Robin Hood Hills area, with Terry Hobbs, Diana Moore, Byers and a number of others. After meeting with Reed, another search was conducted until 1:45 p.m. when Sergeant Mike Allen found the first body of the missing boys. Although his unsigned report doesn’t state the exact location of the discovery, it implies that the body was found in a creek. An hour later, the body was removed from the creek by police officers. Shortly after, the second body was found, 25 feet away to the south, by Detective Bryn Ridge, then the third a further 5 feet away.
http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/3a.jpg The drainage ditch, police photo Twenty minutes after the third body was located. WMPD contacted Crittenden County Coroner, Ken Hale. He was informed that the bodies were found near the Blue Beacon Truck Wash. By the time he arrived, all three bodies had been removed from the creek (or drainage ditch) by police officers at the scene. By 4:00 p.m. Hale had pronounced all three of the boys to be dead.


The official autopsy reports submitted by Dr Frank J Peretti, of the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, and Kent Hale described the condition of the boys as they were found on the afternoon of 6 May 1993. The initial conclusion, drawn by police at the scene, was that the boys had been raped but this was not verified by the autopsy. The dilation of the anus was wrongly believed to have been evidence of anal rape, but it is, in fact, a natural occurrence at death. Although there was no evidence to suggest that all three of the boys had been sexually assaulted, Hale stated in his report that this may have been a possibility.


James M. Moore, born on 27 July 1984, had died of multiple traumatic injuries to the head, torso, and extremities with drowning. He had been found in a drainage ditch and had drowned in 2 feet of water near the bodies of the two other 8-year-old male victims. He had been found completely nude, with his wrists bound to his ankles by shoelaces. There was little evidence that James had defended himself against his attacker(s) and the lack of injuries caused by the ligatures suggests that he had not struggled after he was tied up. This would suggest that he was unconscious at an early stage in the attack. There was no evidence of sexual assault.


Steven Branch, born 26 November 1984, died of multiple traumatic injuries to the head, torso, and extremities with drowning. He had been found in the drainage ditch near the bodies of James Moore and Christopher Byers, in two feet of water. As with the other two victims, he was found naked, with his wrists bound to his ankles by shoelaces. There were many violent, traumatic injuries to Steven’s face and head, along with a number of superficial scratches, abrasions, and contusions over the rest of his body. While the wounds were similar to those found on James, they were much more intense. There was also a 3-inch fracture at the base of the skull. Peretti did not note the presence of extensive defensive wounds. Although there was no evidence to support this, Hale, in his report, stated that Steven may have been sexually assaulted.


Christopher Byers, born 23 June 1984, received the most extensive, violent and most overtly sexual injuries of the three victims. He died of multiple traumatic injuries to the head, as well as the violent removal of his penis, the scrotal sac, and the testes, along with associated cuts and stab wounds to the genital area. He was found in the same drainage ditch as James and Steven, in 2 inches of water. He was completely naked, with his wrists bound to his ankles by shoelaces. The toxicology report also revealed non-therapeutic levels of the drug Carbamazepine in the blood. There were also a variety of healed injuries. Peretti noted that there were defensive wounds. There were also three sets of wounds on the buttocks. While this attack was sexual in nature, there is no evidence of rape, although, Hale did state that this was a possibility. Christopher Byers did not drown as he was already dead before being placed in the water.


Hale’s report stated that lividity (the red discoloration in the skin caused by the pooling and settling of blood within the blood vessels after death) was present in all three victims and blanched with pressure. Lividity begins about thirty minutes after death and then fixes, after four or five hours blanching no longer occurs, depending on environmental conditions. According to this, the time of death could be placed at sometime after daybreak on 6 May 1993, although this is difficult to ascertain as the victim’s body temperatures were not taken.


It was found that rigor mortis, the stiffening of the muscle tissue, which begins after death, was present in all three victims. Rigor mortis begins about two to four hours after death, and full rigor mortis is complete eight to twelve hours after death, depending on environmental conditions. According to Hale, it was difficult to determine whether rigor mortis was complete due to the manner in which the boys were tied, but Peretti stated in his report that rigor was evenly present throughout the extremities.
At the scene where the boys were found there was no evidence of blood or a weapon. The boy’s bicycles and clothing were dumped in the drainage ditch with the boys, effectively removing any trace evidence which may have been present. The clothing had been held down with sticks but these were not collected by police at the time. Six months later they would find two sticks in the woods, claiming that they were the sticks found at the scene. Two pairs of the boys underwear were missing. The only signs of blood at the crime scene was where the bodies had rested on the bank after their removal from the water. An area on the bank had been deliberately cleared and one imprint of a tennis shoe was found.



http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/discovery_3.html

[Pauli]

Prime Suspect

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The day after the boys’ bodies were discovered, Lieutenant James Sudbury, of the West Memphis Police Department, contacted Steve Jones, a Juvenile Officer for Crittenden County, Arkansas. During their conversation, Sudbury and Jones expressed their shared belief that the murders had strong overtones of a cultic sacrifice. Jones then informed Sudbury that there was one person he knew of that was involved in cult activities who could be capable of committing such a crime. He named Damien Echols. They agreed to meet at Damien Echols’s residence to interview Damien.


At 12:00 p.m. on Friday 7 May 1993, Sudbury and Jones arrived at 2706 South Grove in Broadway Trailer Park in West Memphis, Arkansas, where Echols lived. They talked briefly with Damien’s mother, Pamela Hutcheson, and father, Eddie Hutcheson and gained their permission to interview Damien. They conducted this initial interview in Damien’s bedroom. At that time, Lieutenant Sudbury took a Polaroid photograph of Damien Echols and noted that he had a tattoo on his chest of a five-pointed star or pentagram and another unidentified tattoo on his shoulder or arm. Two days, later an official interview with Damien was conducted. During this interview Damien was asked whether one of the boys was more savagely attacked than the other two, to which Damien told them that he believed one of the boys had been mutilated more than the others and had his genitals cut. Police considered that this was information that would only have been known by the killer(s), but it was, in fact, common knowledge in the community. The prosecution later used this statement to support their case that Damien had prior knowledge of the crimes that was not generally available. When the interview was completed no charges were pressed and Damien was released.


Damien Echols was born Michael Wayne Hutcheson on 11 December 1974. Until their divorce, Damien’s parents were constantly on the move because of his father’s work. They would only stay in an area for a short time before they would have to relocate again, usually without any notice. Damien learned to enjoy his own company, making few friends due to his transient lifestyle. When his mother re-married, Damien was adopted by her second husband Jack Echols and they moved to Echols’s home in West Memphis. When he was thirteen, and five years had passed since he had last seen his father, Damien dropped his father’s name and assumed that of his adoptive father. His new name was only the beginning of the many changes that Damien would experience over the next few years. In junior high, Damien’s once good grades began to plummet, a situation that did not improve during high school. At fifteen his relationship with his mother, which had been very close in the past, began to deteriorate with arguments becoming a daily occurrence.


