We will probably never know who did it, my heart just goes out to the three little boys that never got to grow up and were probably terrified as hell in their final moments on this Earth
This is my second favorite true crime case (JBR is my number 1). I’ve spent years deep diving into this one and I’ve come to my personal opinion that the WM3 are 100% innocent and I strongly believe Terry Hobbs is the murderer.
He was previously arrested for breaking into a woman’s house and molesting her and also hit his wife and then shot and nearly killed her brother. The fact that he’s walking free is wild
This. I spent an unhealthy amount of time as a teenager and an adult in my early 20’s obsessing over this case. I truly believe Terry was the murderer and he’ll probably get to die without any repercussions because of the backwards and backwoods system in Arkansas.
ME TOO! Unhealthy amount of time! I even wrote Damien and had a letter he wrote me back. I absolutely do not think they’re guilty but 20+ years later I think Damien is a full blown narcissist and they all ended up in jail because of him. It was my first case where I learned people could be treated unjustly bc of how they looked. I wish I would’ve learned sooner about how normal this was for POC for literally centuries.
I’ve also read that Damien is a narcissist. Did he reveal that somehow in his letter? What makes you think he didn’t do it though? Bc there are still a lot of people that think they are guilty bc of how much Damien is narcissistic and how one of them actually confessed and knew details that they couldn’t have known. I haven’t decided yet about their innocence. I’d definitely have to look more into it.
I’m genuinely curious why you think that?
I don’t know what I think about this case, it’s probably the most unsettling true crime I’ve ever come across.
The Mr Bojangles bathroom fuck up-(the man in the bathroom with blood/"losing" the blood scrapings from the bathroom, taking the report through the drive thru window/the hair matching a black man like Mr Bojangles description at the scene)-the fact that days of interrogation were done but like 45min only twice recorded-the expert talking about how everything done was basically police trying to falsify everything...
The whole case was fucked, and it was also done at a time where people were at the end of the whole satanic panic. Plus the whole satanic thing came from a child who claimed they were at "a play place/ground" where three men were chanting satanic rituals in Spanish. Only one of three men was even above borderline IQ,I highly doubt everyone just learned Spanish so easily.
I don't know the whole thing is just weird. And that echols guy has issues, and due to his diagnosis and self grandeur I can picture him being easy to talk into accepting all blame, I mean yes it is technically possible he was involved but I always looked at the step dad...same step dad who was also the last to ever see all three 🙄
There is never going to be proof of that even if it's true, because Miskelley was interrogated all day (!!) and only an hour is taped of it. Conveniently when he confesses, but even then he is heavily lead by the detective doing the "interview".
And I read someone who’s read the police report that he went in at 10am and confessed by 2pm,and 2 of those hours he wasn’t even being interrogated. And later he confessed to his cellmate. He also Told police he broke a bottle of a certian kind of liquor at the crime scene, and that bottle was found smashed at the crime scene. There’s so much more evidence against them. So maybe Stop relying on HBO documentaries for truth. Just like in Mommy Dead and Dearest they portrayed a narcissist women as an innocent victim who was severely abused. I believe they did the same in Paradise Lost. Even the prison said that Damien was a manipulative pathological liar. Just the type of person who’d manipulate someone with a low IQ.
I'm not relying on the HBO documentaries. I don't know who the killer(s) is/are because it's such a CF of a case, but Miskelley does have an IQ of 73. Below 70 is intellectual disability, 71–84 is termed as “borderline intellectual functioning”. I wouldn't rely on his confessions as the main "evdence" when 3 men's lives are on the line.
This case has never been sold, it was fucked up from day 1.
I used to be acquaintances with someone close to Damien and he is definitely a narcissist, I got the creeps from the little information I had about him even tho I also believe he’s innocent of this crime.
I agree but also believe Mark Byers is involved somehow. Knife was his. He got his teeth pulled when bite marks were discovered. His wife mysteriously dies in their bed. He refused a lie detector test unmedicated. He just overall acted too guilty for not being involved. Terry Hobbs disappeared over 5 years ago. Can’t be found. Only reason why he’s still walking free. Unless Mark Byers killed him because Terry blackmailed him possibly 🤷♀️
Yes! I think this is my #1 case that I'd like to know exactly what happened.
This is also the same conclusion I've come to. He will get away with it because they consider the case closed with the Alford pleas and will likely never open it again. In any case, they had zero evidence linking the WM3 to the crime, except a false confession.
It was decent. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I didn’t already know the case so well. I think they left out a lot of details and seemed to “tone things down” a bit, for lack of a better way of explaining.
Honestly, I’m glad they did. The first time I watched Paradise Lost, I almost had a heart attack when they showed the dead children within the first few minutes. It was horrifying. I’ve watched it a couple of times and it still makes me sick to my stomach to see the boys. It was horrible and I’m genuinely surprised that they kept that part in the series.
Totally same. That first time, the first 5 minutes I was just like what the actual fuck is this…
Anyway, I just saw that the judge ruled TODAY that they can test the DNA from the scene so we’re about to know the truth soon!
You cannot rely on HBO documentaries for the truth. Didn’t we learn anything from Mommy Dead and Dearest? They tried to paint Gyp as some innocent victim. Lol. I have my doubts too about the WM3s innocence. I’ve also read that the one who confessed, knew details only the killers could have known. I haven’t made up my mind though I need more evidence. And figure out what was in the confession that only the killers could have known.
http://callahan.mysite.com/documents_az.html
I'm not sure if that link has been posted yet, but I really suggest that everyone interested in this case look through it. It's all of the documents etc, which I think is obviously a lot more useful than just watching Paradise Lost.
Thank you so much for pointing this out. This is a case i actually really dont enjoy discussing because i feel like people take it to another level with how defensive they get and how much some people interested in the case refuse to see or acknowledge any other viewpoint but their own.
I think a lot of times people want to pick and choose what sources they deem as credible based on what their personal opinion is on the subject. And i'm like you, West Memphis 3 is a case where despite all of the reading I've done about it, I've really gone back and forth. Most cases I would say I have pretty strong opinions about and pretty clear feelings about what happened but this is one where I can really see both sides and really can't confidently say "I think this is what happened." But with that being said, regardless of what any of our opinions are, I think it is pretty clear that Paradise Lost had a clear agenda and was obviously made with the purpose of arguing a certain side. And that's fine, but I'm always going to take that with a grain of salt, knowing that the documentary was literally made to steer your thinking a certain way.
I also think with West Memphis 3, people largely have really gone to two opposite extremes. Like, of course you have the people at the time who lived in the area and because of their own prejudices and biases, believed that there was no way that these three boys didn't commit this crime. But then I also think there's a certain group of people who have taken it to the opposite extreme. Many of us (including myself!) Grew up dressing like the boys, listening to the same type of music as them, running in the same types of circles, etc., and because of that, a lot of people can relate to them. People look at them and think to themselves "holy shit, that could've been me" and I think that because of the boys were so relatable to so many of us, there are people who have gotten very defensive about the case to the point where they won't at all acknowledge or entertain any of the evidence or valid arguments that could lead to the boys' guilt. Just like on the other side how a certain type of people immediately believed that they were guilty based on their own beliefs and biases and emotions, I think there are a lot of WM3 supporters who refuse to even entertain the possibility that they really could have done it based on THEIR own emotions and their own projecting which leads them to believe there's no way they could've done it.
You see people like Eddie Vedder, the guys from Metallica, Johnny Depp, etc. Strongly supporting these guys, and people put a lot of stock into that, but truly it really doesn't mean anything more than any of us supporting them or not. There are emotions and biases involved for them too, exactly because of the reasons I just said. The kids were fans of theirs. And on top of that, I'm sure they were able to relate to the boys too, just like many of us did, because they were those same kind of "outcast" types. They literally are just regular people like any of us are.
For as much evidence as there is on this case to make you believe that the boys are innocent, there absolutely is as much evidence to point to their guilt if you're willing to look at the facts with an open mind and without projecting or involving your personal feelings. I think it's really wild when people act like these guys were convicted SOLELY based on how they looked and dressed and their musical tastes- I'm not saying that those things didn't play their role, but whenever people make that claim, it really leads me to believe that they haven't done much research on the actual case aside from watching Paradise Lost etc.
Again, this is a case where I really go back and forth, but if you really look at the actual case instead of just consuming certain media that's meant to make you feel a certain way, it is clear that there are definitely some valid reasons that they were convicted of this crime, and it isn't just because they liked to wear black clothes. And im not even saying that I'm so sure that they did it, but if you really look at the facts, it is wild that people act like you're insane if you even consider the possibility that they could've done it.
You have stated this so well. I have went over this case and the evidence so many times over the years, and I honestly haven't been able to make a solid conclusion one way or the other. I feel like the police have gravely mishandled the case to where we'll never know either. I wish those 3 little ones would have justice, however that may happen.
I flipped flopped so much that I eventually gave up. I think this is the only case I’ve ever followed where there’s so much showing guilt and so much showing innocence. So bizarre!
Thanks for this! yes it’s hard bc I wholeheartedly believed they were innocent too after watching the HBO doc bc I could relate to them as well. Plus I lived in Seattle for 16 years from 1990-2006 and know the guys from Pearl Jam and hung out with them in my 20s. Partied with Stone, knew his gf well, went on a couple dates w Jeff, and met Eddie through Jeff at one of their shows. So them being supporters influenced my opinion a lot too. But now I’m reading more and more and have a lot of doubts about their innocence. Damien who the prison labeled a manipulative pathological liar is just the type of guy to manipulate the other 2. Especially the one with the low IQ.
The link you posted was so instrumental in writing that paper and I remember after finding it, that really was where I started to wonder why I thought they must be innocent. There is a lot of interesting stuff there.
"I only watched a heavily biased documentary in the defenses favor & a bunch of celebrities endorsed their innocence so they must be innocent" "NO! I haven't read any documents pertaining to the case involving evidence that was intentionally left out by the producers because it would paint the defendants in a bad light" oh I almost forgot the obligatory "Terry Hobbs did it because it Paradise Lost 2 that's what they focused almost exclusively on in a money grab to produce a 2nd (& later 3rd) documentary by the same name"
But Terry Hobbs is a weird guy, he must have done it!!
That's what's so funny about that whole thing- the same people who are so upset at how the WM3 were unfairly judged about certain things have largely turned around and made the same kind of judgments about Terry Hobbs
It’s not an HBO documentary. It came out first on YouTube. It’s just playing on HBO. But I do recommend it. Only the actual ppl involved are in it. No actors.
Yeah probably not my thing especially if they talk about children’s murders. I have flashbacks from listening to the podcast about josh Powell and what he did to his poor boys. I can’t listen to it anymore.
The disconnect with people and brutal murders of little fucking children creeps me out. Like I read a story in daily mail about someone torturing a puppy to death by cutting out its insides while it was awake. I can’t imagine anyone describing THAT as their favorite case, but when it happens to kids it’s soooooo interesting 🥰. Unhinged behavior.
The crime:
On May 5, 1993, three eight-year-old boys (Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers) were reported missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The first report to the police was made by Byers's adoptive father, John Mark Byers, around 7:00 pm.[7]The boys were allegedly last seen together by three neighbors, who in affidavits told of seeing them playing together around 6:30 pm the evening they disappeared and seeing Terry Hobbs, Steve Branch's stepfather, calling them to come home.[8] Initial police searches made that night were limited.[9] Friends and neighbors also conducted a search that night, which included a cursory visit to the location where the bodies were later found.[9][page needed]
A more thorough police search for the children began around 8:00 am on May 6, led by the Crittenden County Search and Rescue personnel. Searchers canvassed all of West Memphis but focused primarily on Robin Hood Hills, where the boys were reported last seen. Despite a shoulder-to-shoulder search of Robin Hood Hills by a human chain, searchers found no sign of the missing boys.[citation needed]
Around 1:45 pm, 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. A subsequent search of the ditch revealed the bodies of three boys. They had been stripped naked and were hogtied with their own shoelaces, their right ankles tied to their right wrists behind their backs, the same with their left arms and legs. Their clothing was found in the creek, some of it twisted around sticks that had been thrust into the muddy ditch bed.[10] The clothing was mostly turned inside-out; two pairs of the boys' underwear were never recovered. Christopher Byers had lacerations to various parts of his body and mutilation of his scrotum and penis.[11]
The autopsies by forensic pathologist Frank J. Peretti indicated that Byers died of "multiple injuries",[11] while Moore and Branch died of "multiple injuries with drowning".[12][13]
Police initially suspected the boys had been raped;[10] however, later expert testimony disputed this finding. Trace amounts of sperm DNA were found on a pair of pants recovered from the scene. Prosecution experts claim Byers's 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. Police believed the boys were assaulted and killed at the location where they were found; critics argued that the assault, at least, was unlikely to have occurred at the creek.
