[6], Factors cited by prosecutor Scott Ellington for agreeing to the plea deal included that two of the victims' families had joined the cause of the defense, that the mother of a witness who testified about Echols's confession had questioned her daughter's truthfulness, and that the State Crime Lab employee who collected fiber evidence at the Echols and Baldwin homes after their arrests had died. [citation needed], Around 1:45pm, juvenile Parole Officer Steve Jones spotted a boy's black shoe floating in a muddy creek that led to a major drainage canal in Robin Hood Hills. You dont need a PhD to figure this out a stick across a neck would cause very obvious linear damage. RIDGE: It was like earlier in the day, but you dont know exactly what time, okay, cause weve got Ive gotten some real confusion with the times that youre telling me, but now,this 9 oclock in the evening call that you got, explain that to me. Jessie Misskelley, Sr. of Marion, AR September 5, 1938 - February 21, 2021 Jessie Loyd Misskelley,Sr. I seen them going down right there real close to his penis and stuff and I saw some blood and thats when I took off. RIDGE: Alright, is that where he was cutting? No marks of any kind to his body in that region, nor did he die of asphyxia). JESSIE:Ive seen them once that night, I seen them with it that night. She was 13 when he was arrested, along with Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin, for the murders of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis nearly two decades ago. GITCHELL: And you saw the pictures in the briefcase? That's right, the man I was about to pledge my life to was a convicted murderer. GITCHELL: You didnt see a briefcase? RIDGE: Beat them up real bad, and then they took their clothes off? JESSIE: Yeah, thats where he was cut at. [citation needed], While in prison, Echols wrote letters to Gloria Shettles, an investigator for his defense team. JESSIE:Two or three days after it happened, and I left. 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. Under the terms of the Alford guilty plea, Echols and his co-defendants accepted the sufficiency of evidence supporting the three counts of first degree murder while maintaining their innocence. (You need to hear Jessies voice on his bottom Is a question, not a statement), RIDGE: On his bottom? JESSIE: Close to right where there before you come in and they laid them down right there, and after I left I dont know what they done with the bikes. RIDGE:What kind of shirt were you wearing? This documentary was co-produced by Lord of the Rings maestro Peter Jackson and his wife and collaborator, Fran Walsh. JESSIE:He didnt have one that night. A hair "not inconsistent with" Stevie Branch's stepfather, Terry Hobbs, was found tied into the knots used to bind one of the victims. "[59] Since his release, Baldwin has moved to Seattle to live with friends. [49] She said that when she visited the police station, employees had photographs of Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley on the wall and were using them as dart targets. JESSIE: By uh, Blue Beacon Truck Wash. (The location was widely reported in the media in May 1993), (Ridge might as well say: reat afte me A little patch of woods). . JESSIE: Yes, and I took off and run home. I went with them and then. JESSIE: I was up there standing up there on the top. (It is also confirmed that Jason was in school on 5/5/93; hecouldnot have been in the woods at 9 AM.). The defense's expert testified that the mark in question was not an adult bite mark, while experts put on by the State concluded that there was no bite mark at all. Each had achieved the rank of "Wolf" in the local Cub Scout pack and were best friends.[15]. 1 (2005), while still in prison. HBO executives ordered them to return the knife to the West Memphis Police Department. [10] The police interviewed Echols on May 7, two days after the bodies were discovered. The Alford plea is a legal mechanism that allows defendants to plead guilty while still asserting their actual innocence, in cases where defendants concede that prosecutors have sufficient evidence to secure a conviction. RIDGE: Okay, one of them were cut on the face real bad, is that what you said? [6][59] Under the Bruton rule, his confession could not be admitted against his co-defendants and thus he was tried separately. Celebrities and musicians held fundraisers to support efforts to free the men. RIDGE: Alright, and you know where the little Creek is that goes out to the express way, and it doesnt have a lot of water in it, but its got some water in it, and its flowing through the, which side of that creek were you on, were you on the Memphis side of the creek or the Blue Beacon side of the creek? Also, Matthew states Jason came in around 7:30. RIDGE: Alright, where does that path go too? No matches were found. [9] Friends and neighbors also conducted a search that night, which included a cursory visit to the location where the bodies were later found. According to HBO's documentaries Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000), no blood was found at the crime scene, indicating that the location where the bodies were found was not necessarily the location where the murders actually happened. RIDGE:Wouldnt have any problem with that? director of photography Film Editing by Susan Shipton Casting By Production Design by Phillip Barker Art Direction by Thomas Minton Set Decoration by Melinda Sanders Costume Design by Kari Perkins The prosecution called Dale W. Griffis, a graduate of the unaccredited Columbia Pacific University, as an expert in the occult to testify the murders were a Satanic ritual. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? [22], The day after the victims' bodies were found, Bojangles' manager Marty King, thinking there was a possible connection to the bleeding man found in the bathroom, reported the incident to police officers who then inspected the ladies' room. I could not believe it was in Terry's things. He was considered the leader of the three. To assist in the appeals process, Echols' appellate legal team retained a Berkeley, California-based forensic psychiatrist, Dr. George Woods, to make their case. There was anal-dialation on two of the boys, which is most likely from the water. [9], At his death penalty sentencing hearing, Echols' psychologist reported that months before the murders, Echols had claimed that he obtained super powers by drinking human blood. He moved to New York with his wife Lorri Davis. RIDGE: Hes been watching them. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. He was last seen wearing blue pants, a blue Boy Scouts of America shirt, and an orange and blue Boy Scout hat, and riding a light green bicycle. . Despite his reported IQ of 72 (categorizing him as borderline intellectual functioning) and his status as a minor, Miskelley was questioned alone; his parents were not present during the interrogation. RIDGE:Metalica shirt, alright, was he wearing a cap, anything like that? RIDGE:They havent talked to you about this? He is a producer, known for Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011), Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000). He lived with his mother, Pamela Hobbs, his stepfather, Terry Hobbs, and a four-year-old half-sister, Amanda. Actor Johnny Depp, a longtime supporter of the West Memphis Three and personal friend of Damien Echols, was on hand to support the film in its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012. RIDGE:Okay, how did he have sex with that one? All rights reserved. (She had . Jessie Misskelley Jr., released from prison in 2011 in the infamous West Memphis Three case was jailed Saturday night after he was arrested on a slew of traffic citations. Douglas served as FBI Unit Chief of the Investigative Support Unit of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime for 25 years. JESSIE: They need to be put away for awhile. Their clothing was found in the creek, some of it twisted around sticks that had been thrust into the muddy ditch bed. This part of this statement is also pertinent to the second statement (*)). There is no way he could have received any call). JESSIE: I was there until they tied them up and then thats when I left, after they tied them up, I left. (Echols and Lorri Davis . [67] In late 2007, John Mark Byerswho was previously vehement in his belief that Echols, Misskelley, and Baldwin were guiltyalso announced that he now believes that they are innocent. Jessie Misskelley Jr., released from prison in 2011 in the infamous West Memphis Three case was jailed Saturday night after he was arrested on a slew of traffic citations. [1][2][3], Due to the dubious nature of the evidence as well as the suspected presence of emotional bias in court, the case generated widespread controversy and was the subject of several documentaries. Christopher Byers had lacerations to various parts of his body and mutilation of his scrotum and penis. According to his mother, Christopher was a typical eight-year-old. RIDGE: Im not saying when they called you. [30] Critics have also stated that Misskelley's various "confessions" were in many respects inconsistent with each other, as well as with the particulars of the crime scene and murder victims, including (for example) an "admission" that Misskelley watched Damien rape one of the boys. Baldwin, who is also involved with movies about the life of the West Memphis 3, plans to attend law school. He testified that his own failure to put this incident on the court record and his failure to meet the minimum requirements in state law to represent a defendant in a capital murder case was evidence of ineffective assistance of counsel and that Misskelley's conviction should therefore be vacated. [48], After an expert examined autopsy photos and noted what he thought might be the imprint of a belt buckle on Byers' corpse, the elder Byers revealed to the police that he had spanked his stepson shortly before the boy disappeared. Arrested in Oceanside on May 17, 1993, Morgan and Holland both took polygraph exams administered by California police. GITCHELL: Okay, what is, tell me some of the things that you all do typically in the woods, in being in this cult. RIDGE: Okay. GITCHELL: So, what else left is there, after that? JESSIE: You know Damien keeps asking me how come I left and stuff and hadnt anybody said anything to me about it. Anal dialation CAN happen after sodomoy; however, it is unlikely that two boys were raped and BOTH of them only showed dialation and NO tearing, especially in light of the violent rape with fighting and struggling that Jessie alleges. And Susie Brewer Boggan says she is now out of Jessie Misskelley's life. [36] The court sentenced Echols to death and Baldwin to life in prison.