Damien was seen as different by his peers, a view he shared and deliberately cultivated. By this time the black clothing he wore had become his trademark and included a long black overcoat which he wore no matter what the weather. His clothing reflected his emotional state of isolation and depression which increased dramatically over the next couple of years. His search for spiritual truth and meaning, although present at an early age, became a focus of his life at this time. He had attempted for many years to find meaning in Jack Echols’s Pentecostal-style church but with no success. He explored a number of other religions including Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam before he discovered Catholicism. For a time he felt that he had found what he was looking for and was baptized and received Communion, but no matter how devoutly he studied, the emptiness continued. It was during this time that he changed his name to Damien, after Father Damien a 19th-century Catholic priest who cared for lepers on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. The rumor mill in West Memphis would report that he had named himself after Damien in the series of "Omen" movies!


With his depression deepening, Damien still found no comfort in religion or girlfriends. Catholicism was soon discarded and replaced with Paganism, which he had discovered after studying Stonehenge and the Druids. Here Damien finally found something which made sense to him. The worship of nature and the belief in karma seemed logical and real to Damien, although it would not help his depressed emotional state. Between 1991 and 1993 he attempted to commit suicide a number of times by a variety of methods including hanging, an overdose and even drowning.


His first contact with police came about when he was seventeen. He and his girlfriend at the time, decided to run away from home together. On their first night they broke into an abandoned house for shelter. Within an hour police were there. Damien was arrested and was subjected to a number of psychological tests. From there he was sent to Charter Hospital in Maumelle. During his stay there he was diagnosed as manic-depressive and was prescribed the anti-depressant drug Trofanil, which he continued to take until he arrived on death row. It was after this arrest that Damien first met Jerry Driver, chief Juvenile Probation Officer for Crittenden County and partner of Steve Jones. According to Damien, in a later interview, Driver had been convinced that Satanic cults were behind many criminal activities in the area and was determined to prove his theories. Damien and Driver’s paths would cross many more times in the future as Driver would investigate Damien in regard to a variety of unsolved crimes in the area, none of which he was able to pin on Damien.


The first few months after his release from Charter brought with it many traumatic changes. His mother and Jack Echols divorced and she remarried Damien’s biological father, moving with him to Portland Oregon. As Damien was still on probation, his parents informed the authorities in West Memphis of the move. These changes did nothing to help Damien’s condition and he began to drink heavily. His condition deteriorated so seriously that his parents called the police when Damien locked himself in his room after he had threatened to kill himself with a knife. Again he was treated for depression and alcohol rehabilitation but was soon released when he informed doctors that there was nothing they could do to make him feel better.


After his release he immediately left Portland and returned to Arkansas. Records in Portland show that the authorities were properly informed of this change and that Driver’s office was notified, however, there is no record that this information was entered in the Arkansas office. Damien was staying with an old school friend on the conditional terms that he return to school. On the day he applied to the school for re-admittance he was told to return with a letter from his parents. Driver arrested Damien as he left the school grounds. The complaint filed by Driver at the time was that Damien had violated his parole when he left his parental care in Portland and because he had threatened the lives of his parents.
http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/4a.jpg Damien Echols, police photo Damien was immediately returned to Charter Hospital where he spent two weeks. When he left, he found that his depression had greatly improved because the doctor who treated him did not allow him to dwell on his problems and insisted that he mix with other patients at the hospital. In December 1992, Damien sat for and passed his G.E.D test, fulfilling the terms of his probation. As soon as he was released from hospital, Damien moved in with his girlfriend Domini Teer in West Memphis. Some time after this, Damien’s parents returned to West Memphis. At the time of the murders Damien claims that he was dividing his time between his parent’s home and his now pregnant girlfriend, Domini’s home.



http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/suspect_4.html

[Pauli]

Witness

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Certain that they had their prime suspect, police would focus their investigation toward looking for evidence which would enable them to arrest Damien Echols. Any known associates of Damien were questioned. Both Damien and close friend Jason Baldwin received many visits from police who would often park nearby at night in the hope that such intimidation would break them.


On 6 May 1993, the day the bodies were discovered, WMPD received a call from Don Bray at the Marion County Police Department to inform them that a young boy was there who claimed to know something about the murders. Aaron Hutcheson had been at the police department with his mother Vicky Hutcheson when he had told Bray that the boys had been "at the playhouse." WMPD officers told Bray that the location was near where the boys were found. However, no playhouse was found when the police took Aaron to the crime scene. Later Aaron claimed that he had actually witnessed the murders, claiming first that he had seen men in the woods dressed up and talking Spanish, then later related that he had seen John Mark Byers kill the boys.


Despite the obvious inconsistencies in the boy’s many stories, police attempted to get him to identify Jason and Damien in a photo line-up but he was unable to do so. He did not actually identify any of the three adolescents until after Jessie’s confession to police in May. Jessie often babysat for Aaron and knew him well. Eventually the prosecution decided not to use Aaron’s testimony because his story changed so much and because other witnesses placed him well away from the crime scene at the time of the murders. Despite this, the media quickly learned that the police had a witness to the crimes, severely prejudicing the case.


Disappointed that she would no longer be receiving any reward for Aaron’s assistance to the police, his mother Vicki Hutcheson, agreed to let the police wire her house in an attempt to tape Damien talking about the murders. She did not know Damien personally so asked Jessie to arrange for Damien to come to her home. Although Jessie claims he did not know Damien, he was able to arrange for Damien to meet with Vicki just prior to his arrest. The entire conversation was taped but no information helpful to the police was recorded. Police claim that there was nothing audible on the tape at all, although Vicki Hutcheson claims she had heard the tape at WMPD and everything could be heard clearly.


The next day, Vicki Hutcheson made a statement to police that two weeks after the murders she had gone with Jessie and Damien to an Esbat (a Satanic cult meeting) in Turrell, AR. She claimed that Damien had driven his red Ford Fiesta to the empty field where the Esbat supposedly occurred. Although Damien Echols did not have a driver’s license and did not own or have access to a Ford Fiesta, and Vicki was not able to identify anyone else attending the Esbat or even find its location, Vicki Hutcheson was still used during the trial as a corroborative witness to Damien and Jessie’s Satanic involvements. After the trial Vicki admitted that she had made up the story.


