}); The West Memphis Three were the distinctive people in the town of West Memphis; however, there was little evidence suggesting they killed the three young boys. Yet, few could give details. It can now be tested, to see who left DNA at the crime scene. So if the West Memphis Three aren't the real killers, who is? In 2000, Berlinger and Sinofsky would produce "Paradise Lost 2: Revelations," a sequel to their 1996 film. }); 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. Echols' legal team has filed a response to the Attorney General's request, where they are asking the court to deny it. Quoted by WMC-TV in 2013, Jacoby said, "They said close to the crime scene because at one time I did walk near where they had found the kids with Terry Hobbs, his father-in-law, his wife," adding. When three boys turn up murdered, a small town is desperate to find the killer. However, Misskelley wouldn't only confess in that police interview room. It was just days before the trial of Echols and Baldwin. hitType: 'event', But in 2011, the West Memphis Three walked free. Never mentioned in the autopsy or at either trial, they didn't match for Echols, Misskelley or Baldwin. }); eventAction: 'load' 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. Clemente pointed out that the killer took his time to conceal the boys' bodies, clothing, and bikes. 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 This was a result of getting enraged, going too far, and then having to basically clean up the mess," he said. If the judge makes the decision to deny the state's request for dismissal, then Attorney General Tim Griffin will get a chance to respond to that decision. Despite suspicion eventually falling away from Byers, Jason Baldwin praised the "Paradise Lost" documentaries as essential to their case, telling the "National Podcast of Texas" in 2019 that "The documentary saved my life, saved Damien's life, and saved Jessie's life. ET. However, it wasn't just about the music with many embracing rebellious philosophies that were inherently offensive to the traditions of Christianity, respect and patriotism that have always defined small-town rural America. It doesn't take much effort to get him to say or do anything at all.". She also revealed that her ex-husband had once asked her sister point-blank if she suspected him in the killings. pg.acq.push(function() { Initially a suspect himself amongst some people, John Mark Byers added his voice to those doubts before being killed in a car crash last year. Martin molested both of his stepchildren a son and a daughter over four years, serving just three years in the Colorado State Penitentiary. The deal is a plea whereby a defendant maintains their innocence but recognizes that the evidence presented would be enough to convict them. Ultimately, the judge will make a final ruling on whether to proceed. The story will be familiar to many working-class American youths, with Echols' poverty and mental health struggles disconnecting him from society, writing that "As I grew older I learned to be ashamed of being poor, too. Judge Laser vacated all previous convictions and ordered a new trial where the West Memphis Three would be allowed to make the plea, sentencing them to time served. One of the few pieces of forensic evidence recovered at the scene was a hair belonging to a Black male found on a sheet that had been used to wrap one of the victims. 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. The West Memphis Three were the distinctive people in the town of West Memphis; however, there was little evidence suggesting they killed the three young boys. The story of the West Memphis Three traces back to 1993, set in the city of West Memphis, Arkansas. In contrast, others contend he remained severely mentally ill and an immature teenager. Bike found near the "West Memphis Three" crime scene. LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas After three years of fighting to get new evidence tested for DNA, the state is saying the West Memphis Three petition should be tossed out. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ hitType: 'event', It became humiliating, something I'd do everything I could to hide from the rest of the world. He was called a 'baby killer.'. A second hair found at the scene was consistent with his friend, David Jacoby. He was interrogated for 12 hours with only two segments running to 46 minutes being recorded, and although he was read his Miranda rights, he later said that he hadn't understood them. The Supreme Court ruled that a defendant would be deprived of his rights if a confession was introduced in a joint trial under the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment, stating that "in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the rightto be confronted with the witnesses against him." For the state, the Alford pleas were a face-saving exercise. 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. Echols interest in the occult as an outlet led him to Wicca, and he was a reader of Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey and English occultist Aleister Crowley. During questioning, Echols mentioned wounds to the genital that one of the victims suffered. Nine days later, Misskelley would confess again. The men garnered national attention due to a series of documentaries and books that questioned their convictions as well as the vocal support of numerous celebrities. There is no mention of Santic overtones or symbolism in the early written reports by police, nor correspondence with the FBI. Their clothing was found in the same creek, and some of it had been twisted around sticks that had been fixed into the muddy ditch bed. They still had the convictions, but the men would be free. 