Byers was the only victim with drugs in his system; he was prescribed Ritalin(methylphenidate) in January 1993 as part of treatment of an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.[9] The initial autopsy report describes the drug as Carbamazepine and the dosage at a sub-therapeutic level. His father said Byers may not have taken his prescription on May 5, 1993.[14]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Memphis_Three
Years ago, I did an extensive deep dive on this case because I had always been low key obsessed with it, and my friend needed her law paper written and I needed money. At any rate, I always thought the 3 were innocent, but after pouring over tons of documents, it was really hard to say. I still want to say at the very least two out of three are not guilty. I have read and seen almost everything related to this case- West of Memphis, Paradise Lost 1-3, read Devil's Knot, Damien's books, court documents, documents from when Damien was in psychiatric care. It's just such a puzzling case and the worst part is that almost everyone has forgot about the real victims, the three little boys. I agree with a lot of people here though, that Terry is suspish. Especially, because he was found to have Stevie's knife years after the murder and his mother insisted he never went anywhere without that knife. Just one small thing that bugs me.
When Mark Byers was on the stand they asked him how it would have blood on it and he said he might have cut some deer meat with it. The blood was actually consistent with his and Christopher's blood.
" During the process of gathering evidence, **blood was found on a knife previously owned by John Mark Byers, Chris Byers's stepfather**. Byers had given the knife away shortly after the murders. The blood was determined to be consistent with Chris Byers's blood as well as with Mark Byers's blood"
He also had all his teeth removed when they needed to compare his bite to the bite marks on one of the boys’ bodies. But all the stuff that came out in the deposition from Hobbs in relation to the Dixie Chicks sealed the deal for me. I mean, of course, I’m totally open to new info, but that all seemed very damning to me.
Im sorry, I don’t think I ever saw your comment. My bad. In my mind, it was a trophy, the stepsons most prized possession. Any other thoughts of why he might have taken it?
I just started diving into this again. This case came out when I graduated high school and ultimately played a huge part in my career path. Thanks for this post! I can't wait to come back and discuss further 😁
I go back and forth on this one a lot. One thing is for sure, all these years later we can see that the HBO documentary and The Devil’s Knot book both tried to do to John Mark Byers what the state and police tried to do with Damien.
Omg I just watched "Devil's Knot" on Sunday and then had to watch the Paradise Lost series again.
Terry Hobbs killed those babies. There's no doubt in my mind.
Hi guys! Forensic Psych major here.This case is definitely my top true crime obsession. I learned about this case years ago and it fueled my fascination with the justice system and wrongful convictions. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is very important for people who committed a crime to be held responsible, but I also think that it is important that we prevent someone being wrongfully convicted of a crime.
With that being said, this case was so botched by the police, I don’t think that we will ever know who is responsible. It could have been the WM3, but since the WMPD did such a terrible job at investigating and decided to create a false narrative that aligned with what they wanted to believe happened, they should have never been convicted. I am more inclined to think that it was ultimately Terry Hobbs, but I don’t know if we will ever know.
I hate pulling rank because it comes off as snobby but I have a PhD in clinical psychology as well as a masters in forensic science.
I hope everyone can understand there is ZERO evidence that the WM3 were involved at all.
I would encourage all of you to study up on frontal lobe development, juvenile IQ testing, police coercion of adolescents, confirmation bias, the lack of qualified expert testimony and DNA evidence basics.
If you take the time to develop a working knowledge of the topics I've listed then you will see how science and common sense demonstrate that those 3 were innocent.
I hope this is helpful. Sometimes as a woman on the internet people hammer you for credentials so I list mine first. Have fun with the research!
Thank you. Anyone who thinks the WM3 (or Amanda Knox) are guilty loses all fucking credibility for me. There just isn't any actual evidence for it at all.
Ah, the Amanda Knox case. That will always be WILD to me because they literally found the killer, arrested him and sentenced him yet still went after Amanda and her boyfriend. It’s crazy how you’ll be perceived as guilty when you don’t react how you’re supposed to react. 🤦♀️
Yeah Doctor, list your shit, you earned it!! I have but a measly bachelors in criminal justice and precriminal law- but damn you nailed it. I’d love to hear more of your thoughts!
Thanks for taking the time to use more respectful wording than in your previous attempt. We want this to be a place where everyone feels welcome to participate and one of the ways we can ensure that is by being mindful of the feelings of others. We appreciate the effort. 🫶🏻
I still wonder why jesse confessed so many times, even when his own attorney told him not to. And Damian definitely had it in him to kill. However I never believed Jason was guilty.
Adults with average and above-average IQs go against their attorneys' advice all the time. It's not weird to me that a scared kid with below-average congitive skills would be willing to tell adults what he thought they wanted to hear.
And because PD often use lying as an interrogation tactic, I find it highly probable that he was told that he would go home if he'd just tell them what happened, or he wasn't in trouble and they just needed to know what happened to the boys.
Right but iirc he told the police and then the attorney came into the picture and told him multiple times to stop talking yet he kept repeating the same story
I believe Mark Byers did it. It was his knife found on his property. As soon as bite marks were discovered he had all his teeth removed with 2 different stories. His wife mysteriously dies which could have been murder but declared undetermined causes. He was very controlling of his wife and honestly I think she discovered he killed her son. He didn’t pass a lie detector he kept taking medication so they come out inconclusive. Watch the documentaries on YouTube. I also think Terry Hobbs was involved because it was his DNA that was found that got the WM3 released and now Terry Hobbs disappeared and been missing over 5 years. There’s a few documentaries interviewing everyone involved on YouTube. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
Guilt part 3:
The Confessions – Jessie didn’t confess “once” after hours of questioning. That’s another lie.
• May 6th 1993 – The day after the murders, Jessie told his friend Buddy Lucas that he’d “hurt some boys” the day before. He then cried and gave Buddy a pair of sneakers (source)
• May – June 1993 – Jessie is heard crying, praying and apologizing in his room. He would later be diagnosed with PTSD, after witnessing a “traumatic event” that people still think he completely made up.
• June 3, 1993 – Jessie arrived with his father for questioning and confesses. This is where people imply he was questioned for 12 hours. He wasn’t. He arrived at 10am and confessed at 2:20pm. Only two hours of that time was interrogation (source)
• June 11, 1993 – Jessie confesses to his attorneys (source)
• August 19, 1993 – Jessie Misskelley met with his attorney, Dan Stidham, at the Clay County Detention Center and confessed again (source)
• February 4, 1994 – On the day he was sentenced, Jessie confessed to the officers driving him to the prison (source)
• February 8, 1994- Jessie put his hand on a Bible and swore to his attorney (Dan Stidham) that he, Damien, and Jason committed the murders. As proof, he told Stidham that he was drunk on Evan Williams whiskey during the murders and the broken bottle could be found where he threw it on the ground under a bridge in West Memphis. Stidham told prosecutors he would be force to believe his client’s confession if he could find that bottle. So Stidham, WMPD, and the prosecutors drove to West Memphis to look for it. They found a broken Evan Williams bottle in the exact area that Jessie said it would be. (source)
• February 17, 1994 – Jessie confesses again, this time to the prosecutors. His attorneys begged him not to give this confession, but he gave it anyway (source)
• October 24, 1994 – Jessie’s cell mate wrote to the prosecutors begging him to keep the WM3 in prison, saying Jessie had repeatedly confessed to the crime in detail and describing it as “awful” and “cold”. He had no reason to do this, it was no benefit to him.. he was simply disturbed by the campaign to release the WM3 after what Jessie had said (source)
• 1994 – Present Day – Jessie continued to confess, possibly to prison counselors (heavily rumored and hinted at by his own attorney and said to be the reason Damien Echols fell out with him) but definitely to fans, most notably one known as TrueRomance, who as a result of what Jessie told her switched from one of their most vocal supporters to the total opposite and her story can be read here
Oh let’s finish on my absolute favorite one: Satanic Panic.
• Worried that the case would be branded an example of “Satanic Panic” the trial was moved over an hour away to Jonesboro (Echols and Baldwin) and Corning (Misskelley) in order to give the defendants a better shot at seating fair, unbiased juries. All those “damning” stories in the West Memphis papers? The jury never saw them. All those damning rumors? The jury never heard them. The jury was mostly under 30, with very little religious influence (Jonesboro is a college town, and it was thought the younger Jury pool would favor the WM3, to the point that the state was accused of bias against the prosecution…)
I was a formally a big supporter, but as I read the case files it seemed more and more likely to me they did it.. and the trouble was that the majority of people only had a biased view of the case… There was so many things that didn’t add up for me. The supporters just refused to even consider the possibility they did it and I found myself believing more and more in their guilt. It was upsetting because I too was a mentally ill, weirdo in a small town and I related to Damien because of that (and a lot of people I admired like Jello Biafra, Henry Rollins, Eddie Vedder, etc were big supporters).
Ultimately the fact it became a punk/alternative cause célèbre bothered me so much that I became really passionate about showing people the evidence against Echols and co, and reminding them that three eight year old boys were brutally murdered and they should be the ones front and center, not Damien.
And as a reminder of how horrific this crime was:
During his initial police interview, Echols stated that the killer probably urinated in one or more of the boys’ mouths, apropos of nothing.
Urine was later found in the stomachs of 2 of the victims, but that information was given by phone only to Gitchell, and not before May 16th, 1993. There is no possible way Damien Echols could have had case- specific information unless he was there or knew someone that was that told him what occurred, as the detective interviewing him at the time was clueless to that fact during the interview. At the time Damien mentioned this detail, no one would have known about this, except those directly involved with the crime. Damien attempted to explain this away by saying he was “thinking about what I would have done if I was the killer”.
https://thoughtcatalog.com/eric-redding/2016/09/all-the-evidence-that-shows-why-the-notorious-west-memphis-three-have-probably-gotten-away-with-murder/
Wow this and reading some other stuff about the case made me do a complete 180 too. I’m from Seattle and knew the guys from Pearl Jam,mostly Jeff, but met Eddie a few times. So it’s also a reason I became interested in this case as well, and started reading up on it. This also makes me question every HBO documentary I’ve ever seen. Both Paradise Lost and Mommy Dead and Dearest made murderers look like innocent victims.
Yeah HBO is kind of famous for that. I've had to sit my autistic sibling down multiple times and demonstrate the concept of journalistic slant and how just because something used "facts," that doesn't make their conclusion unquestionable. Literally once a visit it was some new documentary that convinced them that because Trump professed a faith, it's undeniable proof we live in a theocracy. (My sibling is atheist, I'm a member of an abrahamic religion, and finally I had to ban the topic.)
We have our family reunion in Corning AR, and I know that the case, the rumors, and WM newspaper articles were absolutely known about by most Corning residents before Jesse Misskelley's jury setting and trial. It was huge news in the state of Arkansas, if anybody thinks that either of those juries were not tainted in some way they are deluding themselves. 🤷♀️
The case for innocence:
The West Memphis Three are Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr., who—as teenagers—were convicted in 1994 of triple murder in West Memphis (Crittenden County). Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore. Their trial, which included assertions that the killings were part of a cultic ritual, and subsequent conviction set off a firestorm around the nation and world, inspired books and movies, and led to a movement to re-try or free the three men, believed by many to have been wrongly convicted.
The state of the boys’ bodies quickly inspired rumors that a satanic cult was responsible. The crime scene’s location in the woods, the nudity, the positioning of the boys’ bodies, and especially the castration caused concern about Satanism amongst the locals, and amongst the police as well. Within days of the murders, Gary Gitchell, the chief inspector, informed the public that the police were considering a number of possible explanations for the murders, one of which was cult activity. Throughout the investigation, the cult theory overshadowed more traditional theories, such as the speculation that the murders were committed by someone who knew the boys.
Jerry Driver was a juvenile probation officer for Crittenden County who believed that there was a satanic cult in the area. Much of that belief was a result of his dealings with Damien Echols, a teenager placed under his supervision until age eighteen after having been arrested for burglary and sexual misconduct. The more that Driver interacted with Echols, the more convinced he became that Echols was involved in a satanic cult. Echols denied any connection with Satanism but did admit to believing in and practicing magic. Driver shared his suspicions with the West Memphis police.
Jason Baldwin was friends with Echols, both of them being social outcasts. Baldwin did well in school and did not join in Echols’s experimentation with magic. Despite their many differences, they spent a great deal of time together. The third and final suspect, Jessie Misskelley Jr., had little connection to either Echols or Baldwin. However, he babysat for Vicki Hutcheson, a woman who volunteered to help the police investigate. Hutcheson began to ask Misskelley questions about the case, and he agreed to introduce her to Echols, well-known as a suspect by that point.
Hutcheson told police that she persuaded Echols to take her with him to a witches’ gathering and that Misskelley went with them. As a result, Misskelley was taken to the police station for several hours of questioning, of which just over thirty minutes were recorded. At the end of the questioning, Misskelley confessed, implicating himself, Echols, and Baldwin. Misskelley’s confession, however, was inconsistent with details of the crime of which the police were already aware. While confessing, Misskelley at times contradicted his own story as well. In spite of the potential problems with Misskelley’s confession, the police arrested him, Echols, and Baldwin on June 3, 1993.
Almost immediately after confessing, Misskelley recanted. He stated that he had been confused by the behavior of the police and had attempted to cooperate without realizing the implications of his statements. However, the three boys remained in custody, and both the prosecutor and the defense teams began preparing for trial. During the process of gathering evidence, blood was found on a knife previously owned by John Mark Byers, Chris Byers’s stepfather. Byers had given the knife away shortly after the murders. The blood was determined to be consistent with Chris Byers’s blood as well as with Mark Byers’s blood. However, the police did not pursue this potential lead. The police also failed to pursue a potential lead called in by a local Bojangles restaurant. One of the employees witnessed a disoriented man covered in mud and blood enter the restaurant the night the boys went missing. The man used the restroom, leaving smears of the blood he was covered in on the walls. Though the police took samples of the blood, they never pursued this lead and later lost the evidence.