The police became even more convinced of Jessie’s involvement when William Winfred Jones told them that Damien, while drunk, had bragged to him about murdering the boys. Before he could testify in Jessie’s trial, however, Jones recanted his statement, telling police that he had in fact lied about these events, he had only heard rumours of Damien’s involvement. Both of these witnesses’ statements led police to Jessie Misskelley for questioning. It seems that the offer of a reward for assisting police in arresting the killers was too much for some people to resist!



http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/witness_5.html

[Pauli]

Confession

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Jessie Misskelley was brought in to WMPD for questioning on 3 June 1993. During the course of his interrogation, which lasted for several hours, Jessie was given a lie detector test and the police succeeded in securing a confession from Jessie of his own part in the murders of the three boys. He named Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols as his accomplices.


According to Jessie’s defense attorney, Daniel Stidham, Jessie claims that he and his friends were first approached by the police and offered a reward for information about the murders. Jessie was later taken into WMPD for questioning despite the fact that they did not have a written waiver of his Miranda Rights signed by Jessie’s father, a legal requirement when police interview minors. Normally this breach of a minor’s constitutional rights would be sufficient to have the subsequent confession quashed. For some reason in this case Judge Burnett chose to allow it.
http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/6a.jpg Dan Stidham In his confession, Jessie claimed that Jason Baldwin telephoned him very early on the morning of 5 May. During the course of this conversation, Jason had asked Jessie to accompany himself and Damien Echols to the Robin Hood Hills area. Initially, Jessie stated that he had gone to the Robin Hood area at about 9:00 a.m. that day to an area near a creek where he met up with Damien and Jason. They were actually in the creek when the three boys rode up on their bicycles. Baldwin and Echols had called to the boys who then came to the creek. At this time, Baldwin and Echols began to severely beat the boys. Jessie, claiming to be merely an observer, stated that at least two of the boys were raped and forced to perform oral sex on Baldwin and Echols. While these events were occurring, (James) Michael Moore had attempted to escape, but Jessie had caught him and returned him to Baldwin and Echols.


Jessie stated that Baldwin had used a knife to cut the boys’ faces and the penis area of Christopher Byers. Echols had used a large stick to hit one of the boys and to strangle one of them. After this attack the boys’ clothes were removed and they were tied up, Jessie then left the scene. He was sure that Christopher Byers was already dead. After he arrived home, he claimed that he was telephoned by Baldwin who apparently said "We done it!" And "What are we going to do if somebody saw us?" Jessie said that he could hear Echols in the background.


When asked whether he had ever been involved in a cult, Jessie said that he had been for about three months. He told police that they usually met in the woods where they engaged in orgies and initiation rites which included killing and eating dogs. He stated that at one of these meetings, he saw a photograph that Echols had taken of the three boys and claimed that Echols had been watching the boys.


Jessie, when asked to describe what Baldwin and Echols were wearing at the time of the murders, told police that Jason had been wearing blue jeans, black lace-up boots and a T-shirt with a skull and the name of the band "Metallica" on it. Damien was wearing black pants, boots and a black T-shirt.


During the course of this first statement, Jessie changed the time that the murders occurred from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and explained that the three boys had skipped school. These times were again changed in another recorded statement taken two hours after the first one had concluded. In this statement Jessie said that he, Baldwin and Echols had arrived at the Robin Hood area between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., but after prompting from one of the interviewing officers, he again changed this time to between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The final time Jessie gave was that the teenagers had arrived at 6:00 p.m and the victims had arrived when it was nearly dark.


In this second statement, Jessie gave further details about the sexual molestation of the boys. He stated that the boys had been held by the head and ears and forced to perform oral sex on Jason and Damien. He named Steven Branch and Christopher Byers as the two victims who were raped. He stated that the boys had been tied with brown rope. A further contradiction in this story was added later when one of the interrogating officers testified that according to his notes Jessie had claimed that Baldwin had called him the night before the murders had occurred and said that they planned to go and get some boys and hurt them.


Dan Stidham was able to secure the expert testimonies of Dr Richard Ofshe and Warren Homes. Dr Ofshe, a Pulitzer Prize winning social psychologist and an expert on false and coerced confessions, believed after reading the confession, listening to the tape and interviewing Jessie Misskelley, that Jessie’s confession was a coerced compliant and false confession. The reasons given for this conclusion were:

Many instances of coaching from the interrogating officers, especially in regard to the timing of events and Jessie’s identification of Christopher Byers as the boy who had been emasculated.
That nearly three hours of the interview were not recorded.
That the interrogating officers had used intimidating methods during the interrogation.
That many areas of Jessie’s confession were not supported by the facts. Examples of incorrect information in Jason's "confession:"

Jessie stated that the victims and Jason Baldwin were not at school when in fact they were proven to have been in attendance
Jessie stated that the victims were bound with rope when in fact they were bound with their own shoelaces
Jessie stated that one boy was choked with a stick when the medical examiners report stated that there was no evidence of strangulation
Jessie stated that the boys were anally raped when in fact the medical examiner had found no evidence of this occurring
Jessie described the murders as having been conducted at the scene where the bodies were found when in fact the medical examiner had stated that there was no blood found at the scene. Dr Ofshe was not permitted to state all of his opinion during the trial as Judge Burnett had previously ruled that Jessie’s confession had been voluntary and Ofshe’s testimony in this regard would directly contradict the court’s previous ruling. Burnett also stated that such a testimony would give an expert witness the power to determine whether the accused was guilty or innocent which was solely the jury’s domain. Finally, the jury only heard that Ofshe had a lot of experience with coerced confessions and it was possible for police to obtain a confession from someone who was in fact innocent, anything more specific was not allowed.


Warren Holmes, an expert in lie detection testing and interrogation who has studied and worked in this field for over thirty years, agreed to testify for the defense after he was approached by Daniel Stidham, despite the knowledge that he would not be paid for his services and only his expenses would be reimbursed.


At a hearing prior to the trial, Judge Burnett ruled that Warren Holmes could not testify regarding the polygraph examination itself. As polygraph test results are not admissible evidence he would only allow Holmes to testify to his experience and qualifications and to give an analyses of the interview techniques used during Jessie Misskelley’s interrogation.


When Holmes analysed the polygraph test conducted by the WMPD on Jessie Misskelley he found that Jessie’s responses to the questions relating to the murders indicated that Jessie was truthful in his answers and in fact did not have any knowledge of them. The WMPD interrogating officers’ statement to Jessie that he had in fact lied, indicated that they had not conducted or interpreted the results of the tests properly. The result of being informed that he was lying would have greatly contributed to Jessie’s sense of helplessness in the situation making him more likely to comply with the demand for a confession by the police.


