: 82, of Marion, Arkansas, passed away on February 21, 2021 at his home. Byers initially claimed the knife had never been used. RIDGE: So, there is like a tall bank, were you where were you at on that bank? Nonetheless, they claimed he was not regarded as a direct suspect but a source of information. 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. The filing cited DNA evidence linking Terry Hobbs (stepfather of one of the victims) to the crime scene, and new statements from Hobbs' now ex-wife. RIDGE:Okay, these initiations, you say that they eat part of the leg meat? director of photography Film Editing by Susan Shipton Casting By Production Design by Phillip Barker Art Direction by Thomas Minton Set Decoration by Melinda Sanders Costume Design by Kari Perkins Each man then entered an Alford plea to lesser charges of first- and second-degree murder while verbally stating their innocence. (In Gitchells testimony on the stand he states that Jessie knew about the castration of Christopher Byers and that was not public knowledge, when in fact, that was not true. GITCHELL: Where the pipe is that goes across the water? Two other defendants await trial in Arkansas. RIDGE: Where did they lay their bikes down at, thats what Im asking you? GITCHELL: Does just everybody takes a turn. ", On March 23, 2016, Echols gave a presentation about his art processes at the, The transcript of Echols' spoken word performance in. Jason Baldwin. Their clothing was found in the creek, some of it twisted around sticks that had been thrust into the muddy ditch bed. Jasons friend Ken Watkins came over to visit later. Describe those pictures for me. [33] His conviction was appealed, but the Arkansas Supreme Court affirmed the conviction. Further testing of the knife produced inconclusive results about the source of the blood. RIDGE:Are you scared of the police now? "This was not justice," he said of the deal. (Echols and Lorri Davis . He said they called me). "We were writing each other two years before he got out. In 2005, Damien Echols completed his memoir, Almost Home, Vol 1, offering his perspective of the case. Echols self-published the memoir, Almost Home: My Life Story Vol. His conviction was appealed and affirmed by the Arkansas Supreme Court. RIDGE:Did anybody see you leaving? Also, Matthew states Jason came in around 7:30. JESSIE: I would say it was about that big around, I would say about that long. JESSIE: They need to be put away for awhile. Hutcheson was never charged with theft. In 1994, a memorial was erected for the three murder victims. RIDGE:No kind of design or anything? We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. RIDGE:Okay, has Jason and Damien talked to you since this happened? JESSIE: He keeps on asking me what are we going to do next, I told him, I cant do nothing now cause I go to work with my daddy everyday. The court sentenced him to life plus 40 years in prison. RIDGE: Has he ever had sex with them before? . Jessie Misskelley is reluctant to talk, but his father ushis son is working and doing fine in West Memphis. Despite a shoulder-to-shoulder search of Robin Hood Hills by a human chain, searchers found no sign of the missing boys. If he had been, there would have been clear forensic evidence of it. Okay, youve been down there in those woods before. (Jessie now states that he leaves again second time . RIDGE: Okay, and when you came back a little bit later, and are all three boys are tied? JESSIE: They were sitting so far away, they were in the water, I would say about five to ten seconds, then come up and then the other one would go down. We have estimated Did they take like one picture of one boy. JESSIE:And I left and stuff, and walked home. GITCHELL: Now youre talking about bottom, do you mean right here? JESSIE:Ive seen them once that night, I seen them with it that night. A hearing on Echols' petition for a writ of habeas corpus was held in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. [9] Misskelley was questioned for roughly 12 hours. GITCHELL: okay, now you have participated in this cult, right? Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. Jessie, in front of me I have a rights form, and it has your signature at the bottom of it, is that your signature? Officer Regina Meeks responded to the call, taking the restaurant manager's report through the eatery's drive-through window. JESSIE:We go out kill dogs and stuff and then carry girls out there. JESSIE: Damien had some black pants on, some boots and a black t-shirt. Jessie's Alibi -- Timeline. [9], Echols' family was poor, received frequent visits from social workers and he rarely attended school. [citation needed], On or about June 1, 1993, Hutcheson agreed to police suggestions to place hidden microphones in her home during an encounter with Echols. (Again ignores Jessies statement that he left and guides him into saying more happened). JESSIE: I was there until they tied them up and then thats when I left, after they tied them up, I left. (WMC-TV) - Jessie Misskelley is the lone member of the West Memphis 3, who shied away from the spotlight. JESSIE:We usually skin it, then make a bon fire and eat it and stuff. He is currently single. [9][30] The defense team objected when the prosecution attempted to question Echols about his past violent behaviors, but the defense objections were overruled.[37]. [23], In July 2008, it was revealed that Kent Arnold, the jury foreman on the Echols-Baldwin trial, had discussed the case with an attorney prior to the beginning of deliberations. GITCHELL: How many pictures did you see, altogether? JESSIE: No, they didnt get into the water with us. He has one daughter with his ex-wife Elizabeth Baldwin, and one son with his former girlfriend Isabella Hofmann. RIDGE:The little boys came on over? JESSIE: Yeah, they seen them boys and then they hollered, Damien hollered said, hey, the little boys come up there. JESSIE: He didnt know nothin about that. (They have to make sure again that Jessie knows what a penis is? JESSIE: I saw him cut one of the little boys. RIDGE:Light blonde, or like a sandy reddish type blonde, do you know the difference? (Uh, no he didnt. Not much is known about Jessie Misskelley, Jr.'s current whereabouts, and what he is up to. No marks of any kind to his body in that region, nor did he die of asphyxia). GITCHELL: Now, where you in a car? [31] Police had initially suspected that the victims had been raped because their anuses were dilated. [84] Baldwin said in a 2011 interview with Piers Morgan that he worked for a construction company and he was learning how to drive.