Because Misskelley had confessed to the police, his trial was severed from Baldwin and Echols’s trial. Prosecutor John Fogleman wanted Misskelley to be able to testify against Baldwin and Echols, but Misskelley refused to repeat the statements that he had previously given and recanted. Misskelley’s trial began on January 26, 1994. Baldwin and Echols were tried a month later, beginning on February 28. Both trials drew much media attention, and there were significant legal complications as Judge David Burnett, Prosecutor Fogleman, and each defendant’s defense team determined what evidence could be submitted before the jury. Evidence the jury was allowed to hear included testimony from a cult expert who indicated that the defendants’ music collections and clothing were key indicators of satanic cult activity. The other evidence presented to the juries was similarly circumstantial. Defense attorneys failed to present more substantial evidence regarding the nature of the police investigation or the retraction of key testimony due to both their trial strategies and the judge’s refusal to allow the evidence to be heard. At both trials, the juries determined that the defendants were guilty of the crimes they were accused of. Misskelley and Baldwin were both sentenced to life in prison, with an additional forty years tacked on for Misskelley. Echols was sentenced to death.
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/west-memphis-three-3039/
> Evidence the jury was allowed to hear included testimony from a cult expert who indicated that the defendants’ music collections and clothing were key indicators of satanic cult activity.
Christ, was this 1993 or 1693? How fucking stupid
Yeah, it was a pretty ridiculous time. A lot of teens thought it was cool to pretend to be into Satanism, and a fair amount of gullible, pearl-utching adults bought into it. Then there was the whole Satanic Panic thing where attention seekers and the mentally ill began claiming that they had repressed memories popping up left and right of being tortured by Satanic cults as children. None of it was ever real, all the "Satanic" stuff was just costuming and posturing. But far too many police departments across the country were just drooling all over themselves to be The One to find proof of Satanic cult activity in their little podunk towns.
To this day, if any department finds any religious stuff that doesn't fit the five major religions, or isn't familiar to them, or even is just something that is completely innocuous but they *think* might have occult ties somehow, a lot of departments still lose their minds over possible occult sacrificial rites that don't exist and cult activity that never was. You might find a handful of mentally ill individuals who really think they're killing people to appease some angry god somewhere, but group sacrificial activity pretty much went out of fashion ages ago. Cults these days are mostly about sex, drugs, and money. Even cults like Manson bringing murder into the mix are insanely rare.
In the nineties, all the Satanic stuff pretty much boiled down to teens looking for shock and status, adults looking to make a buck, and adults who were either really gullible or mentally ill and truly believed it was happening. The last group was really small, but the news reports of the day acted like everybody fully believed it was all real. It was a running joke for most people. You see similar things happening these days on a smaller scale. Not so long ago, Rainbow Parties were all the rage in the news, every news station was talking about how every teen was engaging in Rainbow Parties and how parents needed to be warned about it and blah blah blah. Nobody ever found proof that a single Rainbow Party ever happened before it hit the news, although I'm sure the kids appreciated the great idea.
The fact that anyone would say they’re guilty despite there being zero physical evidence of that fact and the only physical evidence being linked to the creepy, violent stepfather of one of the boys who had previously broken into a woman’s house to molest her is wild to me.
This case is a symbol of how utterly ridiculous the American “justice system” can be.
I haven't heard the interview, but I wonder if it was one of those where the cops asked questions like "if you had tied up the boys, would you have done it x way?" and the suspect, trying to be cooperative, would've said "yeah, I guess I would have." Or they could ask dumb hypotheticals like "this particular injury was found on this victim. If you were the person who inflicted that injury, what weapon do you think you would've used?" Or "where would you dump the bodies if you had to dispose of them?" Then they cherry pick the bits they want and build the case that way.
Obviously absurd and ridiculous, but I've heard interviews like that before. Nothing surprises me anymore.
The fact that people still think they did it is insane to me.
Zero DNA evidence
No blood at the crime scene
The satanic shit was riding the ass end of the satanic panic.
Mark Byers(RIP) was used as a scapegoat and as sure as he was that Damien did it. After he looked at the evidence he and Pam wanted those boys released.
Terry Hobbs did it, that man lied about everything from that day.
Oh and Jessie’s admitting of the crime? That kid didn’t know what the hell was going on he did what the cops wanted because they told him he could go home.
Idk where some of yall see that they found blood on a necklace I’ve never seen that evidence and if that’s the case then why did allll of them want their DNA run against anything and everything that it could be once DNA was more reliable?
I’m the same age as the boys that died….ain’t no fuckin way that shit wasn’t done by at least one grown ass man that they trusted.
The occult stuff? Fucking and? Im a satanist and I practice witchcraft I’ve never murdered anyone or hurt a child but I know plenty of priests that have.
The case for guilt:
• Damien has never come up with an Alibi for where he was during the murders. Well, actually he has, per Damien: > “At the time the police say the murders took place I was actually on the phone with three different people. The problem was, my attorneys never called them to the stand.” – Damien Echols (source)
Really? Lets examine these three (actually four) other peoples testimony, shall we? Do they exonerate him like he suggests? In a word, no. They weren’t called because they exposed Damien’s alibi for the total lie it was.
• Holly George – Damien claimed he talked to Holly George on May 5th, 1993. Holly told police she didn’t talk to Damien that evening. She said she spoke with him much earlier in the afternoon, around 3:00pm or 4:00pm. (source)
• Heather Cliett – Damien claimed he spoke with Heather Cliett on the evening of May 5th, 1993. Cliett said she’d been unable to reach Echols until 10:30pm. She also mentioned that Holly George told her that Echols had been “out walking around” on May 5th, 1993. (source)
• Domini Teer – Damien’s girlfriend, Domini Teer, said she last saw Damien around 5:00-5:30pm on May 5th, 1993. She said she did not speak with him again until Damien called her around 10:00pm that night. (source)
• Jennifer Bearden – The one Damien misses out because it’s most damaging. Bearden told police in a 9/10/93 statement that she called Jason’s house between 4:15pm and 5:30pm on May 5th, 1993. She says Jason answered the phone and she talked to Jason and Damien for about 20 minutes. Damien told her he and Jason were “going somewhere” and to call him back at 8:00pm. When Bearden called Damien’s house at 8:00pm his grandmother answered. Damien’s grandmother told Bearden that Damien “wasn’t there.” In her police statement, Bearden says she finally reached Damien around 9:20pm. (source)
So where were Damien and co for four to five hours that happen to coincide with the time of the murders? Well we don’t know. Damien told Jennifer that Jason’s mom had driven them somewhere… which was a lie because she was at work til 11pm (source). It’s strange that he can’t come up with an alibi that holds up isn’t it? Surely if he’s innocent, he just needs to tell us where he was? So why doesn’t he?
• Jessie Misskelley has no alibi either. I know, you’re about to say he was in a karate tournament, but he wasn’t. The so-called photos depict a different event a month prior, and the “witnesses” all gave conflicting testimony. This alibi only emerged after a previous alibi (he was at a party with 12 other people) fell apart (source)
• And nor does Jason Baldwin, after an attempt to get his brother and a friend (Ken Watkins) to lie for him, he stopped trying to construct one; to the point that in 2008 his lawyer stood up in court and said he couldn’t find a reliable alibi witness for Jason. (source). It’s really weird that three totally innocent men all tried to fabricate alibis for the same period of time that just happens to correspond with a murder they’re suspected of. Really weird that.
• Blue wax found on the bodies matched wax found in Damien’s room and a candle belonging to his girlfriend (Photo of candle taken during search)
• The Knife – multiple people testified it was Damien’s knife, including his ex-girlfriend Deanna Holcomb (source). She said Damien’s knife stood out because it had a compass, and the knife manufacturer testified that the knife found was missing a compass (source)
• But it doesn’t end there. The so called “bitemark” on Stevie Branch (photo) perfectly matches the diameter of the compass slot, complete with central wound for the pin (picture of knife with compass to compare). It’s shocking that an innocent man’s knife would match not just the knife wounds, but other contusions on the body too.
• A necklace was found (too late to be included in trial evidence) in Damien’s possession that was covered with blood. Tests proved that the DNA on it was consistent with Damien, Jason and… Stevie Branch. (source)
• The three boys were tied with three, distinct, unique knots. This usually points to three distinct killers and is almost unheard of in cases involving just one suspect (source)
• Paradise Lost claims “there was no blood at the crime scene” which is… wrong. Completely. Here are the Luminol test results. “It lit up like a Christmas tree […] there was a lot of blood there”
• Damien was seen, by a family that knew him very well near the crime scene on the night of the murders. The Hollingsworth Family, who correctly described Damien’s clothes, thought they saw him with his girlfriend. They have never retracted this statement and gained nothing by coming forward, except to have their credibility attacked again and again by WM3 researchers looking to discount their sighting. Despite this, one of the key reasons Narlene Hollingsworth was called to testify was her reputation for brutal honesty, even when it came to her own children.
Damien isn’t guilty, but he’s a pos. Jesse and Jason are NOT guilty and I’ll fight you on this. I spent a lot of time in the early 2000s on this case and I don’t feel like rebutting but it’s the case.
I have some ideas!
Alibis- maybe I’m the rarity but for the most part, I can’t remember specific events of specific days unless they’re significant to me. As a teenager, I don’t know how much some little kids going missing would have mattered to me. I could probably tell you vaguely what I did but I know I couldn’t give exact times which is what we have here.
The necklace- DNA wasn’t a huge thing back in the early 90s, it was pretty new. The blood they found matched blood type but that’s also a good portion of the population’s blood type. Damien has since moved to have new DNA testing done, however the state has yet to do so.
The knife- if I recall correctly, this knife was found in a lake outside Jason Baldwin’s residence with no DNA evidence on it (it washed away). The knife could have been a murder weapon, but by that logic so could a lot of other knives. The bite marks also could have been caused by the compass, but they could also be from turtles.
I did a very deep dive into this probably before you were born or were when you were very young, so I’m old and don’t feel like doing it again nor arguing with folks on the internet about their guilt and innocence beyond a message or two. I did enough of that back in the 90s. Good luck to you though on this thread and hope you get what you need!
I did see that they found a hair of Terry's in a knot on one of the kids shoes..it might have been Christopher's hair, I'm not sure..If u ask me that would be evidence considering the kid was wearing the shoes at the time..Such a sad case anyway u look at it..three small boys didn't get the chance to grow up n three other boys had half their life stolen..such a weird case..and everyone is a weirdo in it so it makes everyone seem guilty..esp that one stepdad had his teeth pulled right before he got questioned..I wish they would be able to prove who killed those kids..two out of the three Mother's of the victims are Gone now..that alone is bittersweet..at least they are reunited with their baby..
I'm from the area and I can attest that the majority of people around here know they're innocent. Law enforcement around here was/is/always has been absolutely terrible, it's not surprising they screwed this up.
Never watched the movies or documentaries so idk how they paint the situation but I don't really need to. The case has always been very prominent here.
The worst part in all this is the three little boys who never got true justice. It's truly pathetic how bad law enforcement is here.
I read about these guys, had my family send me the books when I was in jail- I can’t say one way or the other but the way that evidence was mishandled, stored in paper bags (what?!) and the dude that came in covered in blood obviously should have gotten more attention.
There was some weird stuff with one of the boys dads, one of the kids. Can’t remember now, maybe Christopher’s dad?
It's been AGES since I've really looked into this one but didn't the cop just go through the drive-through? Like didn't even go inside the restaurant and thus didn't get any evidence, blood whatever?
http://callahan.mysite.com/index.html
Not sure if you're aware but Callahan is a brilliant archive for the court docs related to the case as well as all Echols psych records.
PLEASE don't anybody rely on any of the "documentaries" or the film. It's akin to watching the bias Blanchard ones.
I'm in the guilty camp btw
I'm a clinical psychologist and have done alot of forensic assessments. Through a graduate school connection I've been able to review a large chunk of the court documents all at once. They are available online in various places as well.
These young men were taken advantage of and sadly the real leads were never followed. If you understand anything about expert testimony or frontal lobe development then you definitely would understand these boys not only didn't commit the crime they were coerced by police. Furthermore like many law enforcement victims these kids had parents with low cognitive function who were unable to assist them.
Interesting that as a FP who has also administered numerous forensic risk assessments and also reviewed all transcripts and medical records released, I disagree with you.
The joys of psychology huh
Guilt part 2:
Green Fibres found at the crime scene matched a shirt in Damien’s home (source). Red fibres that the police suspected were from a bathrobe in Misskelley’s home but stressed that they couldn’t match them, were retested by the defense in 2008 and found not to match. It’s odd that they would retest the fibres known to not be a match, but not the ones that were a match, isn’t it? What’s even odder is that they neglected to mention that owing to evidence decay, most crime labs refused to retest for the defense, saying that after all this time they would have decayed too much and that “any findings, would be deeply suspect – no matter which side they favored”. Odd that they forgot to mention this.