According to Holmes there are a number of indicators which will validate to the investigators that a suspect’s confession is true.

In a true confession the suspect will often give the police information about the crime that the police do not already know.
If a confession is true the suspect gives information that fits with the real evidence of the crime.
A true confession is usually given in a narrative form including many incidental details about the situation surrounding the crime which can be corroborated by police later
In a true confession, if the investigators make an incorrect supposition about the crime, the suspect will correct them.
In a true confession, there is no need to correct the suspect for contradictions in their story.
In a true confession there is no need for coaching or leading questions in order to elicit information. Homes believed that there were many instances in Jessie’s confession where these criteria were not met. He was especially concerned that Jessie was wrong about the times and the type of ligatures used. Both of these factors should have meant a great deal to him. Nor does Jessie mention anything about his feelings at the time of the crimes or afterwards, or talk about the things that were said by himself, the other perpetrators or the victims. Jessie’s confession was elicited by a series of highly suggestive questions by the interrogating officers and was not given in a narrative form.


The testimony of these two witnesses was the strongest evidence that the defense had to refute the prosecution’s case which was built solely upon the weight of Jessie’s confession. Without this expert opinion, Jessie’s case was severely hampered.



http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/confess_6.html

[Pauli]

Evidence

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http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/7a.JPG Damien Echols (POLICE) When WMPD officers arrested Damien and Jason they took with them warrants to search their homes. From Jason Baldwin’s home police seized a red robe which belonged to his mother, fifteen black t-shirts and a white t-shirt. From Damien’s they seized two notebooks which appeared to have Satanic or cult writings in them, a red t-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of boots. After divers searched an area of a lake behind Baldwin’s house, a knife was recovered.


http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/7b.JPG Jessie Misskelley (POLICE) A witness from the State Crime Laboratory testified that she found fibers on the victims’ clothing which were microscopically similar to four fibers found in Jason and Damien’s homes. None were found in Jessie’s. A red fiber found on Jason’s mother’s robe was microscopically similar to fibers from James Moore’s shirt. A green polyester fiber on James’s cap was of a similar structure to those found on a blue cotton-polyester shirt, belonging to a child relative, found in Damien’s home.
http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/7c.JPG Jason Baldwin (POLICE) Fibers from this same shirt also matched with one cotton and one polyester fiber found on James’s blue pants. The defense counsel had presented their own fiber witness who disputed the similarity of the red fiber. It was shown that these fibers could have been matched to any number of items available for purchase at a local department store. Despite the fact that these fibers showed inconclusive results, they were still presented as evidence to tie Jason and Damien to the crime.


Jason’s clothing was used in Jessie’s trial to show that Jason owned clothing which was described by Jessie during his confession. None of these articles of clothing could be definitely linked to the crime with fiber or blood samples. Their sole purpose seemed to be to confirm Jessie’s claims and to highlight the boys’ preference for wearing black clothes, supposedly an indication of Satanic tendencies in teenagers. Damien’s books and writings were used as evidence of his delving into the occult, an important aspect of the prosecution’s case in Jason and Damien’s trial as the only motive they could put forward was that the murders were Satanic ritual killings.
The knife found in the lake behind Jason Baldwin’s parent’s home in November 1993 had a serrated edge. Dr Frank Peretti testified that some of the wound patterns on the three victims were consistent with, and may have been caused by, a serrated edge knife. This testimony becomes questionable when new evidence available after the trials is considered. Apart from testimony of Damien’s ex-girlfriend, Deeana Holcomb, that Damien had once owned a knife similar to the one found in the lake except it had a compass on the handle, there was no substantive evidence that proved either Damien or Jason had owned the knife. Damien admitted that he had once owned a knife similar to the one submitted as evidence but his had a compass attached to the handle and was of a different color. He claimed that he had sold this knife while living in Oregon in 1992, which agreed with the time frame given by Holcomb.


On the night of Damien’s arrest, a necklace he was wearing was taken in as evidence and sent away for testing as there appeared to be blood spots on it. The results of these tests were not available when other evidence had been presented at the trial so the prosecution asked for a continuance in order to obtain these results. The continuance was granted and the court reconvened two days later. The minute quantities of genetic material present for testing meant that only the blood types present could be determined. It was found that one spot was consistent with the blood type of Damien and the second spot was consistent with the blood type shared by both Jason Baldwin and Steven Branch, and 11% of the world’s population.


Because there was evidence to show that both Jason and Damien were known to wear this necklace on occasions, Judge Burnett offered the State the opportunity to re-open the case presenting the new evidence, if they would agree to a severance for Jason Baldwin from the State’s case against Damien Echols as it was no longer legally acceptable for the defendants to be tried together. The reason for this was that the evidence could now be used by either party to implicate the other in what is called an "antagonistic defense." The State chose not to present the evidence and proceeded to its closing arguments. This was probably because this new evidence was very weak and a case against Jason standing on its own merits would be very risky for the State.



http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/evidence_7.html

[Pauli]

Questionable

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With almost no evidence to link Jason, Damien and Jessie to the murder scene or the victims, apart from Jessie’s questionable confession, police continued to interrogate any acquaintances of the three teenagers they could find. Of all the people interviewed none could testify to having seen Damien, Jason and Jessie together at any time in the past. This hole was soon filled by Jerry Driver who testified under oath that he had once seen Damien, Jason and Jessie walking together wearing long black robes and carrying staffs. During the trial this may have been convincing testimony for the jury but in light of Driver’s own admission that he had often interrogated Damien for unsolved crimes in the area over the previous twelve months, its credibility is highly questionable. The fact that Driver faced embezzlement charges in 1997 and resigned from the probation office further diminishes his credibility.


To place Damien and Jason at the scene of the crime, police were able to find three witnesses. Narlene Hollingsworth and her son Anthony, a convicted sex offender, testified during Damien and Jason’s trial that Narlene had been driving them to a friends house on the night of 5 May 1993 and had seen Damien and his girlfriend Domini Teers walking near the Blue Beacon Truck Stop at around 9:30 p.m. Damien had been wearing a dark coloured shirt and his clothes were dirty. Domini had been wearing a pair of black pants with white floral appliquéd patches. Narlene’s daughter, Tabatha repeated her mother’s story during Jessie’s trial.


There had been seven people in the Hollingsworth car that night but only four had been able to testify to having seen Damien or Domini. Ricky Hollingsworth, Narlene’s husband, stated that he had been unable to determine who the figures were. It was dark at the time of the sighting, which was very brief, yet the witnesses claim that they were able, not only to identify the people but determine that an already dark coloured shirt was dirty. The prosecution itself questioned how accurate this sighting was when they attempted to imply that the witnesses had been mistaken in their identification of Domini. The prosecution attempted to suggest that the second person they saw was really Jason Baldwin wearing a pair of gray jeans with holes in the knees which Jason owned. Anthony, during his testimony, contradicted his mother’s story by placing the sighting an hour later than the 9:30 p.m. time stated by Narlene.