[3]. On June 2, 1993, Hutcheson told police that about two weeks after the murders were committed, she, Echols, and Misskelley attended a Wiccan meeting in Turrell, Arkansas. (Gitchell plainly sounds like he knows hes talking to someone with a childs mind). Under the . RIDGE: Okay, was it after school had let out? RIDGE: Has he ever had sex with them before? [69], In 2010, district Judge Brian S. Miller ordered Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of victim Stevie Branch, to pay $17,590 to Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines for legal costs stemming from a defamation lawsuit he filed against the band. RIDGE:Okay, you couldnt stand it. Jasons friend Ken Watkins came over to visit later. And what did they tell you on the telephone? Early in the investigation, the WMPD briefly regarded two West Memphis teenagers as suspects. RIDGE:can you describe to me what in those woods, whats the location where you were? JESSIE:Yes, I think when we had that cult. Misskelley was first questioned on June 3, 1993, a day after Hutcheson's purported confession. [86][87] In prison in 1999, he married landscape architect Lorri Davis. "[9], Brent Turvey, a forensic scientist and criminal profiler, stated in the film Paradise Lost 2 that human bite marks could have been left on at least one of the victims. [58], After weeks of negotiations, on August 19, 2011, Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were released from prison as part of a plea deal, making the hearings ordered by the Arkansas Supreme Court unnecessary. Also, my sister Jo Lynn told me that she saw Terry wash clothes, bed linens and curtains from Stevie's room at an odd time around the time of the Murders. Dropout Found Guilty in Deaths of 3 Boys : Crime: Jessie Lloyd Misskelley Jr., 18, is sentenced to life in prison for the brutal slayings. Jessie Misskelley said in a short interview a few months ago that he is happy staying out of the limelight, as he lives and works in West Memphis. [76], A website by Martin David Hill, containing approximately 160,000 words and intending to be a "thorough investigation", collates and discusses many details surrounding the murders and investigation, including some anecdotal information. Prosecution experts claim Byers' wounds were the results of a knife attack and that he had been purposely castrated by the murderer; defense experts claim the injuries were most likely the result of post-mortem animal predation. We have estimated There was nothing of the kind on Chris neck. [78], In January 2010, the CBS television news journal 48 Hours aired "The Memphis 3", an in-depth coverage of the history of the case including interviews with Echols and supporters. RIDGE: Yeah, you dont know what time it is? April 11, 1977, West Memphis, Arkansas, U.S.), and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. (b. July 10, 1975). [9], On June 3, the police interrogated Jessie Misskelley, Jr. JESSIE: I dont know, I left before them. Did they get into the water with you all? How could Damien be in the background if he was not there? JESSIE: I couldnt stand it to see what they were doing to them. Ridges leads him into when you came back, signaling Jessie that theres more for him to say. (Jessie was never taken to the woods with a video camera for this purpose.). (Above Jessie has stated they met at 9 a.m., not 12 noon. "[9] Leveritt speculated that the small local police force was overwhelmed by the crime, which was unlike any they had ever investigated. RIDGE:Okay, these initiations, you say that they eat part of the leg meat? Damien was one of the most watched charectars in West Memphis, no one ever mentioned seeing him with a briefcase? JESSIE: Not that I know of, I wouldnt. Basically, when we went to trial the first time, they came in with ghost stories, rumors, "Arkansas Teen Found Guilty On Three Counts Of Murder,", Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three, "Youth Is Convicted In Slaying of 3 Boys In an Arkansas City", "Arguments conclude in 'West Memphis Three' appeals", "How Rockers Helped Free the West Memphis Three", "Fresh DNA evidence boosts defense in 1993 Arkansas slayings", "Damien Echols asks for new trial in West Memphis 3 murder case", "Pain tells how much life 3 slain boys had", "Police see progress in Ark. What color is Jasons hair? Was he faced down and he was cutting on him, or. This isnotsomething only the police knew). Did he die of asphyxia ) a video camera for this purpose )... Rich is he in this year and how he spends money that region, nor did he sex! 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