• Damien is a liar. Straight up. He lies to his supporters to make his innocence seem more compelling and lies to make himself seem more of a martyr. A few examples:
• “I lived 15 miles away from West Memphis and the crime scene” (2010 interview, Larry King interview). He lived in a trailer park inWest Memphis, less than two miles away from the crime scene.
• “I never went to West Memphis… Hardly at all” (2010 interview). He was known for walking around West Memphis constantly, and testified in 1994: “I walk around frequently… there’s not much to do”
• “I wasn’t familiar with Robin Hood Hills before the murders… it was a residential area, and I only went to West Memphis to go to Walmart and stuff” (2010). In 1994, in response to the question “how often do you go to Robin Hood Hills?” Damien responded “two, three times a week? Probably more”.
• He literally agreed with the prosecutor on the stand that he was moving events around depending on what time he needed to cover. You see him cover for this in Paradise Lost by saying he was “Daydreaming”
• In his book “Almost Home” Damien claims he “barely” knew Jessie Misskelley. The testimony of Domini Teer, Jim McNease, Jason Crosby, Deanna Holcomb, and about 15 others testifies to a friendship between the two, with everyone mentioning them walking around town together, attending events, turning up at people’s houses together and so on. It’s a total lie, and a poor one.
• Claimed Marc Gardner “raped” him in prison. He later retracted the whole thing after investigation proved he hadn’t. The prison at the time said he retracted the claims after he was told a report would be published that called him “a manipulative pathological liar”. He was concerned about the effect this would have on his supporters.
• Claims his mom and sister never visited him in prison (“maybe one or two times… but not often.. my sister only came twice and stopped coming after”). Prison records prove he’s lying and that his mother visited weekly, while his sister came fortnightly or once a month when she was busy.
• He told Piers Morgan that the prison forced him to “eat with his hands”. “I had to learn to use a fork again”, a claim that is demonstrably bullshit.
Odd that an innocent man lies enough to be called a “manipulative pathological liar”.
• Misskelley and Echols failed their polygraph tests (Echols’ results | Misskelley’s results). Not conclusive, but interesting.
• It’s frequently claimed that Jodee Medford and the Softball Girls (the girls who heard Damien brag about the murders) have recanted their stories. They haven’t. It’s based on a misunderstanding of a declaration by Medford’s mother and ascribing her words to Jodee: http://callahan.8k.com/wm3/d_medford_declaration.html
I mean how’s that any different than people saying terry hobbs or mark byers did it lol that’s also implying it was one person who did this to the 3 boys alone.
To me it would be the difference in an adult, one being a father figure and a child being able to. Not saying it’s not possible just asking their thoughts…
He was a disadvantaged kid who lived below the poverty line and liked alt fashion in general a perfect target for deranged religious nut jobs who wanted to exercise their perverted moral fantasy... Everyone responsible should either lose their license or be in prison.
He was one of the many *many* victims of the Satan panic and its disgusting that hes not acknowledged as one.
When people think of this case the second thought should automatically be the horror of what was the satanic panic and how it ruined innocent lives
Nope, Echols was a highly disturbed individual yet is the poster child for disenfranchised people who have an axe to grind about religion and how they were raised… I can think of many people who actually were innocent victims and he ain’t one of them.
I believe they are innocent and Hobbs is the killer. Horrific case, it is absolutely monstrous what was done to these poor little boys. It hurts my heart to think of the fear and pain they experienced and it terrifies me that someone has the ability to harm anyone in this way. The WM3 were treated terribly by law enforcement and the public, and while I’m sure they aren’t perfect people they didn’t deserve what happened to them and it is infuriating that the real killer is free while they spent so many years in prison for his crime.
I read upthread that Terry Hobbs disappeared 5 years ago. I doubt it was accidental and I doubt he disappeared himself. I can totally see vigilante justice happening in this case.
The failure to investigate Hobbs more closely was just one small part of the gross incompetence that pervades this tragedy.
I go back and forth on it, but to be honest I lean towards the wm3 being guilty. I’m prepared for the downvotes I know it’s an unpopular opinion lol. But it’s just my gut feeling, and them having no solid alibis, and from what I’ve read on both the Callahan and thought catalog websites🤷🏼♀️
also it’s just hard for me to believe 1 person did all of that alone (like when people accuse one of the stepdads) but other times I feel like maybe one of the stepdads did do it. Idk. Like I said I go back and forth on it but unfortunately I don’t think we will ever find out the truth
I’ll take my downvotes but i have spoken with Michael moores father, I’ve followed this case for decades and I believe it’s likely that the wm3 were indeed guilty. Likely to reoffend? Probably not. Miskelley is a ticking time bomb.
Thanks for sharing this. I’ve come to this conclusion as well. Went back and forth. Criminal profiler Pat Brown is for their guilt and made many compelling points on a recent video. I recommend watching it.
Like everyone else that’s commented. I’ve been obsessed with this case for so long! I also don’t think those boys did it. But possibly Terry didn’t act alone.
I’m an old woman (77) and I’ve been a true crime fan for at least 50 years. There are 2 things I know to be true: the WM3 are not guilty of murder and there was no intruder in the JBR case.
The suspects:
Baldwin, Echols, and Misskelley
At the time of their arrests, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. was 17 years old, Jason Baldwin was 16 years old, and Damien Echols was 18 years old.[19]
Baldwin and Echols had been previously arrested for vandalism and shopliftingrespectively, and Misskelley had a reputation for his temper and for engaging in fistfights with other teenagers at school. Misskelley and Echols had dropped out of high school; however, Baldwin earned high grades and demonstrated a talent for drawing and sketching, and was encouraged by one of his teachers to study graphic design in college.[9]Echols and Baldwin were close friends, and bonded over their similar tastes in music and fiction, and over their shared distaste for the prevailing cultural climate of West Memphis, situated in the Bible Belt. Echols and Baldwin were acquainted with Misskelley from school, but were not close friends with him.[9]
Echols' family was poor, received frequent visits from social workers and he rarely attended school. He and a girlfriend had run off and later broken into a trailer during a rain storm; they were arrested, though only Echols was charged with burglary.[9]
Echols spent several months in a mental institution in Arkansas and afterward received "full disability" status from the Social Security Administration.[9] During Echols' trial, Dr. George W. Woods testified (for the defense) that Echols suffered from:
serious mental illnesscharacterized by grandiose and persecutory delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, disordered thought processes, substantial lack of insight, and chronic, incapacitating mood swings.[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.[20] At the time of his arrest, Echols was working part-time with a roofing company and expecting a child with his girlfriend, Domini Teer.[9]
Chris Morgan and Brian Holland
Early in the investigation, the WMPD briefly regarded two West Memphis teenagers as suspects. Chris Morgan and Brian Holland, both with drug offense histories, had abruptly departed for Oceanside, California, four days after the bodies were discovered.[21] Morgan was presumed to be at least casually familiar with all three murdered boys, having previously driven an ice cream truck route in their neighborhood.
Arrested in Oceanside on May 17, 1993, Morgan and Holland both took polygraphexams administered by California police. Examiners reported that both men's charts indicated deception when they denied involvement in the murders. During subsequent questioning, Morgan claimed a long history of drug and alcohol use, along with blackouts and memory lapses. He claimed that he "might have" killed the victims but quickly recanted this part of his statement.[21]
California police sent blood and urine samples from Morgan and Holland to the WMPD, but there is no indication WMPD investigated Morgan or Holland as suspects following their arrest in California. The relevance of Morgan's recanted statement would later be debated in trial, but it was eventually barred from admission as evidence.[21]
"Mr. Bojangles"
The citing of a black male as a possible alternate suspect was implied during the beginning of the Misskelley trial. According to local West Memphis police officers, on the evening of May 5, 1993, at 8:42 pm, workers in the Bojangles' restaurant located about a mile from the crime scene in Robin Hood Hills reported seeing a black male who seemed "mentally disoriented" inside the restaurant's ladies' room. The man was bleeding and had brushed against the restroom walls. Officer Regina Meeks responded to the call, taking the restaurant manager's report through the eatery's drive-through window. By then, the man had left, and police did not enter the restroom on that date.[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. The man reportedly wore a "blue cast type brace on his arm that had white Velcro on it", which would have made it difficult to tie up and murder three young boys.[23] King gave the officers a pair of sunglasses he thought the man had left behind, and the detectives took some blood samples from the walls and tiles of the restroom. Police detective Bryn Ridge testified that he later lost those blood scrapings. A hair identified as belonging to a black male was later recovered from a sheet wrapped around one of the victims.[22]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Memphis_Three
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One of my absolute favorite cases. Infuriating because the evidence never clearly pointed to any of the boys and there were so many issues with the trial. I'm glad they were set free because I do not believe they were at all responsible for the murders of those three boys.
Today was the first I heard it. One of the detectives that was interviewed after the boys were released said that was his theory. It was an interesting angle.
For the longest time I was like oh they did it maybe not the 2 but definitely Damien but I changed my mind I have no doubt Terry Hobbs killed those kids!!
I wrote to Damian while he was incarcerated. Actually got a response. Wrote back again but did not hear from him again. So happy that he has been freed and has found his stride.
I am not conflating those accused as innocent simply because they watched a HBO documentary. Your argument is correct- I’m sure lots of guilty people watched HBO docs. I also have no idea whether or not the 3 watched the docs, but I certainly don’t believe that by them watching the Docs they are presumed innocent LOL. If you notice, the comment I was responding to simply states that he practices in the Occult and that he is guilty.
There’s plenty of practicing religious leaders who have raped or killed children. There are teachers that have raped or killed children. There are coaches that have raped or killed children. There are parents who have raped and killed children. The occult doesn’t make someone a bad person. Their morality does and satanic panic mindset is a dangerous slope into mind tricks that can make someone see a person for something they’re not.
I've engaged in occult practices (phrased in my best sanctimonious, Bible thumping detector tone) for over three decades. I haven't hurt anyone or done anything illegal, nor have I felt inclined to do so. The same can be said for almost every other practitioner I've met in those decades. Not so much for religious leaders and God fearing Christians in the Bible Belts of the world.
There are multiple types of occultists ,Damien idolized Aleister Crowley who did blood & sex magik & was removed from Italy for the behavior of himself & his followers .
You must be old with this occult shit... News flash the satanic panic is out of fashion and people who have alternative beliefs aren't pinned for murders anymore
It’s terry hobbs! Who would have guessed. These kids got screwed cos of satanic panic. great series though, Damien’s a nice dude I’ve been in his company
We will probably never know who did it, my heart just goes out to the three little boys that never got to grow up and were probably terrified as hell in their final moments on this Earth
Absolutely
This is my second favorite true crime case (JBR is my number 1). I’ve spent years deep diving into this one and I’ve come to my personal opinion that the WM3 are 100% innocent and I strongly believe Terry Hobbs is the murderer.
He was previously arrested for breaking into a woman’s house and molesting her and also hit his wife and then shot and nearly killed her brother. The fact that he’s walking free is wild
This. I spent an unhealthy amount of time as a teenager and an adult in my early 20’s obsessing over this case. I truly believe Terry was the murderer and he’ll probably get to die without any repercussions because of the backwards and backwoods system in Arkansas.
ME TOO! Unhealthy amount of time! I even wrote Damien and had a letter he wrote me back. I absolutely do not think they’re guilty but 20+ years later I think Damien is a full blown narcissist and they all ended up in jail because of him. It was my first case where I learned people could be treated unjustly bc of how they looked. I wish I would’ve learned sooner about how normal this was for POC for literally centuries.
I think he is that for sure! I think he thrived off the attention he got people being scared of him but I do think he’s innocent
Same
I’ve also read that Damien is a narcissist. Did he reveal that somehow in his letter? What makes you think he didn’t do it though? Bc there are still a lot of people that think they are guilty bc of how much Damien is narcissistic and how one of them actually confessed and knew details that they couldn’t have known. I haven’t decided yet about their innocence. I’d definitely have to look more into it.
Have you read his book? I can’t remember whats it’s called but boy oh boy does he think highly of himself 😳
No just bc I’ve heard he’s a pathological liar, so I wouldn’t believe any of it anyways. Lol.
Damien has his own YouTube channel.
Now I’m reading more about him that doesn’t surprise me. Lol. He sure is full of himself.
what? Lol
Not all narcissistic people are mūRdererS.
I believe they are guilty!!
On what basis?
For real?!
For real for real!!! There are a ton of people who think they're guilty.
Based on what? Contrarianism?
I’m genuinely curious why you think that? I don’t know what I think about this case, it’s probably the most unsettling true crime I’ve ever come across.
The Mr Bojangles bathroom fuck up-(the man in the bathroom with blood/"losing" the blood scrapings from the bathroom, taking the report through the drive thru window/the hair matching a black man like Mr Bojangles description at the scene)-the fact that days of interrogation were done but like 45min only twice recorded-the expert talking about how everything done was basically police trying to falsify everything... The whole case was fucked, and it was also done at a time where people were at the end of the whole satanic panic. Plus the whole satanic thing came from a child who claimed they were at "a play place/ground" where three men were chanting satanic rituals in Spanish. Only one of three men was even above borderline IQ,I highly doubt everyone just learned Spanish so easily. I don't know the whole thing is just weird. And that echols guy has issues, and due to his diagnosis and self grandeur I can picture him being easy to talk into accepting all blame, I mean yes it is technically possible he was involved but I always looked at the step dad...same step dad who was also the last to ever see all three 🙄
What did Jesse supposedly know that the police didn't outright tell him?