Further strengthening their case, at least in the minds' of the jurors, the prosecution presented the court with three more witnesses who claimed to have heard Damien and Jason verbally admit to their guilt of the murders. The first two witnesses claimed to have overheard Damien say "I killed the three little boys and before I turn myself in, I’m going to kill two more, and I already have one of them picked out." These remarks were apparently overheard at a softball game. They claim that they had overheard Damien make these comments to a group of friends. During cross-examination by defense counsel the credibility of this testimony was questioned. it was revealed that the girls had been unable to hear anything else that was said at the time, nor were they able to identify any of the people who had been with Damien at the time. It was also shown that one of the dates they had given that they had seen Damien at the games was after he had been arrested. The particular game at which the girls claim to have overheard Damien’s confession was held in early May, yet they did not come forward to police until after they had seen a report of Damien’s arrest on the television.


The third witness, Michael Carson, testified that Jason Baldwin had admitted to him that he had murdered the boys. Carson told the court that he had talked to Jason during a short period of time that he had attended the detention center at which Jason was being held. Carson testified that he said "Just between me and you, did you do it? I won’t say a word. He said yes and he went into detail about it. It was just me and Jason [Baldwin]. He told me he dismembered the kids, or I don’t know exactly how many kids. He just said he dismembered them. He sucked the blood from the penis and scrotum and put the balls in his mouth."


http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/8a.jpg Judge Burnett Judge Burnett ruled that the defense could not tell the jury that Michael Carson was a medically-diagnosed LSD addict because substance abuse was not sufficient grounds to argue the probativeness of a witness’s truthfulness. He also ruled as inadmissible a communication from Danny Williams, sent to both the prosecuting and defense attorneys. Williams was a counselor at the same detention center as Jason and Michael. He admitted that he had discussed the case with Michael Carson. The reason Williams had contacted the attorneys was that he believed Carson would be perjuring himself if he testified in court that he had heard the details of the crimes from Jason Baldwin when in fact he had heard them from Williams. Burnett ruled that to allow the jury to hear this information would be a violation of Carson’s right to patient-counselor confidentiality. It had never been proven that Carson and Jason had ever come into contact with each other while in the detention center.



http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/question_8.html

[Pauli]

"Cop Cult"

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In order to prove pre-meditation and motive for Jason and Damien’s trial, the State called on the testimony of Dr. Dale Griffis. Griffis had received his doctorate from Columbia Pacific University in 1984 after studying by correspondence for four years. Since that time he had proclaimed himself as a "Cult-Cop" and gave lectures and seminars on the dangers of adolescent involvement in Satanic activities. It is difficult to determine his qualification for the term "expert," as according to the F.B.I there is very little evidence to substantiate stories about Satanic ritual murders in the United States. It seems that Judge Burnett, while questioning the validity of the discipline of social psychology as studied by Dr. Ofshe, did not have any problems with the rather dubious credentials of Dr. Griffis and allowed his testimony to be admitted.


The basis of Dr. Griffis’s testimony was that the crime scene "Bore the trappings of occultism." In his opinion, the most salient points in this crime which suggested to him that the murders were Satanic in nature were: -
That they were carried out on a date close to a pagan holiday and on a full moon.
That young children were often sought for sacrifice because they provided a "better … life force."
The number of victims reflected the significance of the number three in occultism.
The age of the victims reflected the significance of the number eight as a witch’s number
Sacrifices were often performed near water for a baptism-type ritual or just to wash the blood away
The manner in which the victims were tied was significant as being tied ankle to wrist exposed the genitalia
The removal of Christopher Byers’s testicles was significant as they are removed in Satanic rituals for the semen
The absence of blood at the scene was significant because cult members often store blood for future services at which time they would drink or bathe in the blood
The "overkill" or multiple cuts could reflect occult overtones
The significance of most of the injuries being on the left side of the victim’s bodies was that people who practice occultism use the midline theory, the right side is related to those things synonymous with Christianity while the left side is that of Satanism
The cleared area on the bank could be consistent with a ceremonyDuring cross-examination, Dr. Griffis admitted that if he had been asked by the State to testify to conditions opposite to the conditions described it could still be related to Satanic activity. He also conceded that his original testimony had not included the blood traits. He had included them only after learning that morning, that Michael Carson would be testifying that Jason Baldwin had confessed to sucking blood from Christopher Byers’s penis.


It would be interesting to know what scientific and empirical data Dr. Griffis based his opinions on as much of his information is incorrect, according to the Ontario Conference on Religious Tolerance. Apparently there is a Neo-Pagan festival held on the first of May, but it is only celebrated on that day, not four days later and Satanists do not hold rituals on a full or new moon. No evidence has been found that any children have been ritually murdered in the past century in the United States by the followers of any religion. The number three has no particular significance in any pagan religions, Christianity places more significance on this number because of its belief in a Triune God. The number eight has no significance in the Wiccan or any other pagan religions. Baptism is a Christian ritual which is not shared by any pagan religions and certainly not Satanists. The statement regarding the collection of semen from the testicles reveals a lack of biological knowledge as semen is not stored in the testes and is not produced at all until adolescence. The idea that Satanists drink blood has been claimed since the 16th Century although not verified. It would be expected that in the case of a Satanic ritual there would be evidence of other ritual tools, such as an altar, a circle on the ground and candle wax.

Dr. Griffis’s testimony, although highly questionable, was a repetition of the many myths and fears surrounding witchcraft and Satanism which were widely known by the West Memphis community already. Dr. Griffis’s words would have spoken deeply to the superstitions and fears of the jury and any attempt to refute them would probably have fallen on deaf ears.

In Jessie Misskelley’s trial there was very little emphasis placed on the supposedly Satanic nature of the murders. To show pre-meditation the testimony of Melissa Byers, Christopher’s mother, that Christopher had told her six weeks before his death that a man wearing black clothing had taken his photograph. This testimony had been given after it had been widely known that Damien was a suspect and was not substantiated by any other evidence, nor was there any proof that Damien was in fact the man in black.



http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/cop_9.html

[Pauli]

Other Suspects

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Despite the WMPD’s focus on Damien as their prime suspect there were other possibilities which were not thoroughly investigated, a situation which could easily lead to the assumption that police chose to ignore any evidence which directed the investigation away from Damien Echols.


