A second hair found at the scene was consistent with his friend, David Jacoby. No semen was found at the scene, and there was no evidence of molestation. She also revealed that her ex-husband had once asked her sister point-blank if she suspected him in the killings. It wouldn't be the only evidence that linked Hobbs to the murders, with his wife Pamela finding a knife that her son had carried with him in her husband's nightstand. At one point, he told locals he obtained superpowers from consuming human blood and was often seen to have sharpened his fingernails and drawn deliberately provocative tattoos on himself. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { Tape recorded, Misskelley would claim that "When the boys came up, Damien grabbed one of them, I don't know which one and the other two tried to get Damien to stop, and then me and Jason come out and started grabbing them, started hitting them." Judge David Burnett, the original trial judge, disallowed the presentation of the new information in his court in 2008, citing the DNA tests as inconclusive. For the state, the Alford pleas were a face-saving exercise. While Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley may have begun to rebuild their lives, there is still no solace or closure for the families of Steve Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore. They seem to me to be more practical ligatures, Clemente said. Adding, "Then, uh, Jason pulled out a knife. If some stranger who looked very threatening approached these three boys, I think the first reaction of these boys would be to run away, to look for help. Beyond his tales about Misskelley, Baldwin and Echols, Climber claimed to have beaten a police officer, hung a woman and sacrificed a second lady. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. 31 2021, Published 3:16 p.m. It took 18 years, a deep probe into the criminal justice system, and the rallying of a "I am innocent, as are Jason and Jessie, but I made this decision because I did not want to spend another day of my life behind those bars," Echols told the "Arkansas Times." The alert was assigned to Officer Regenia Meek, who filled out reports and, with Officer John Moore, did a brief search, but nothing more expansive. The elder Byers admitted he whipped Christopher with a belt shortly before he went missing. He was called a 'baby killer.'. In 2010, the West Memphis Three were granted to appear before the Arkansas Supreme Court based on the new DNA evidence and potential misconduct by the jury. While his repeated confessions may seem incriminating, Lawyer Dan Stidman would say in a 1999 letter to the court that "Absolutely nothing Misskelley told the officers or prosecutors would ever be admissible against him. They'd first come into contact almost precisely a year before Echols was arrested alongside his then-girlfriend Deanna Holcomb. Based on the new information, the three men asked for an Alford plea, in which the defendant maintains their innocence, but acknowledge that prosecutors have evidence to convict them. Speaking about Echols to The New York Times in 1993, high school teacher Jim Ferguson said, "he's like some wacko cult member.". eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), }); Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! ga('ads.send', { While the three, better known as the West Memphis Three, entered an Alford plea and are therefore not innocent in the eyes of the law, DNA evidence suggests someone else is responsible for the 1993 murders of James Michael Moore, Stephen Branch, and Christopher Byers. Like John Mark Byers, Hobbs was a wifebeater. Sign up to receive breakingFront Page Detectivesnews and exclusive investigations. The assailant is also prone to violent outbursts, likely has a history of domestic violence, and places a high importance on punishment. This was a result of getting enraged, going too far, and then having to basically clean up the mess," he said. During part two of the documentary special, Ruff sat down with retired FBI Supervisory Agent Jim Clemente, who created a suspect profile to help narrow down the possible suspect pool. Branch had 21 particular wounds, including a large gouge to the left side of his face, with Byers having 62 differing injuries. By Benjamin H. Smith Who Killed The Forgotten West Memphis Three? Jones, the assistant juvenile probation officer, was one of the chief voices pushing the line alongside his supervisor Jerry Blackwood Driver. A few years later, he was facing charges relating to the use of terroristic threats, grand theft, and drug use. John Mark Byers, stepfather of Chris Byers and initially the subject of considerable suspicion himself, is shown calling Terry Hobbs a "baby killer" outside an Arkansas courtroom. Echols was from a poor background and struggled both with poverty and his mental health, having been institutionalized for several months after considering suicide. The documentary was filmed on 79 days over ten months up to the point of the West Memphis Three's conviction. Who killed Stevie The new documentary focused on the bite marks, with the prosecution arguing that the marking seen on Christopher Byers' face in photographs is from a belt buckle and not teeth. The 'West Memphis Three' were exonerated following the advent of improved DNA technology (West Memphis Police Department) John Mark Byers, who was suspected in the deaths of three West Memphis children in 1993, died in a car crash earlier this week, officials in Tennessee revealed on Friday, June 19. Toggle dark mode Yet, the moral panic would culturally define the decade for many youths, lingering as the remnants of the "Satanic