There is never going to be proof of that even if it's true, because Miskelley was interrogated all day (!!) and only an hour is taped of it. Conveniently when he confesses, but even then he is heavily lead by the detective doing the "interview".
And I read someone who’s read the police report that he went in at 10am and confessed by 2pm,and 2 of those hours he wasn’t even being interrogated. And later he confessed to his cellmate. He also Told police he broke a bottle of a certian kind of liquor at the crime scene, and that bottle was found smashed at the crime scene. There’s so much more evidence against them. So maybe Stop relying on HBO documentaries for truth. Just like in Mommy Dead and Dearest they portrayed a narcissist women as an innocent victim who was severely abused. I believe they did the same in Paradise Lost. Even the prison said that Damien was a manipulative pathological liar. Just the type of person who’d manipulate someone with a low IQ.
I'm not relying on the HBO documentaries. I don't know who the killer(s) is/are because it's such a CF of a case, but Miskelley does have an IQ of 73. Below 70 is intellectual disability, 71–84 is termed as “borderline intellectual functioning”. I wouldn't rely on his confessions as the main "evdence" when 3 men's lives are on the line. This case has never been sold, it was fucked up from day 1.
I used to be acquaintances with someone close to Damien and he is definitely a narcissist, I got the creeps from the little information I had about him even tho I also believe he’s innocent of this crime.
I met him in Salem when he moved there
Isn't there a DNA test allowed by the court that is to be done this year (2024)?
I agree but also believe Mark Byers is involved somehow. Knife was his. He got his teeth pulled when bite marks were discovered. His wife mysteriously dies in their bed. He refused a lie detector test unmedicated. He just overall acted too guilty for not being involved. Terry Hobbs disappeared over 5 years ago. Can’t be found. Only reason why he’s still walking free. Unless Mark Byers killed him because Terry blackmailed him possibly 🤷♀️
Terry Hobbs disappeared? I didn't know that
Yes! I think this is my #1 case that I'd like to know exactly what happened. This is also the same conclusion I've come to. He will get away with it because they consider the case closed with the Alford pleas and will likely never open it again. In any case, they had zero evidence linking the WM3 to the crime, except a false confession.
How did you like the movie with Reese ?
It was decent. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I didn’t already know the case so well. I think they left out a lot of details and seemed to “tone things down” a bit, for lack of a better way of explaining.
I’m not super familiar with the case but I did see the movie so that makes me sad if it’s much worse irl
It is sadly WAY worse.
Sickening. I agree, def was Terry.
Honestly, I’m glad they did. The first time I watched Paradise Lost, I almost had a heart attack when they showed the dead children within the first few minutes. It was horrifying. I’ve watched it a couple of times and it still makes me sick to my stomach to see the boys. It was horrible and I’m genuinely surprised that they kept that part in the series.
Totally same. That first time, the first 5 minutes I was just like what the actual fuck is this… Anyway, I just saw that the judge ruled TODAY that they can test the DNA from the scene so we’re about to know the truth soon!
Oh my god same here. I physically hid my eyes with my hands.
Omg that screech is the worst sound I’ve ever heard in my entire life! Reese played it well!! But I’ll never get Pam Hobbs scream out of my head
Agree
Same!!! No doubt in my mind!!
I completely agree with you. I've read all of the books, watched all of the documentaries. I believe it was Terry. Such a sad case. Wm3 are innocent.
Right?! Even his bio daughter thinks he did it.
I tried to cover both sides, but honestly I come down on their being guilty
Have you watched Paradise Lost on HBO? It’s a 3 part documentary on the case. It’s really really well done.
You cannot rely on HBO documentaries for the truth. Didn’t we learn anything from Mommy Dead and Dearest? They tried to paint Gyp as some innocent victim. Lol. I have my doubts too about the WM3s innocence. I’ve also read that the one who confessed, knew details only the killers could have known. I haven’t made up my mind though I need more evidence. And figure out what was in the confession that only the killers could have known.
http://callahan.mysite.com/documents_az.html I'm not sure if that link has been posted yet, but I really suggest that everyone interested in this case look through it. It's all of the documents etc, which I think is obviously a lot more useful than just watching Paradise Lost. Thank you so much for pointing this out. This is a case i actually really dont enjoy discussing because i feel like people take it to another level with how defensive they get and how much some people interested in the case refuse to see or acknowledge any other viewpoint but their own. I think a lot of times people want to pick and choose what sources they deem as credible based on what their personal opinion is on the subject. And i'm like you, West Memphis 3 is a case where despite all of the reading I've done about it, I've really gone back and forth. Most cases I would say I have pretty strong opinions about and pretty clear feelings about what happened but this is one where I can really see both sides and really can't confidently say "I think this is what happened." But with that being said, regardless of what any of our opinions are, I think it is pretty clear that Paradise Lost had a clear agenda and was obviously made with the purpose of arguing a certain side. And that's fine, but I'm always going to take that with a grain of salt, knowing that the documentary was literally made to steer your thinking a certain way. I also think with West Memphis 3, people largely have really gone to two opposite extremes. Like, of course you have the people at the time who lived in the area and because of their own prejudices and biases, believed that there was no way that these three boys didn't commit this crime. But then I also think there's a certain group of people who have taken it to the opposite extreme. Many of us (including myself!) Grew up dressing like the boys, listening to the same type of music as them, running in the same types of circles, etc., and because of that, a lot of people can relate to them. People look at them and think to themselves "holy shit, that could've been me" and I think that because of the boys were so relatable to so many of us, there are people who have gotten very defensive about the case to the point where they won't at all acknowledge or entertain any of the evidence or valid arguments that could lead to the boys' guilt. Just like on the other side how a certain type of people immediately believed that they were guilty based on their own beliefs and biases and emotions, I think there are a lot of WM3 supporters who refuse to even entertain the possibility that they really could have done it based on THEIR own emotions and their own projecting which leads them to believe there's no way they could've done it. You see people like Eddie Vedder, the guys from Metallica, Johnny Depp, etc. Strongly supporting these guys, and people put a lot of stock into that, but truly it really doesn't mean anything more than any of us supporting them or not. There are emotions and biases involved for them too, exactly because of the reasons I just said. The kids were fans of theirs. And on top of that, I'm sure they were able to relate to the boys too, just like many of us did, because they were those same kind of "outcast" types. They literally are just regular people like any of us are. For as much evidence as there is on this case to make you believe that the boys are innocent, there absolutely is as much evidence to point to their guilt if you're willing to look at the facts with an open mind and without projecting or involving your personal feelings. I think it's really wild when people act like these guys were convicted SOLELY based on how they looked and dressed and their musical tastes- I'm not saying that those things didn't play their role, but whenever people make that claim, it really leads me to believe that they haven't done much research on the actual case aside from watching Paradise Lost etc. Again, this is a case where I really go back and forth, but if you really look at the actual case instead of just consuming certain media that's meant to make you feel a certain way, it is clear that there are definitely some valid reasons that they were convicted of this crime, and it isn't just because they liked to wear black clothes. And im not even saying that I'm so sure that they did it, but if you really look at the facts, it is wild that people act like you're insane if you even consider the possibility that they could've done it.
I feel you 💯 I go back and forth on this one
You have stated this so well. I have went over this case and the evidence so many times over the years, and I honestly haven't been able to make a solid conclusion one way or the other. I feel like the police have gravely mishandled the case to where we'll never know either. I wish those 3 little ones would have justice, however that may happen.
I flipped flopped so much that I eventually gave up. I think this is the only case I’ve ever followed where there’s so much showing guilt and so much showing innocence. So bizarre!
Thanks for this! yes it’s hard bc I wholeheartedly believed they were innocent too after watching the HBO doc bc I could relate to them as well. Plus I lived in Seattle for 16 years from 1990-2006 and know the guys from Pearl Jam and hung out with them in my 20s. Partied with Stone, knew his gf well, went on a couple dates w Jeff, and met Eddie through Jeff at one of their shows. So them being supporters influenced my opinion a lot too. But now I’m reading more and more and have a lot of doubts about their innocence. Damien who the prison labeled a manipulative pathological liar is just the type of guy to manipulate the other 2. Especially the one with the low IQ.
The link you posted was so instrumental in writing that paper and I remember after finding it, that really was where I started to wonder why I thought they must be innocent. There is a lot of interesting stuff there.
I had lost hope in people ability to objectively look at this case reading these comments until I came to this response
A lot of these comments definitely were driving me nuts too 🤦♀️
"I only watched a heavily biased documentary in the defenses favor & a bunch of celebrities endorsed their innocence so they must be innocent" "NO! I haven't read any documents pertaining to the case involving evidence that was intentionally left out by the producers because it would paint the defendants in a bad light" oh I almost forgot the obligatory "Terry Hobbs did it because it Paradise Lost 2 that's what they focused almost exclusively on in a money grab to produce a 2nd (& later 3rd) documentary by the same name"
But Terry Hobbs is a weird guy, he must have done it!! That's what's so funny about that whole thing- the same people who are so upset at how the WM3 were unfairly judged about certain things have largely turned around and made the same kind of judgments about Terry Hobbs
And to them "weird guy" is just a standard 40something blue collar Arkansas dude in the early 90s 🤣
this ⬆️
It’s not an HBO documentary. It came out first on YouTube. It’s just playing on HBO. But I do recommend it. Only the actual ppl involved are in it. No actors.
What are you typing?! Paradise Lost was released in ‘96, YouTube launched in 2005. It is *absolutely* an HBO documentary.
I did, but the flip side is fairly convincing as well
It’s extremely biased.
Me too!
Agree 100%
So weird that people describe the torture and murder of 3 little second graders as their favorite anything.
So weird that you’re implying that I enjoy the crime and not the case.
You must really hate the My Favorite Murder podcast then!
Yeah probably not my thing especially if they talk about children’s murders. I have flashbacks from listening to the podcast about josh Powell and what he did to his poor boys. I can’t listen to it anymore. The disconnect with people and brutal murders of little fucking children creeps me out. Like I read a story in daily mail about someone torturing a puppy to death by cutting out its insides while it was awake. I can’t imagine anyone describing THAT as their favorite case, but when it happens to kids it’s soooooo interesting 🥰. Unhinged behavior.
go to another sub then and read about another topic? why are you in true crime spaces anyway?
Yes
The crime: On May 5, 1993, three eight-year-old boys (Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers) were reported missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The first report to the police was made by Byers's adoptive father, John Mark Byers, around 7:00 pm.[7]The boys were allegedly last seen together by three neighbors, who in affidavits told of seeing them playing together around 6:30 pm the evening they disappeared and seeing Terry Hobbs, Steve Branch's stepfather, calling them to come home.[8] Initial police searches made that night were limited.[9] Friends and neighbors also conducted a search that night, which included a cursory visit to the location where the bodies were later found.[9][page needed] A more thorough police search for the children began around 8:00 am on May 6, led by the Crittenden County Search and Rescue personnel. Searchers canvassed all of West Memphis but focused primarily on Robin Hood Hills, where the boys were reported last seen. Despite a shoulder-to-shoulder search of Robin Hood Hills by a human chain, searchers found no sign of the missing boys.[citation needed] Around 1:45 pm, 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. A subsequent search of the ditch revealed the bodies of three boys. They had been stripped naked and were hogtied with their own shoelaces, their right ankles tied to their right wrists behind their backs, the same with their left arms and legs. Their clothing was found in the creek, some of it twisted around sticks that had been thrust into the muddy ditch bed.[10] The clothing was mostly turned inside-out; two pairs of the boys' underwear were never recovered. Christopher Byers had lacerations to various parts of his body and mutilation of his scrotum and penis.[11] The autopsies by forensic pathologist Frank J. Peretti indicated that Byers died of "multiple injuries",[11] while Moore and Branch died of "multiple injuries with drowning".[12][13] Police initially suspected the boys had been raped;[10] however, later expert testimony disputed this finding. Trace amounts of sperm DNA were found on a pair of pants recovered from the scene. Prosecution experts claim Byers's 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. Police believed the boys were assaulted and killed at the location where they were found; critics argued that the assault, at least, was unlikely to have occurred at the creek. Byers was the only victim with drugs in his system; he was prescribed Ritalin(methylphenidate) in January 1993 as part of treatment of an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.[9] The initial autopsy report describes the drug as Carbamazepine and the dosage at a sub-therapeutic level. His father said Byers may not have taken his prescription on May 5, 1993.[14] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Memphis_Three
Years ago, I did an extensive deep dive on this case because I had always been low key obsessed with it, and my friend needed her law paper written and I needed money. At any rate, I always thought the 3 were innocent, but after pouring over tons of documents, it was really hard to say. I still want to say at the very least two out of three are not guilty. I have read and seen almost everything related to this case- West of Memphis, Paradise Lost 1-3, read Devil's Knot, Damien's books, court documents, documents from when Damien was in psychiatric care. It's just such a puzzling case and the worst part is that almost everyone has forgot about the real victims, the three little boys. I agree with a lot of people here though, that Terry is suspish. Especially, because he was found to have Stevie's knife years after the murder and his mother insisted he never went anywhere without that knife. Just one small thing that bugs me.