On the night of the murders, at 8:42 p.m., the police received a call from Marty King, the manager of the Mr. Bojangles Restaurant near Robin Hood Hills. He reported that a black man "dazed and covered with blood and mud" had been in the women’s restroom for about an hour. Officer Regan Meek followed up the call by driving up to the drive-through window. She testified later that she had not gone inside as the restaurant was out of her ward. She also agreed that it had been near to the area where the boys were last seen. After the boys were found, police followed up on this report and took blood samples from the toilets. These samples however were mysteriously lost and no results are known. This incident became much more significant when laboratory reports showed that two human hairs were found on the victims' clothing, one of which was Negroid in origin.


http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/10a.jpg John Mark Byers In November 1993, John Mark Byers was interrogated by WMPD officers after he had given a knife to a member of a film crew who were making a documentary about the case. During questioning by the police, John Mark Byers admitted that he had given the knife away. He also stated that his wife Melissa had given it to him for Christmas, two or three years previously and he had never used it. He kept it in the top drawer of a dresser in his bedroom where he was sure that neither of the boys could have gained access to it. When asked whether anyone might have cut themselves with the knife, Byers stated that he was certain that no one had. This story changed when the interviewing officer told him that blood had been found on the knife. Byers then recalled that he had used the knife to cut up some deer meat at home. When he was told that the blood found on the knife had matched Christopher’s blood type, Byers continued to assert that he had no idea how Christopher’s blood had come to be there.


Later after test results on Melissa, Ryan and John Mark Byers were concluded, it was found that the blood stains matched in blood type with both John and Christopher Byers. No further testing was carried out which could have determined more conclusively whether it was Christopher or John Mark Byers’s blood.


Another item of evidence which could have linked John Mark Byers to the murders, at least as much as any evidence brought against Damien, Jason and Jessie, was the presence of another human hair on the victim’s clothing. It was a black Caucasian hair which was shown to be microscopically similar to both John Mark Byers and Damien Echols. Unfortunately, nothing more specific was determined.


During this interrogation the interviewing officer asked Byers what medication he was on to which he answered Xanax and Zorinal which he stated were anti-depressants. When he was asked whether he had any other medication he told police no, yet he had stated at other times that he was taking Tegretol which is the brand name of the drug Carbamazepine. This is the same substance which was found in non-therapeutic amounts in Christopher’s blood after his death. Christopher had also been taking Tegretol according to his medical records, but Byers had stated that Chris had not taken his medication on the day that he went missing.


Although there were many items of evidence that could have pointed to John Mark Byers as the murderer of the three boys, he was never considered by police as a suspect nor was he ever thoroughly investigated. It is interesting to note that John Mark Byers was on very friendly terms with the investigating officers and was a drug informant for the WMPD at the time of the murders. Could bias in favor of Byers and against Echols on the part of the investigating police have blinded them to any evidence which might have led the investigation away from Damien and toward Byers?


Finally, the tennis shoe imprint which was found on the creek bank near the bodies, did not match with any footwear owned by Damien, Jessie or Jason. This fact would again suggest that police should have been concentrating their investigations in another direction.



http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/suspects_10.html

[Pauli]

New Evidence

http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/images/front/spacer.gif
Prior to Jessie’s trial, Daniel Stidham had asked WMPD officers whether a criminal profile had been made on this case. He was told that none had been done. After the trial, he learned that the officers had lied to him. The FBI had presented the WMPD with a cursory profile in the form of a survey to be conducted to trace any Vietnam veterans in the area at the time of the murders. This determination was made solely on the nature of the injuries to Christopher Byers’s genitals as the FBI had not received all of the crime scene reports normally required for an in-depth criminal profile.


http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/11a.jpg Brent Turvey All efforts by Stidham to procure the services of a reputable and qualified Criminal Profiler before the trials were fruitless due to the lack of resources available. It was not until after the three young men had been convicted and sentenced that he was able to secure the services of Brent Turvey, who agreed to take the case pro-bono. Brent Turvey has a Master of Science degree and is a highly qualified and experienced Forensic Scientist and Criminal Profiler. At the time he was first approached by Stidham, Turvey was based in California and had not heard about the case.
Turvey’s Criminal Profile revealed many areas of physical evidence which were missed or misinterpreted by the Medical Examiner and Coroner on this case and overrules many of the assumptions made by police as to the nature of these murders. If all of this information had been available when the police initiated their investigation its outcome may have been very different.


In this case, Turvey based his report on a forensic examination of all of the available crime scene and autopsy photos, a crime scene video, investigator’s reports, witness statements, family statements, and autopsy reports. The purpose of the report was to "assess the nature of the interactions between the victims and their environments as it contributed to their deaths as indicated by available forensic evidence, and the documentation regarding that evidence."


After examining the evidence available, Turvey revealed a number of evidentiary points which had not been noticed during earlier examinations. The most important of these was his opinion that the patterned injuries all over Steven Branch’s face were not the result of an attack with a serrated edge knife, as was originally believed, but were, in fact, bite marks. This opinion was confirmed by Dr Thomas David, a board certified forensic odontologist, who identified the marks as being human adult bite marks. After comparing these marks with bite impressions obtained from Jessie, Jason and Damien, Dr. David gave his expert opinion that they did not match. Bite marks are extremely useful in identifying the perpetrator of a crime as they can be as unique as a fingerprint. Further suction type bite marks were also found all over Christopher Byers’s inner thigh.


Also, on Christopher Byers, was the impression of the knife handle on the right side of the wound in the genital area. It is not known at the time of writing whether this impression has been compared to the two knives presented at the trial as possible murder weapons. Turvey describes these injuries as having been brought about by forceful, violent thrusts which were neither skilled nor precise, but were rageful, careless and purposeful.
Another unidentified pattern compression abrasion was found on the back of Steven Branch’s head which Turvey believes is consistent with a footwear impression. He recommended that a footwear impression expert analyze the impression to make a more precise determination. At the time of writing, it is not known whether this has been done or what the results were.