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. They'd first come into contact almost precisely a year before Echols was arrested alongside his then-girlfriend Deanna Holcomb. Increasingly alarmed, searchers saw a black shoe floating in a muddy creek that afternoon. eventAction: 'click_adunit' Yet, while Arkansas certainly has problems seen throughout the South, such as poor wages, West Memphis was then a city of 30,000 with a wide variety of cultures. His mother told him to be home by 4:45 p.m., and the two set off around 3:40 p.m. Baldwin got life behind bars, and Echols was sentenced to death by lethal injection. Hobbs, who had previously been under the police scanner for the murders because of inconsistencies in his story, had later been cleared of any wrongdoing but found himself being verbally abused by Byers in front of cameras outside a courtroom. However, once again, Misskelley claimed Baldwin pulled out a knife, despite the evidence presented by experts that no knife had ever been used. Sign up to receive breakingFront Page Detectivesnews and exclusive investigations. A subsequent search quickly found the bodies of Branch, Byers and Jessie Misskelley was given two 20 year-sentences on top of life imprisonment, while Jason Baldwin also received life imprisonment. According to her new story, police had threatened to take her child if she didn't "cooperate." He was 62. When he was informed that the blood matched both his and Chris' blood type, he claimed he had no idea how the blood might have gotten on the knife before suggesting he might have left it out accidentally. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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. On the evening of May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys disappeared from the streets of West Memphis, Ark. To understand the story of the West Memphis Three, it's important to remember the cultural atmosphere that was prevalent throughout America in the mid-1990s. Generation X was seen as cynical slackers, beholden to social-tribal identity and influenced by the likes of MTV and the ever-growing internet. Starting in the weeks that followed the killings, documentary filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky began to investigate the circumstances surrounding the case for their film "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills," airing in June 1996 on HBO. But in the process, the West Memphis Three get blamed for the crime they didn't commit. },false) The case for his guilt was put forward by Echols himself in Peter Jackson's 'West of Memphis.' Two of the boys' underwear, however, was missing. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { New evidence immediately began to come to light that cast even further doubts on the already shaky judgment and presented new and surprising suspects. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ There was a sense of disconnect from society amongst many young people, with the counter-culture that produced grunge giving way to the metal }) 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. If you found this interesting, you might also want to read about the study that finds black Americans are wrongfully convicted at a far greater rate. Their trial, which included 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. He was muddy, bleeding, and brushed against the walls, leaving behind blood stains and feces on the walls, stall, and floor. Product was successfully added to your shopping cart. Hobbs retrieved a .357 magnum pistol from his truck and shot Jackie Hicks, Pamela Hobbs' brother. She was unable to say where this meeting was or who else was present. Both had histories of drug offenses, and Morgan claimed to police he suffered from memory loss and blackouts, stating he "might have" killed the three boys. document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ Morgan and Holland left town on May 10 and headed to Oceanside in California, their departure shocking many who knew them. The Story Of The West Memphis Teens Wrongfully Imprisoned 18 Years For Satanic Murder. All three bodies were immediately removed from the water before the coroner arrived, meaning that they were exposed to sunlight and insects before judgments could be made surrounding rigor mortis and the time of death. Echols, 36, had been on death row, while Baldwin, 34, and Misskelley, 36, were serving life sentences. Devastating Photos Of Hiroshima Before And After The Atomic Bombing That Changed History Forever, Jury Finds Man Guilty Of Teaching Pug Nazi Salute [VIDEO], What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, black Americans are wrongfully convicted at a far greater rate, woman who was convicted for locking her deaf sister in a room for seven years. ga('ads.send', { If the offender came across the boys as they were doing something wrong or misbehaving, it would have been even easier to control and reprimand them, said Clemente. Echols unwisely began to tell the fanatical Driver tall tales about local cults and animal sacrifices when Driver became his parole officer, telling him that he followed Wicca. All three boys were naked and hogtied using their shoelaces, each ankle tied with a wrist behind their backs. The documentary was filmed on 79 days over ten months up to the point of the West Memphis Three's conviction. There is a vast difference between what most Satanists believe Satanism is and the popular perception of Satanism. The discovery comes after West Memphis Police Chief Michael Pope resigned Tuesday. No ritual paraphernalia or markings were found at the scene, and many in the police believed those responsible had been sexual predators or strangers from outside the town. let gads_event; On May 5, 1993, Branch was at home with his mother, Pamela Hobbs, and shortly after the end of school, Moore rode over on his bike and asked if his friend could take a ride with him. While police initially suspected rape, there was no evidence for it. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin to life imprisonment.