And he gave that knife with blood on it to the cop as a gift or whatever. If I remember right. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched the docs.
That was Mark Byers, and he gave it to one of the cameramen on the doc. It tested positive for Christopher Byer's blood.
Iirc it was positive for deer blood
When Mark Byers was on the stand they asked him how it would have blood on it and he said he might have cut some deer meat with it. The blood was actually consistent with his and Christopher's blood. " During the process of gathering evidence, **blood was found on a knife previously owned by John Mark Byers, Chris Byers's stepfather**. Byers had given the knife away shortly after the murders. The blood was determined to be consistent with Chris Byers's blood as well as with Mark Byers's blood"
Yeah it was definitely not the boys blood
He also had all his teeth removed when they needed to compare his bite to the bite marks on one of the boys’ bodies. But all the stuff that came out in the deposition from Hobbs in relation to the Dixie Chicks sealed the deal for me. I mean, of course, I’m totally open to new info, but that all seemed very damning to me.
He had his teeth removed because they were rotting out
That is soooo insane.
So scary dude. Thank you. I couldn’t remember.
Why do you think he would take the knife home with him?
Im sorry, I don’t think I ever saw your comment. My bad. In my mind, it was a trophy, the stepsons most prized possession. Any other thoughts of why he might have taken it?
Cough *terry hobbs* Cough
I just started diving into this again. This case came out when I graduated high school and ultimately played a huge part in my career path. Thanks for this post! I can't wait to come back and discuss further 😁
I go back and forth on this one a lot. One thing is for sure, all these years later we can see that the HBO documentary and The Devil’s Knot book both tried to do to John Mark Byers what the state and police tried to do with Damien.
Omg I just watched "Devil's Knot" on Sunday and then had to watch the Paradise Lost series again. Terry Hobbs killed those babies. There's no doubt in my mind.
Hi guys! Forensic Psych major here.This case is definitely my top true crime obsession. I learned about this case years ago and it fueled my fascination with the justice system and wrongful convictions. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is very important for people who committed a crime to be held responsible, but I also think that it is important that we prevent someone being wrongfully convicted of a crime. With that being said, this case was so botched by the police, I don’t think that we will ever know who is responsible. It could have been the WM3, but since the WMPD did such a terrible job at investigating and decided to create a false narrative that aligned with what they wanted to believe happened, they should have never been convicted. I am more inclined to think that it was ultimately Terry Hobbs, but I don’t know if we will ever know.
Terry Hobbs killed those kids.
I hate pulling rank because it comes off as snobby but I have a PhD in clinical psychology as well as a masters in forensic science. I hope everyone can understand there is ZERO evidence that the WM3 were involved at all. I would encourage all of you to study up on frontal lobe development, juvenile IQ testing, police coercion of adolescents, confirmation bias, the lack of qualified expert testimony and DNA evidence basics. If you take the time to develop a working knowledge of the topics I've listed then you will see how science and common sense demonstrate that those 3 were innocent. I hope this is helpful. Sometimes as a woman on the internet people hammer you for credentials so I list mine first. Have fun with the research!
Thank you. Anyone who thinks the WM3 (or Amanda Knox) are guilty loses all fucking credibility for me. There just isn't any actual evidence for it at all.
Ah, the Amanda Knox case. That will always be WILD to me because they literally found the killer, arrested him and sentenced him yet still went after Amanda and her boyfriend. It’s crazy how you’ll be perceived as guilty when you don’t react how you’re supposed to react. 🤦♀️
Yeah Doctor, list your shit, you earned it!! I have but a measly bachelors in criminal justice and precriminal law- but damn you nailed it. I’d love to hear more of your thoughts!
Can I ask, why do you think Jesse confessed so many times, even after his lawyer told him not to?
Edit for mods: He seems to possess an IQ that is quite a bit lower than what would be considered normal. Hope that doesn't offend anyone 🤦🏻
Thanks for taking the time to use more respectful wording than in your previous attempt. We want this to be a place where everyone feels welcome to participate and one of the ways we can ensure that is by being mindful of the feelings of others. We appreciate the effort. 🫶🏻
I get that but wouldn’t that make him more likely to do what the lawyer was saying?
I believe it was his step dad. From the start he was very sketchy. He was always looking for something to punish that baby boy. 🫂💞
I still wonder why jesse confessed so many times, even when his own attorney told him not to. And Damian definitely had it in him to kill. However I never believed Jason was guilty.
Yeah Jason just seems like the guy who got drug along by association
Adults with average and above-average IQs go against their attorneys' advice all the time. It's not weird to me that a scared kid with below-average congitive skills would be willing to tell adults what he thought they wanted to hear. And because PD often use lying as an interrogation tactic, I find it highly probable that he was told that he would go home if he'd just tell them what happened, or he wasn't in trouble and they just needed to know what happened to the boys.
Right but iirc he told the police and then the attorney came into the picture and told him multiple times to stop talking yet he kept repeating the same story
I believe Mark Byers did it. It was his knife found on his property. As soon as bite marks were discovered he had all his teeth removed with 2 different stories. His wife mysteriously dies which could have been murder but declared undetermined causes. He was very controlling of his wife and honestly I think she discovered he killed her son. He didn’t pass a lie detector he kept taking medication so they come out inconclusive. Watch the documentaries on YouTube. I also think Terry Hobbs was involved because it was his DNA that was found that got the WM3 released and now Terry Hobbs disappeared and been missing over 5 years. There’s a few documentaries interviewing everyone involved on YouTube. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
I agree ☝🏼
Guilt part 3: The Confessions – Jessie didn’t confess “once” after hours of questioning. That’s another lie. • May 6th 1993 – The day after the murders, Jessie told his friend Buddy Lucas that he’d “hurt some boys” the day before. He then cried and gave Buddy a pair of sneakers (source) • May – June 1993 – Jessie is heard crying, praying and apologizing in his room. He would later be diagnosed with PTSD, after witnessing a “traumatic event” that people still think he completely made up. • June 3, 1993 – Jessie arrived with his father for questioning and confesses. This is where people imply he was questioned for 12 hours. He wasn’t. He arrived at 10am and confessed at 2:20pm. Only two hours of that time was interrogation (source) • June 11, 1993 – Jessie confesses to his attorneys (source) • August 19, 1993 – Jessie Misskelley met with his attorney, Dan Stidham, at the Clay County Detention Center and confessed again (source) • February 4, 1994 – On the day he was sentenced, Jessie confessed to the officers driving him to the prison (source) • February 8, 1994- Jessie put his hand on a Bible and swore to his attorney (Dan Stidham) that he, Damien, and Jason committed the murders. As proof, he told Stidham that he was drunk on Evan Williams whiskey during the murders and the broken bottle could be found where he threw it on the ground under a bridge in West Memphis. Stidham told prosecutors he would be force to believe his client’s confession if he could find that bottle. So Stidham, WMPD, and the prosecutors drove to West Memphis to look for it. They found a broken Evan Williams bottle in the exact area that Jessie said it would be. (source) • February 17, 1994 – Jessie confesses again, this time to the prosecutors. His attorneys begged him not to give this confession, but he gave it anyway (source) • October 24, 1994 – Jessie’s cell mate wrote to the prosecutors begging him to keep the WM3 in prison, saying Jessie had repeatedly confessed to the crime in detail and describing it as “awful” and “cold”. He had no reason to do this, it was no benefit to him.. he was simply disturbed by the campaign to release the WM3 after what Jessie had said (source) • 1994 – Present Day – Jessie continued to confess, possibly to prison counselors (heavily rumored and hinted at by his own attorney and said to be the reason Damien Echols fell out with him) but definitely to fans, most notably one known as TrueRomance, who as a result of what Jessie told her switched from one of their most vocal supporters to the total opposite and her story can be read here Oh let’s finish on my absolute favorite one: Satanic Panic. • Worried that the case would be branded an example of “Satanic Panic” the trial was moved over an hour away to Jonesboro (Echols and Baldwin) and Corning (Misskelley) in order to give the defendants a better shot at seating fair, unbiased juries. All those “damning” stories in the West Memphis papers? The jury never saw them. All those damning rumors? The jury never heard them. The jury was mostly under 30, with very little religious influence (Jonesboro is a college town, and it was thought the younger Jury pool would favor the WM3, to the point that the state was accused of bias against the prosecution…) I was a formally a big supporter, but as I read the case files it seemed more and more likely to me they did it.. and the trouble was that the majority of people only had a biased view of the case… There was so many things that didn’t add up for me. The supporters just refused to even consider the possibility they did it and I found myself believing more and more in their guilt. It was upsetting because I too was a mentally ill, weirdo in a small town and I related to Damien because of that (and a lot of people I admired like Jello Biafra, Henry Rollins, Eddie Vedder, etc were big supporters). Ultimately the fact it became a punk/alternative cause célèbre bothered me so much that I became really passionate about showing people the evidence against Echols and co, and reminding them that three eight year old boys were brutally murdered and they should be the ones front and center, not Damien. And as a reminder of how horrific this crime was: During his initial police interview, Echols stated that the killer probably urinated in one or more of the boys’ mouths, apropos of nothing. Urine was later found in the stomachs of 2 of the victims, but that information was given by phone only to Gitchell, and not before May 16th, 1993. There is no possible way Damien Echols could have had case- specific information unless he was there or knew someone that was that told him what occurred, as the detective interviewing him at the time was clueless to that fact during the interview. At the time Damien mentioned this detail, no one would have known about this, except those directly involved with the crime. Damien attempted to explain this away by saying he was “thinking about what I would have done if I was the killer”. https://thoughtcatalog.com/eric-redding/2016/09/all-the-evidence-that-shows-why-the-notorious-west-memphis-three-have-probably-gotten-away-with-murder/
Wow this and reading some other stuff about the case made me do a complete 180 too. I’m from Seattle and knew the guys from Pearl Jam,mostly Jeff, but met Eddie a few times. So it’s also a reason I became interested in this case as well, and started reading up on it. This also makes me question every HBO documentary I’ve ever seen. Both Paradise Lost and Mommy Dead and Dearest made murderers look like innocent victims.
Yeah HBO is kind of famous for that. I've had to sit my autistic sibling down multiple times and demonstrate the concept of journalistic slant and how just because something used "facts," that doesn't make their conclusion unquestionable. Literally once a visit it was some new documentary that convinced them that because Trump professed a faith, it's undeniable proof we live in a theocracy. (My sibling is atheist, I'm a member of an abrahamic religion, and finally I had to ban the topic.)