The final piece of physical evidence which had not been thoroughly analysed at the time of the trials was a piece of torn cloth found in the clutched hand of James Moore. Turvey believes that this piece of cloth may be a potential link between the victims and their assailant, and for this reason needs to be fully examined by a qualified person.
The conclusions which Turvey draws from the evidence available were that:

The site where the bodies were found was a dump-site only and not the primary crime scene, it is more likely that there were actually four scenes involved in this crime: the abduction site, the attack site, a vehicle used to transport the boys and their bikes, then finally the dump-site in the woods.
The extent of the injuries to the victims, especially the emasculation of Christopher Byers, would have meant a great deal of blood would have been at the scene. In this situation there was virtually no blood.
There were search parties moving through the area which would not have given the assailant(s) the time needed to carry out the attack without being disturbed.
The nature of the injuries to Christopher Byers would have caused him to scream. No screaming was heard by searchers or local residents near the site.
There were no mosquito bites on any of the bodies which would be expected if they had been in the woods for the period of time that would have been required to carry out the attack.
James Moore had an unexplained directional pattern abrasion just below the right anterior shoulder area. This abrasion was created by forceful directional contact with something that was not found at the scene.
The nature of the attack required light, time and uninterrupted privacy. It was dark in the woods. The crime scene would more likely be a secluded structure or residence away from the immediate area of attention.
The assailant was someone known and trusted by the victims. The physical evidence, crime scene and victimology in this case are most consistent with the classification of a Battered Child or Child-Custodial Homicide.
The fact that there were three children together suggests that it would have been difficult for the offender to take all three children unless he was able to gain their trust.
The children would have been taken to another location before the attack began which implies a level of trust, also that intimidation and fear would have been factors in gaining control, suggesting that the assailant was much larger and stronger than the victims.
The violence and level of force in this attack was punitive in nature, indicating that the offender was punishing the boys for some real or perceived wrong.
The difference in the nature of injuries in the three boys indicates that the assailant had a different relationship with each of the boys. James Moore is described by Turvey as a "collateral victim" who was probably only attacked because he was with the other two. The severity of the blows to his head and the lack of damage from the ligatures on his ankles and wrists suggest that he was unconscious throughout the attack. The anger of the assailant , manifested in victim damage and sexual mutilation, is directed primarily at Steven and Christopher, indicating a strong personal association with them.
That all of the related physical evidence was disposed of at the dump site suggests that the assailant believed he may be investigated because of his relationship to the victims and so had to dispose of any evidence.
The dump site being so close to the point of abduction suggests that the assailant knew the area well and lived close by, to enable a quick return to an area of safety. He would also have to have been to the site recently to know that there would be water there at the time.
The type of bite marks are most often seen in Battered Child Homicide.
The presence of healed injuries on Christopher Byers’s body, Melissa Byers’s concern that Christopher was being sexually abused which she expressed to a school counselor before his death, medical records, reported behavioral problems and Chris’s diagnosis with ADD and other behavioral disorders, are all strong indicators that Christopher Byers had been physically, if not sexually, abused prior to this attack.
Steven Branch had lacerations on his penis which were probably self-inflicted indicating a sexualized child, usually associated with sexual abuse.
There were probably two assailants. The primary assailant would have been a man whose focus was directed toward Christopher Byers. His accomplice may have been male or female.
Three victims would have been easier to control if there were two attackers.
The nature and range of injuries to Steven and Christopher indicate two separate assailants with very different ways of expressing their rage.
The Battered Child nature of the bite marks on Steven Branch is more often associated with a female offender.
The attack on Steven Branch was more punitive in nature than sexual.
The "suck mark" type bite marks on Christopher Byers are more sexually oriented. The attack on his genitals suggests an offender who is ashamed of his own sexuality, possibly confused and angered by his own sexual impulses towards males. The offender was punishing Christopher for his sexuality and to establish, or re-establish, sexual ownership of him. The primary offender in these murders is described by Brent Turvey as possibly having the following characteristics:

Showing violent and selfish sexual behaviors.
A very selfish and explosive individual with a potentially violent temper.
Wants to be perceived as not caring how others view him.
Would be described as hostile, angry and as someone who carries grudges.
Would project a macho, heterosexual, in-control image.
An egocentric individual who cannot tolerate the criticism or shortcomings of others.
Requires instant gratification for his impulses and can react violently when those impulses are not satisfied.
He may be glib and superficial and extremely manipulative.
Dominant in all relationships with women.
Very possessive and irrationally jealous in his sexual relationships, possibly manifesting in violent behavior acted out towards the females in his life.
Would have a level of knowledge and sophistication in criminal activity through repeated offences, exposure to law enforcement training and techniques or previous arrests for similar crimes. May have spent some time in prison or commits petty crimes to support himself. Probably will have past arrests for drugs, violent behavior and assault.
Very likely to have been married more than once. A misogynistic attitude toward women, and past relationships would have involved a great deal of physical and/or emotional abuse.
If married at the time of the offence, the marriage would have been in crisis. His wife may have been the compliant partner in this crime.
It is very likely that the offender would have been involved in the search for the boys, possibly dumping the bodies with the intent of being the one to find them in order to shift blame.
Offender will probably have a collection of knives, and will possibly have a similar interest in firearms and guns.
Will probably have a drinking problem or a drug habit supported by criminal activity.
He is probably unemployed, unable to hold down a full-time job for a number of behavioral reasons.
He most probably used his own vehicle in this attack which would most likely be masculine, like a truck. This profile gives no support to the WMPD’s interpretation of the crime and, even if all of Turvey’s interpretations of the facts were to be discarded, the physical evidence he has revealed would make it virtually impossible for any jury to find Jessie Misskelley, Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols guilty beyond reasonable doubt. The details of Jessie’s confession do not correlate with the facts of the case. The evidence that the children were not murdered in the area they were found in is overwhelming and his description of James Moore’s face being cut with a knife is overruled by the odontologist’s identification of the injuries as bite marks.


As Jessie’s confession was the cornerstone of the prosecution’s case against the three teenagers, its refutation effectively destroys the significance of any corroborative evidence which was put forward.



http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/evidence_11.html

[Tracian]

I have followed this case, and there is no doubt in my mind that these three young men are innocent. I still think Mark Byers has something to do with the murders of the three little boys.

[Pauli]

People Magazine - January 21 2008 Edition - 1st Page

http://www.wm3.org/database_images/news/news196_peoplewm3pg1-sm.jpg

[Pauli]

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/avataralley/misc/news196_peoplewm3pg2-sm.jpg

[Pauli]

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/avataralley/misc/newsl.jpg

[bambam]

Hearing Set for Men Convicted in 1993 WM Slayings
Apr 14, 2008 at 6:28 PM
MyFoxMemphis
By Jon Gambrell

http://wm3.vox.com/library/post/hearing-set-for-men-convicted-in-1993-wm-slayings.html

[bambam]

http://wm3.vox.com/

West Memphis 3: Hearings Scheduled for September

[book]

I believe these boys are innocent.

[Tam5115]

I believe these boys are innocent. I believe Byers is the actually murderer.

I do not believe JMB is guilty in any way, shape or form. If I had to point to a likely suspect at this time... it's Terry Hobbs, Stevie Branch's stepfather.

Did you know he was never questioned by police at the time but WAS recently questioned? His ex wife, Stevie's mom, found a bunch of knives in Terry's posession and one of which was Stevie's pocket knife that his grandfather gave him and he was known to always carry?