Panic" that led to many wrongful convictions a decade earlier. These three would come to be known as the West Memphis Three. However, Misskelley wouldn't only confess in that police interview room. Echols and Baldwin were best friends and shared a profound distaste for Bible Belt life in West Memphis, Arkansas and were drawn toward the rebellion of metal music and associated books and movies. All Rights Reserved. WebThe West Memphis Three are three men convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, United States. Authorities figured Echols as a suspect because had shown an interest in occultism. The Story Of The West Memphis Teens Wrongfully Imprisoned 18 Years For Satanic Murder. He was 62. The boys were naked and tied up by their shoelaces. They drew pentagrams, skulls, and snakes on art materials and surprised those at a football game by arriving dressed in black with black tears painted on their faces. Benca and the West Memphis Police Department did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. The truth is, the ongoing debate over whether Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were guilty has often clouded the undoubted fact that justice remains elusive for the other West Memphis Three, Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. Furthermore, Clemente believes the assailant was a male in his 30s who is either biologically related to one or more of the victims, a family member, or a very close community member. Into this misunderstanding step Damien Echols, 18, Jessie Misskelley Jr., 17, and Jason Baldwin, 16. Echols, one of the West Memphis Three, and his legal team have hit another obstacle as they try to get the court's permission to test newly found evidence for DNA. His behavior as it became apparent Echols, Misskelley, and Baldwin would be cleared of the murders, was questioned as well. An attorney involved in the West Memphis Three case, in which three teenagers were convicted of killing three boys in 1993, is claiming that evidence related to the case that was believed to be lost or destroyed has been located at the West Memphis Police Department, local CBS affiliate WREG reported.Attorney Patrick Benca, who represents At the trial, the prosecution continued the claims of Satanic overtones, calling Dale W. Griffis of the unaccredited Columbia Pacific University distance learning school as an "expert" witness to affirm the killings were definitely occult related. To this day, it is still unclear who is responsible for the brutal murders, and in hopes of uncovering new potential leads, investigative podcaster Bob Ruff reexamined the case in . Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! All three were second-grade pupils at Weaver Elementary School, with Branch being an honor student. Branch and Moores bikes were discovered on either side of a pipe bridge not far from the crime scene. Echols, one of the West Memphis Three, and his legal team have hit another obstacle as they try to get the court's permission to test newly found evidence for DNA. Product was successfully added to your shopping cart. Efforts to release the West Memphis Three would be aided in 2003 when Vicki Hutcheson ultimately recanted her testimony, telling the "Arkansas Times" that everything she told police was a lie. Despite claiming to know Echols well, she denied knowing his close friend Baldwin. On the evening of May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys disappeared from the streets of West Memphis, Ark. During one visit to the station, officers used photographs of Echols, Misskelley and Baldwin for dart practice, having made their minds up about their guilt long before their arrests. Right on the border of Tennessee, West Memphis was a bible belt city unaccustomed to much publicity. He kept a calendar of the lunar cycle so he and Jones could patrol the county and check for covens. Echols filed a petition, which was not granted, but then the decision was overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court. Despite doubt over the way authorities handled the case, as well as a lack of substantial evidence, the West Memphis Three were found guilty. When West Memphis teens Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr. were tried and convicted of the murders of three 8-year-old boys in 1994, many in the community felt confident that investigators had put the right men behind bars. Byers submitted dental records that showed the marks on the body didn't match his original teeth and subsequently passed a polygraph during the documentary's filming. Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? Watch: Man connected to 'West Memphis Three' learns evidence connected to the case is missing By Dominique Dillon, FOX13memphis.com July 08, 2021 at 5:53 pm CDT WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. Here's when clocks will 'spring forward' in 2023, Arkansas Supreme Court chief justice announces departure from WM3 case, West Memphis Three continue fight to get DNA tested. }); All three appealed the convictions. Jul. While he was on medication that may have affected the outcome, including Xanax, it seems that his suspected involvement in the killings was a complete dead end. In addition to the offender being a male who had a relationship with one or more of the victims, Clemente thinks the suspect was from the neighborhood, theorizing that he hid the bodies in order to give himself enough time to establish an alibi. Benca said he hopes the evidence can be tested for DNA to help clear the name of his client, who along with Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelley Jr. was convicted of murder as a teenager in 1994.