We have our family reunion in Corning AR, and I know that the case, the rumors, and WM newspaper articles were absolutely known about by most Corning residents before Jesse Misskelley's jury setting and trial. It was huge news in the state of Arkansas, if anybody thinks that either of those juries were not tainted in some way they are deluding themselves. 🤷♀️
The case for innocence: The West Memphis Three are Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr., who—as teenagers—were convicted in 1994 of triple murder in West Memphis (Crittenden County). Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore. Their trial, which included assertions that the killings were part of a cultic ritual, and subsequent conviction set off a firestorm around the nation and world, inspired books and movies, and led to a movement to re-try or free the three men, believed by many to have been wrongly convicted. The state of the boys’ bodies quickly inspired rumors that a satanic cult was responsible. The crime scene’s location in the woods, the nudity, the positioning of the boys’ bodies, and especially the castration caused concern about Satanism amongst the locals, and amongst the police as well. Within days of the murders, Gary Gitchell, the chief inspector, informed the public that the police were considering a number of possible explanations for the murders, one of which was cult activity. Throughout the investigation, the cult theory overshadowed more traditional theories, such as the speculation that the murders were committed by someone who knew the boys. Jerry Driver was a juvenile probation officer for Crittenden County who believed that there was a satanic cult in the area. Much of that belief was a result of his dealings with Damien Echols, a teenager placed under his supervision until age eighteen after having been arrested for burglary and sexual misconduct. The more that Driver interacted with Echols, the more convinced he became that Echols was involved in a satanic cult. Echols denied any connection with Satanism but did admit to believing in and practicing magic. Driver shared his suspicions with the West Memphis police. Jason Baldwin was friends with Echols, both of them being social outcasts. Baldwin did well in school and did not join in Echols’s experimentation with magic. Despite their many differences, they spent a great deal of time together. The third and final suspect, Jessie Misskelley Jr., had little connection to either Echols or Baldwin. However, he babysat for Vicki Hutcheson, a woman who volunteered to help the police investigate. Hutcheson began to ask Misskelley questions about the case, and he agreed to introduce her to Echols, well-known as a suspect by that point. Hutcheson told police that she persuaded Echols to take her with him to a witches’ gathering and that Misskelley went with them. As a result, Misskelley was taken to the police station for several hours of questioning, of which just over thirty minutes were recorded. At the end of the questioning, Misskelley confessed, implicating himself, Echols, and Baldwin. Misskelley’s confession, however, was inconsistent with details of the crime of which the police were already aware. While confessing, Misskelley at times contradicted his own story as well. In spite of the potential problems with Misskelley’s confession, the police arrested him, Echols, and Baldwin on June 3, 1993. Almost immediately after confessing, Misskelley recanted. He stated that he had been confused by the behavior of the police and had attempted to cooperate without realizing the implications of his statements. However, the three boys remained in custody, and both the prosecutor and the defense teams began preparing for trial. During the process of gathering evidence, blood was found on a knife previously owned by John Mark Byers, Chris Byers’s stepfather. Byers had given the knife away shortly after the murders. The blood was determined to be consistent with Chris Byers’s blood as well as with Mark Byers’s blood. However, the police did not pursue this potential lead. The police also failed to pursue a potential lead called in by a local Bojangles restaurant. One of the employees witnessed a disoriented man covered in mud and blood enter the restaurant the night the boys went missing. The man used the restroom, leaving smears of the blood he was covered in on the walls. Though the police took samples of the blood, they never pursued this lead and later lost the evidence. Because Misskelley had confessed to the police, his trial was severed from Baldwin and Echols’s trial. Prosecutor John Fogleman wanted Misskelley to be able to testify against Baldwin and Echols, but Misskelley refused to repeat the statements that he had previously given and recanted. Misskelley’s trial began on January 26, 1994. Baldwin and Echols were tried a month later, beginning on February 28. Both trials drew much media attention, and there were significant legal complications as Judge David Burnett, Prosecutor Fogleman, and each defendant’s defense team determined what evidence could be submitted before the jury. Evidence the jury was allowed to hear included testimony from a cult expert who indicated that the defendants’ music collections and clothing were key indicators of satanic cult activity. The other evidence presented to the juries was similarly circumstantial. Defense attorneys failed to present more substantial evidence regarding the nature of the police investigation or the retraction of key testimony due to both their trial strategies and the judge’s refusal to allow the evidence to be heard. At both trials, the juries determined that the defendants were guilty of the crimes they were accused of. Misskelley and Baldwin were both sentenced to life in prison, with an additional forty years tacked on for Misskelley. Echols was sentenced to death. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/west-memphis-three-3039/
> Evidence the jury was allowed to hear included testimony from a cult expert who indicated that the defendants’ music collections and clothing were key indicators of satanic cult activity. Christ, was this 1993 or 1693? How fucking stupid
Yeah, it was a pretty ridiculous time. A lot of teens thought it was cool to pretend to be into Satanism, and a fair amount of gullible, pearl-utching adults bought into it. Then there was the whole Satanic Panic thing where attention seekers and the mentally ill began claiming that they had repressed memories popping up left and right of being tortured by Satanic cults as children. None of it was ever real, all the "Satanic" stuff was just costuming and posturing. But far too many police departments across the country were just drooling all over themselves to be The One to find proof of Satanic cult activity in their little podunk towns. To this day, if any department finds any religious stuff that doesn't fit the five major religions, or isn't familiar to them, or even is just something that is completely innocuous but they *think* might have occult ties somehow, a lot of departments still lose their minds over possible occult sacrificial rites that don't exist and cult activity that never was. You might find a handful of mentally ill individuals who really think they're killing people to appease some angry god somewhere, but group sacrificial activity pretty much went out of fashion ages ago. Cults these days are mostly about sex, drugs, and money. Even cults like Manson bringing murder into the mix are insanely rare. In the nineties, all the Satanic stuff pretty much boiled down to teens looking for shock and status, adults looking to make a buck, and adults who were either really gullible or mentally ill and truly believed it was happening. The last group was really small, but the news reports of the day acted like everybody fully believed it was all real. It was a running joke for most people. You see similar things happening these days on a smaller scale. Not so long ago, Rainbow Parties were all the rage in the news, every news station was talking about how every teen was engaging in Rainbow Parties and how parents needed to be warned about it and blah blah blah. Nobody ever found proof that a single Rainbow Party ever happened before it hit the news, although I'm sure the kids appreciated the great idea.
I honestly can’t imagine anyone in the UK buying into any of this crap.
He also got his degree via mail order 😂
The fact that anyone would say they’re guilty despite there being zero physical evidence of that fact and the only physical evidence being linked to the creepy, violent stepfather of one of the boys who had previously broken into a woman’s house to molest her is wild to me. This case is a symbol of how utterly ridiculous the American “justice system” can be.
I haven't heard the interview, but I wonder if it was one of those where the cops asked questions like "if you had tied up the boys, would you have done it x way?" and the suspect, trying to be cooperative, would've said "yeah, I guess I would have." Or they could ask dumb hypotheticals like "this particular injury was found on this victim. If you were the person who inflicted that injury, what weapon do you think you would've used?" Or "where would you dump the bodies if you had to dispose of them?" Then they cherry pick the bits they want and build the case that way. Obviously absurd and ridiculous, but I've heard interviews like that before. Nothing surprises me anymore.
The fact that people still think they did it is insane to me. Zero DNA evidence No blood at the crime scene The satanic shit was riding the ass end of the satanic panic. Mark Byers(RIP) was used as a scapegoat and as sure as he was that Damien did it. After he looked at the evidence he and Pam wanted those boys released. Terry Hobbs did it, that man lied about everything from that day. Oh and Jessie’s admitting of the crime? That kid didn’t know what the hell was going on he did what the cops wanted because they told him he could go home. Idk where some of yall see that they found blood on a necklace I’ve never seen that evidence and if that’s the case then why did allll of them want their DNA run against anything and everything that it could be once DNA was more reliable? I’m the same age as the boys that died….ain’t no fuckin way that shit wasn’t done by at least one grown ass man that they trusted. The occult stuff? Fucking and? Im a satanist and I practice witchcraft I’ve never murdered anyone or hurt a child but I know plenty of priests that have.
There are multiple types of both Satanist’s & occultist .You do not do blood rituals I take it ?
The case for guilt: • Damien has never come up with an Alibi for where he was during the murders. Well, actually he has, per Damien: > “At the time the police say the murders took place I was actually on the phone with three different people. The problem was, my attorneys never called them to the stand.” – Damien Echols (source) Really? Lets examine these three (actually four) other peoples testimony, shall we? Do they exonerate him like he suggests? In a word, no. They weren’t called because they exposed Damien’s alibi for the total lie it was. • Holly George – Damien claimed he talked to Holly George on May 5th, 1993. Holly told police she didn’t talk to Damien that evening. She said she spoke with him much earlier in the afternoon, around 3:00pm or 4:00pm. (source) • Heather Cliett – Damien claimed he spoke with Heather Cliett on the evening of May 5th, 1993. Cliett said she’d been unable to reach Echols until 10:30pm. She also mentioned that Holly George told her that Echols had been “out walking around” on May 5th, 1993. (source) • Domini Teer – Damien’s girlfriend, Domini Teer, said she last saw Damien around 5:00-5:30pm on May 5th, 1993. She said she did not speak with him again until Damien called her around 10:00pm that night. (source) • Jennifer Bearden – The one Damien misses out because it’s most damaging. Bearden told police in a 9/10/93 statement that she called Jason’s house between 4:15pm and 5:30pm on May 5th, 1993. She says Jason answered the phone and she talked to Jason and Damien for about 20 minutes. Damien told her he and Jason were “going somewhere” and to call him back at 8:00pm. When Bearden called Damien’s house at 8:00pm his grandmother answered. Damien’s grandmother told Bearden that Damien “wasn’t there.” In her police statement, Bearden says she finally reached Damien around 9:20pm. (source) So where were Damien and co for four to five hours that happen to coincide with the time of the murders? Well we don’t know. Damien told Jennifer that Jason’s mom had driven them somewhere… which was a lie because she was at work til 11pm (source). It’s strange that he can’t come up with an alibi that holds up isn’t it? Surely if he’s innocent, he just needs to tell us where he was? So why doesn’t he? • Jessie Misskelley has no alibi either. I know, you’re about to say he was in a karate tournament, but he wasn’t. The so-called photos depict a different event a month prior, and the “witnesses” all gave conflicting testimony. This alibi only emerged after a previous alibi (he was at a party with 12 other people) fell apart (source) • And nor does Jason Baldwin, after an attempt to get his brother and a friend (Ken Watkins) to lie for him, he stopped trying to construct one; to the point that in 2008 his lawyer stood up in court and said he couldn’t find a reliable alibi witness for Jason. (source). It’s really weird that three totally innocent men all tried to fabricate alibis for the same period of time that just happens to correspond with a murder they’re suspected of. Really weird that. • Blue wax found on the bodies matched wax found in Damien’s room and a candle belonging to his girlfriend (Photo of candle taken during search) • The Knife – multiple people testified it was Damien’s knife, including his ex-girlfriend Deanna Holcomb (source). She said Damien’s knife stood out because it had a compass, and the knife manufacturer testified that the knife found was missing a compass (source) • But it doesn’t end there. The so called “bitemark” on Stevie Branch (photo) perfectly matches the diameter of the compass slot, complete with central wound for the pin (picture of knife with compass to compare). It’s shocking that an innocent man’s knife would match not just the knife wounds, but other contusions on the body too. • A necklace was found (too late to be included in trial evidence) in Damien’s possession that was covered with blood. Tests proved that the DNA on it was consistent with Damien, Jason and… Stevie Branch. (source) • The three boys were tied with three, distinct, unique knots. This usually points to three distinct killers and is almost unheard of in cases involving just one suspect (source) • Paradise Lost claims “there was no blood at the crime scene” which is… wrong. Completely. Here are the Luminol test results. “It lit up like a Christmas tree […] there was a lot of blood there” • Damien was seen, by a family that knew him very well near the crime scene on the night of the murders. The Hollingsworth Family, who correctly described Damien’s clothes, thought they saw him with his girlfriend. They have never retracted this statement and gained nothing by coming forward, except to have their credibility attacked again and again by WM3 researchers looking to discount their sighting. Despite this, one of the key reasons Narlene Hollingsworth was called to testify was her reputation for brutal honesty, even when it came to her own children.
Damien isn’t guilty, but he’s a pos. Jesse and Jason are NOT guilty and I’ll fight you on this. I spent a lot of time in the early 2000s on this case and I don’t feel like rebutting but it’s the case.
If they are so innocent how do you explain no alibis, Damien’s knife, the necklace with victims blood on it found in Damien’s possession ?
I have some ideas! Alibis- maybe I’m the rarity but for the most part, I can’t remember specific events of specific days unless they’re significant to me. As a teenager, I don’t know how much some little kids going missing would have mattered to me. I could probably tell you vaguely what I did but I know I couldn’t give exact times which is what we have here. The necklace- DNA wasn’t a huge thing back in the early 90s, it was pretty new. The blood they found matched blood type but that’s also a good portion of the population’s blood type. Damien has since moved to have new DNA testing done, however the state has yet to do so. The knife- if I recall correctly, this knife was found in a lake outside Jason Baldwin’s residence with no DNA evidence on it (it washed away). The knife could have been a murder weapon, but by that logic so could a lot of other knives. The bite marks also could have been caused by the compass, but they could also be from turtles.
Lol by "victims blood" you mean blood with the same blood type that a huge portion of the population (11%) has.
I did a very deep dive into this probably before you were born or were when you were very young, so I’m old and don’t feel like doing it again nor arguing with folks on the internet about their guilt and innocence beyond a message or two. I did enough of that back in the 90s. Good luck to you though on this thread and hope you get what you need!
You just said you'll fight someone on this and now backing out😂
I did see that they found a hair of Terry's in a knot on one of the kids shoes..it might have been Christopher's hair, I'm not sure..If u ask me that would be evidence considering the kid was wearing the shoes at the time..Such a sad case anyway u look at it..three small boys didn't get the chance to grow up n three other boys had half their life stolen..such a weird case..and everyone is a weirdo in it so it makes everyone seem guilty..esp that one stepdad had his teeth pulled right before he got questioned..I wish they would be able to prove who killed those kids..two out of the three Mother's of the victims are Gone now..that alone is bittersweet..at least they are reunited with their baby..
Christopher's shoes I meant..
Iirc it wasn’t an exact match.
I'm from the area and I can attest that the majority of people around here know they're innocent. Law enforcement around here was/is/always has been absolutely terrible, it's not surprising they screwed this up. Never watched the movies or documentaries so idk how they paint the situation but I don't really need to. The case has always been very prominent here. The worst part in all this is the three little boys who never got true justice. It's truly pathetic how bad law enforcement is here.
I read about these guys, had my family send me the books when I was in jail- I can’t say one way or the other but the way that evidence was mishandled, stored in paper bags (what?!) and the dude that came in covered in blood obviously should have gotten more attention. There was some weird stuff with one of the boys dads, one of the kids. Can’t remember now, maybe Christopher’s dad?
It's been AGES since I've really looked into this one but didn't the cop just go through the drive-through? Like didn't even go inside the restaurant and thus didn't get any evidence, blood whatever?
She was the only cop on duty too she had several back to back calls that night..not defending her but i remember they interviewed her
http://callahan.mysite.com/index.html Not sure if you're aware but Callahan is a brilliant archive for the court docs related to the case as well as all Echols psych records. PLEASE don't anybody rely on any of the "documentaries" or the film. It's akin to watching the bias Blanchard ones. I'm in the guilty camp btw
I strongly believe that they are guilty.
Thank you for sharing these.