You can find his LE interview on youtube. Very interesting IMO.

[Pandabear]

http://wm3.vox.com/

West Memphis 3 defense hearing this week

Dr. Werner Spitz testifies

[willow]

Years ago when the murders were first comitted, I didn't keep up with the trials. Then Paradise Lost was made and shown on tv. I watched and was enthralled by the senseless murders. I wondered too from then until now about the accused and convicted boys.

[Tracian]

All I know is that these young men were convicted on hysteria, not based in any real evidence.

I keep hoping for justice in this case.

[PatC]

Good post, Tracian. I don't know if they're guilty or not but I have become convinced that they did not receive a fair trial. "...convicted on hysteria..." Well put.

I'd sure like to see them retried based on actual evidence (or lack thereof).

[Tracian]

Good post, Tracian. I don't know if they're guilty or not but I have become convinced that they did not receive a fair trial. "...convicted on hysteria..." Well put.

I'd sure like to see them retried based on actual evidence (or lack thereof).

That's what is so scary, there was no real evidence, and the bite marks have not been matched to the convicted.

[Claudia]

That's what is so scary, there was no real evidence, and the bite marks have not been matched to the convicted.

I have always had a HUGE issue with the bite marks. They were not matched to anyone, and the one boy's father had all his teeth pulled & got dentures so after the murders. Very questionable, wouldn't you say?
(I can't remember the father's name right now.... it's too early on a Monday morning)

[Oceanblueeyes]

No New Trial In West Memphis Three Case


http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0110/697792.html

Jonesboro - A judge in Craighead County has refused to grant a new trial for Jason Baldwin - one of the three men convicted in the 1993 killings of three young West Memphis boys.

Circuit Court Judge David Burnett issued an order Wednesday rejecting Baldwin's claims that he wasn't adequately represented at trial. Baldwin was convicted along with Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley in the deaths of 8-year-olds Christopher Byers, Steven Branch and Michael Moore.

The judge also rejected Baldwin's claims that animals - likely turtles - caused multiple injuries to the boys' bodies. Burnett noted that the medical examiner who performed the autopsies was a turtle expert who said the injuries were caused by a knife. Say It On 7:
Click Here to Comment on this Story


Baldwin was sentenced to life in prison for the killings.

[packy]

I wonder what exactly constitutes a turtle expert. Interesting that the ME is such an expert and the defense is claiming some of the marks are turtle bites.

I was hoping they would all get a new trial.

[muzz]

I have been waiting for years to see these boys get a new trial... i am beginning to think it doesn't matter what grounds any of these boys appeal on ... they will never get a new trial.

[Claudia]

Johnny Depp Wants West Memphis Three Case Re-Opened (http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-johnnydeppwestmemphis3-story,0,4481070.story)

FAST FACTS:

* Johnny Depp sits down for "48 Hours Mystery" interview
* Mother of victim also wants West Memphis 3 case re-opened
* Case is in hands of Arkansas Supreme Court


(West Memphis 2/23/2010) The spotlight shines on the West Memphis Three as another big-name celebrity brings attention to the case.

Actor Johnny Depp will appear in Saturday night's brand new "48 Hours Mystery," calling for a new trial for Jessie Misskelley, Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols.

The three were convicted in the satanic-style murder of three boys.

Depp tells "48 Hours Mystery" he can relate to the case. He grew up in a small town in Kentucky and says he was judged by his appearance. He says the trial didn't focus enough on the evidence, and instead on the teens' interest in heavy metal music and Steven King novels.

"I firmly, truly 1000 percent believe that Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are totally innocent," said Depp.

"The most courageous action that the state could now take is to admit that they made mistakes and correct these errors," he added.

Back in 1993, three little boys were found murdered, their bodies lying in a ditch, naked and hogtied with their own shoelaces.

One of the victims was Pam Hobbs' son, Stevie Branch.

"I had a beautiful young little man," she said during an interview with WREG Tuesday. "I'm very proud to say I'm his mother."

But more than 16 years after his murder, even she isn't convinced the police caught the killer.

"Seeing things for what they are today, the three men in prison were convicted of circumstantial evidence, they were weird teenagers," said Hobbs.

Echols remains on death row. Last month, attorneys for Misskelley and Baldwin presented new DNA evidence as well as claims of jury misconduct.

However, a judge denied their request for a new trial.

The case now sits in the hands of the Arkansas Supreme Court.

"If it's in God's will, another trial will happen, some day some how some way," said Hobbs.

She hopes the national spotlight will help re-open the case.

"My biggest fear, I mean its almost unutterable, is that justice is not served, not only for those three innocent men in prison, but also for those three innocent boys who were savagely murdered," said Depp.

WREG has learned that Depp has been communicating with Echols for years.

Stay tuned to WREG, Thursday our Stephanie Scurlock goes to death row for an interview with Echols and a rare interview with the wife he met and married in prison.


I have always loved Johnny Depp, but now I love him even more... :love0085:

[LiveLaughLuv]

Good for Johnny Depp...now I know why I always was attracted to him. Not only is he a good looking guy, he's got compassion for those who have been wrongly implicated...

Dang I thought these boys were given a new trial already..What is wrong with out justice system! (retorical question, I know what's wrong!) :mad:

[Madhatter]

You can watch the 48 Hours Video here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6250668n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

[Madhatter]

West Memphis Three Stepfather Calls Johnny Depp Out Of Line

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The former stepfather of a West Memphis Three victim says he's tired of being ambushed by the media and supporters of the convicted killers in the case. Terry Hobbs is lashing out in the wake of actor Johnny Depp's plea to prosecutors to reopen the 17-year old case.

http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/022610-west-memphis-three-stepfather-calls-johnny-depp-out-of-line

[annalyzer]

I never followed this case closely enough to say one way or another what I think of guilt or innocence. I do think more than one person committed the murders. Are there any really good factual unbiased books on this case to reccomend? Some interesting comments here:

http://www.topix.net/forum/source/wreg/TOPV4MTI8FN5P135L

[Madhatter]

I've heard that this one is good: Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three by Mara Leveritt, although I'm not read it myself. There is a website devoted to the case that has an enormous amount of material. Also, many, many interviews, newscasts and audio files from the trials (try searching youtube).

I had heard about this case back in 1993 when it happened and again when they did the DNA testing, but didn't follow it, really. I regularly watch "Dateline," and so when the 48 Hours episode aired, I was shocked that it has not been resolved and was still going on!

I can't say that I have a firm opinion on who might have actually commited this, but I do believe that the ones in jail are innocent.

So very sad, and frightening that this can happen to anyone.