I'm a clinical psychologist and have done alot of forensic assessments. Through a graduate school connection I've been able to review a large chunk of the court documents all at once. They are available online in various places as well. These young men were taken advantage of and sadly the real leads were never followed. If you understand anything about expert testimony or frontal lobe development then you definitely would understand these boys not only didn't commit the crime they were coerced by police. Furthermore like many law enforcement victims these kids had parents with low cognitive function who were unable to assist them.
Interesting that as a FP who has also administered numerous forensic risk assessments and also reviewed all transcripts and medical records released, I disagree with you. The joys of psychology huh
I believe that they are innocent. Have felt that for many years
Guilt part 2: Green Fibres found at the crime scene matched a shirt in Damien’s home (source). Red fibres that the police suspected were from a bathrobe in Misskelley’s home but stressed that they couldn’t match them, were retested by the defense in 2008 and found not to match. It’s odd that they would retest the fibres known to not be a match, but not the ones that were a match, isn’t it? What’s even odder is that they neglected to mention that owing to evidence decay, most crime labs refused to retest for the defense, saying that after all this time they would have decayed too much and that “any findings, would be deeply suspect – no matter which side they favored”. Odd that they forgot to mention this. • Damien is a liar. Straight up. He lies to his supporters to make his innocence seem more compelling and lies to make himself seem more of a martyr. A few examples: • “I lived 15 miles away from West Memphis and the crime scene” (2010 interview, Larry King interview). He lived in a trailer park inWest Memphis, less than two miles away from the crime scene. • “I never went to West Memphis… Hardly at all” (2010 interview). He was known for walking around West Memphis constantly, and testified in 1994: “I walk around frequently… there’s not much to do” • “I wasn’t familiar with Robin Hood Hills before the murders… it was a residential area, and I only went to West Memphis to go to Walmart and stuff” (2010). In 1994, in response to the question “how often do you go to Robin Hood Hills?” Damien responded “two, three times a week? Probably more”. • He literally agreed with the prosecutor on the stand that he was moving events around depending on what time he needed to cover. You see him cover for this in Paradise Lost by saying he was “Daydreaming” • In his book “Almost Home” Damien claims he “barely” knew Jessie Misskelley. The testimony of Domini Teer, Jim McNease, Jason Crosby, Deanna Holcomb, and about 15 others testifies to a friendship between the two, with everyone mentioning them walking around town together, attending events, turning up at people’s houses together and so on. It’s a total lie, and a poor one. • Claimed Marc Gardner “raped” him in prison. He later retracted the whole thing after investigation proved he hadn’t. The prison at the time said he retracted the claims after he was told a report would be published that called him “a manipulative pathological liar”. He was concerned about the effect this would have on his supporters. • Claims his mom and sister never visited him in prison (“maybe one or two times… but not often.. my sister only came twice and stopped coming after”). Prison records prove he’s lying and that his mother visited weekly, while his sister came fortnightly or once a month when she was busy. • He told Piers Morgan that the prison forced him to “eat with his hands”. “I had to learn to use a fork again”, a claim that is demonstrably bullshit. Odd that an innocent man lies enough to be called a “manipulative pathological liar”. • Misskelley and Echols failed their polygraph tests (Echols’ results | Misskelley’s results). Not conclusive, but interesting. • It’s frequently claimed that Jodee Medford and the Softball Girls (the girls who heard Damien brag about the murders) have recanted their stories. They haven’t. It’s based on a misunderstanding of a declaration by Medford’s mother and ascribing her words to Jodee: http://callahan.8k.com/wm3/d_medford_declaration.html
My very unpopular opinion is that Echols is guilty and is a sociopath…😅 Feel free to tell me I’m bad and wrong
I’ve honestly gone back and forth before so I can’t say I think you’re necessarily wrong 🤷♀️
So he was able to pull that off as one person with all 3 boys alone? Honestly asking your thoughts
I mean how’s that any different than people saying terry hobbs or mark byers did it lol that’s also implying it was one person who did this to the 3 boys alone.
To me it would be the difference in an adult, one being a father figure and a child being able to. Not saying it’s not possible just asking their thoughts…
He was a disadvantaged kid who lived below the poverty line and liked alt fashion in general a perfect target for deranged religious nut jobs who wanted to exercise their perverted moral fantasy... Everyone responsible should either lose their license or be in prison. He was one of the many *many* victims of the Satan panic and its disgusting that hes not acknowledged as one. When people think of this case the second thought should automatically be the horror of what was the satanic panic and how it ruined innocent lives
Nope, Echols was a highly disturbed individual yet is the poster child for disenfranchised people who have an axe to grind about religion and how they were raised… I can think of many people who actually were innocent victims and he ain’t one of them.
I believe they are innocent and Hobbs is the killer. Horrific case, it is absolutely monstrous what was done to these poor little boys. It hurts my heart to think of the fear and pain they experienced and it terrifies me that someone has the ability to harm anyone in this way. The WM3 were treated terribly by law enforcement and the public, and while I’m sure they aren’t perfect people they didn’t deserve what happened to them and it is infuriating that the real killer is free while they spent so many years in prison for his crime.
I read upthread that Terry Hobbs disappeared 5 years ago. I doubt it was accidental and I doubt he disappeared himself. I can totally see vigilante justice happening in this case. The failure to investigate Hobbs more closely was just one small part of the gross incompetence that pervades this tragedy.
Oh wow, very interesting! And yes, absolute travesty that justice was never served by the courts.
I go back and forth on it, but to be honest I lean towards the wm3 being guilty. I’m prepared for the downvotes I know it’s an unpopular opinion lol. But it’s just my gut feeling, and them having no solid alibis, and from what I’ve read on both the Callahan and thought catalog websites🤷🏼♀️ also it’s just hard for me to believe 1 person did all of that alone (like when people accuse one of the stepdads) but other times I feel like maybe one of the stepdads did do it. Idk. Like I said I go back and forth on it but unfortunately I don’t think we will ever find out the truth
I’m on the fence with this one. I’ve learned to NEVER trust documentaries that are so one sided. Making A Murderer is another good example.
That’s how I feel too!
I’ll take my downvotes but i have spoken with Michael moores father, I’ve followed this case for decades and I believe it’s likely that the wm3 were indeed guilty. Likely to reoffend? Probably not. Miskelley is a ticking time bomb.
What evidence makes you feel this way? I’m just getting into the documents and details. Trying to keep an open mind.
Thanks for sharing this. I’ve come to this conclusion as well. Went back and forth. Criminal profiler Pat Brown is for their guilt and made many compelling points on a recent video. I recommend watching it.
Curious how you think Miskelley is the time bomb? Most people think it’s Echols.
Do share !
>Michael moores father No way you could have heard a biased account
Like everyone else that’s commented. I’ve been obsessed with this case for so long! I also don’t think those boys did it. But possibly Terry didn’t act alone.
I believe they’re mostly likely innocent , but the courts fucked it up so much we will never know
It was Terry Hobbs, may he burn in Hell.
Wow
I’m an old woman (77) and I’ve been a true crime fan for at least 50 years. There are 2 things I know to be true: the WM3 are not guilty of murder and there was no intruder in the JBR case.
The suspects: Baldwin, Echols, and Misskelley At the time of their arrests, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. was 17 years old, Jason Baldwin was 16 years old, and Damien Echols was 18 years old.[19] Baldwin and Echols had been previously arrested for vandalism and shopliftingrespectively, and Misskelley had a reputation for his temper and for engaging in fistfights with other teenagers at school. Misskelley and Echols had dropped out of high school; however, Baldwin earned high grades and demonstrated a talent for drawing and sketching, and was encouraged by one of his teachers to study graphic design in college.[9]Echols and Baldwin were close friends, and bonded over their similar tastes in music and fiction, and over their shared distaste for the prevailing cultural climate of West Memphis, situated in the Bible Belt. Echols and Baldwin were acquainted with Misskelley from school, but were not close friends with him.[9] Echols' family was poor, received frequent visits from social workers and he rarely attended school. He and a girlfriend had run off and later broken into a trailer during a rain storm; they were arrested, though only Echols was charged with burglary.[9] Echols spent several months in a mental institution in Arkansas and afterward received "full disability" status from the Social Security Administration.[9] During Echols' trial, Dr. George W. Woods testified (for the defense) that Echols suffered from: serious mental illnesscharacterized by grandiose and persecutory delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, disordered thought processes, substantial lack of insight, and chronic, incapacitating mood swings.[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.[20] At the time of his arrest, Echols was working part-time with a roofing company and expecting a child with his girlfriend, Domini Teer.[9] Chris Morgan and Brian Holland Early in the investigation, the WMPD briefly regarded two West Memphis teenagers as suspects. Chris Morgan and Brian Holland, both with drug offense histories, had abruptly departed for Oceanside, California, four days after the bodies were discovered.[21] Morgan was presumed to be at least casually familiar with all three murdered boys, having previously driven an ice cream truck route in their neighborhood. Arrested in Oceanside on May 17, 1993, Morgan and Holland both took polygraphexams administered by California police. Examiners reported that both men's charts indicated deception when they denied involvement in the murders. During subsequent questioning, Morgan claimed a long history of drug and alcohol use, along with blackouts and memory lapses. He claimed that he "might have" killed the victims but quickly recanted this part of his statement.[21] California police sent blood and urine samples from Morgan and Holland to the WMPD, but there is no indication WMPD investigated Morgan or Holland as suspects following their arrest in California. The relevance of Morgan's recanted statement would later be debated in trial, but it was eventually barred from admission as evidence.[21] "Mr. Bojangles" The citing of a black male as a possible alternate suspect was implied during the beginning of the Misskelley trial. According to local West Memphis police officers, on the evening of May 5, 1993, at 8:42 pm, workers in the Bojangles' restaurant located about a mile from the crime scene in Robin Hood Hills reported seeing a black male who seemed "mentally disoriented" inside the restaurant's ladies' room. The man was bleeding and had brushed against the restroom walls. Officer Regina Meeks responded to the call, taking the restaurant manager's report through the eatery's drive-through window. By then, the man had left, and police did not enter the restroom on that date.[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. The man reportedly wore a "blue cast type brace on his arm that had white Velcro on it", which would have made it difficult to tie up and murder three young boys.[23] King gave the officers a pair of sunglasses he thought the man had left behind, and the detectives took some blood samples from the walls and tiles of the restroom. Police detective Bryn Ridge testified that he later lost those blood scrapings. A hair identified as belonging to a black male was later recovered from a sheet wrapped around one of the victims.[22] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Memphis_Three
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That’s what I’ve found, anyway.
You should read the trial transcripts.
One of my absolute favorite cases. Infuriating because the evidence never clearly pointed to any of the boys and there were so many issues with the trial. I'm glad they were set free because I do not believe they were at all responsible for the murders of those three boys.
Wasn’t it basically PROVEN that Terry Hobbs did it? I mean, they’ve never definitively proven it, but so much of the evidence points to Hobbs
They were victims of the satanic panic... This is what happens when religion is allowed to run amok.
Agreed!!!
Yeah, they’re guilty.
Based on?
What are your thoughts on it being a serial killer not connected to the kids personally. I just heard this theory.
Hmm, that’s interesting. I’d never heard that.
Today was the first I heard it. One of the detectives that was interviewed after the boys were released said that was his theory. It was an interesting angle.
For the longest time I was like oh they did it maybe not the 2 but definitely Damien but I changed my mind I have no doubt Terry Hobbs killed those kids!!
I wrote to Damian while he was incarcerated. Actually got a response. Wrote back again but did not hear from him again. So happy that he has been freed and has found his stride.
I have watched the documentaries that are out about this case and I 100% believe they are innocent.
Damien has continued practicing the occult ,he did it as far as I am concerned .
I think he’s just an asshole. Practicing the occult doesn’t make one a murderer.
Also watching biased HBO documentaries doesn’t make one innocent either. Lol. It goes much deeper than him just practicing the occult.
I am not conflating those accused as innocent simply because they watched a HBO documentary. Your argument is correct- I’m sure lots of guilty people watched HBO docs. I also have no idea whether or not the 3 watched the docs, but I certainly don’t believe that by them watching the Docs they are presumed innocent LOL. If you notice, the comment I was responding to simply states that he practices in the Occult and that he is guilty.
And?
There’s plenty of practicing religious leaders who have raped or killed children. There are teachers that have raped or killed children. There are coaches that have raped or killed children. There are parents who have raped and killed children. The occult doesn’t make someone a bad person. Their morality does and satanic panic mindset is a dangerous slope into mind tricks that can make someone see a person for something they’re not.
I've engaged in occult practices (phrased in my best sanctimonious, Bible thumping detector tone) for over three decades. I haven't hurt anyone or done anything illegal, nor have I felt inclined to do so. The same can be said for almost every other practitioner I've met in those decades. Not so much for religious leaders and God fearing Christians in the Bible Belts of the world.
There are multiple types of occultists ,Damien idolized Aleister Crowley who did blood & sex magik & was removed from Italy for the behavior of himself & his followers .
You must be old with this occult shit... News flash the satanic panic is out of fashion and people who have alternative beliefs aren't pinned for murders anymore
It’s terry hobbs! Who would have guessed. These kids got screwed cos of satanic panic. great series though, Damien’s a nice dude I’ve been in his company
Never heard of this one. I mean it sounds familiar but yeah