[79]. [7] The boys were allegedly last seen together by three neighbors, who in affidavits told of seeing them playing together around 6:30pm the evening they disappeared and seeing Terry Hobbs, Steve Branch's stepfather, calling them to come home. [35] On March 19, 1994, Echols and Baldwin were found guilty on three counts of murder. Misskelley agreed to introduce Hutcheson to Echols. JESSIE:I didnt have no blood on me, I didnt get close to them. It was a pocket knife that my father had given to Stevie, and Stevie loved that knife. GITCHELL: What do you all do with the girls when youre out there? RIDGE:Did you actually kill any of these boys? JESSIE: Behind it, right back there behind it. [58], After weeks of negotiations, on August 19, 2011, Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were released from prison as part of a plea deal, making the hearings ordered by the Arkansas Supreme Court unnecessary. RIDGE:An hour after you got home? [72], Three films, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, Paradise Lost 2: Revelations, and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, have documented this case and are strongly critical of the verdict. He is a producer, known for Devil's Knot (2013), Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) and West of Memphis (2012). Or had he just been watching them. RIDGE:And, what kind of blade did it have on it? Why would they ask a question such as this of a teenage boy, does he know what a penis is?, if it was not obvious that he was functioning at lower level of intelligence?). (Jessie does not state the location of the crime scene; Ridge tells him, and Jessie repeats it. [6] Baldwin pleaded guilty to three counts of first degree murder while still asserting his actual innocence. However, after blood was found on the knife, Byers stated that he had used it only once, to cut deer meat. According to our Database, He has no children. [16] Steve Edward Branch is buried in Mount Zion Cemetery in Steele, Missouri. they they skipped school, (The children did not skip school; they were all accounted for that day in class). Jessie Misskelley's net worth JESSIE: They had holes in them and the knees were cut. (Jessie just said noon, it is now beingsuggestedto him to use a new time), Above Jessie has stated they met at 9 a.m., not 12 noon. RIDGE:Were they in the houses or were they in the trees when they took those pictures? . RIDGE: Okay. I went with them and then. RIDGE:Okay, the night you were in these woods, uh had you all been in the water? Beebe said he would deny the request unless there was evidence showing someone else committed the murders. Christopher Byers had lacerations to various parts of his body and mutilation of his scrotum and penis. Following their convictions, Echols, Misskelley, and Baldwin submitted imprints of their teeth. .no . RIDGE: Are you sure that he was the one that was cut? [32] The court sentenced him to life plus 40 years in prison. 19. I strongly suggest listening along while reading this transcript. How could Damien be in the background if he was not there? (No one knew that the three boyus would be together; Steve Branch was told to be home in 15 minutes, Chris Byers was prohibited from being the RHH woods the idea that it was a targeted killing of these boys doesnt even come close to fitting). JESSIE: Right after I they beat up all three of them, and beat them up real bad. Charles Jason Baldwin was born April 11, 1977. RIDGE: Alright, when did you go with them? HBO executives ordered them to return the knife to the West Memphis Police Department. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. [78], In January 2010, the CBS television news journal 48 Hours aired "The Memphis 3", an in-depth coverage of the history of the case including interviews with Echols and supporters. Eight months after his original confession, on February 17, 1994, Misskelley made another statement to police. JESSIE: Yeah, weve been in the water, we were in it that night, playing around in it. Misskelley was arrested in connection to the murders on June 3, 1993. JESSIE:He didnt have one that night. Circuit Court Judge David Laser was selected to replace David Burnett and preside in the evidentiary hearings mandated by the successful appeal. [74] A biography of John Mark Byers by Greg Day named Untying the Knot: John Mark Byers and the West Memphis Three was published in May 2012. You tell me. Echols' sentence was reduced to three counts of first degree murder. Charles Jason Baldwin[83] (born April 11, 1977) along with Misskelley and Echols, entered an Alford plea on August 19, 2011. JESSIE: His hands, like a stick, he had a bit old stick, kinda holding it over his neck. First of all, Matthew Baldwin stated that Damien nor Domini had been to the trailer on this day. RIDGE: Now did somebody take it and used your knife, do you have a knife? [53] At the time, legal experts agreed that this issue could result in the reversal of the convictions of Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols. His stated reasons for the removal are apparently contradictory. [73], There have been a number of books about the case, also arguing that the suspects were wrongly convicted: Devil's Knot by Mara Leveritt; Blood of Innocents by Guy Reel; and The Last Pentacle of the Sun: Writings in Support of the West Memphis Three, edited by Brett Alexander Savory & M. W. Anderson, and featuring dark fiction and non-fiction by well-known writers of speculative fiction. He also opted to stay out of spotlight, so he remains an enigma in many aspects. [76], A website by Martin David Hill, containing approximately 160,000 words and intending to be a "thorough investigation", collates and discusses many details surrounding the murders and investigation, including some anecdotal information. Jessie Misskelley was born on July 10, 1975 as Jessie Loyd Misskelly Jr. Good! 0:49 Jessie Misskelley Jr., one of the "West Memphis Three" convicted of killing three boys in the 1990's, faces a court appearance Monday after a weekend arrest for driving without a license,. ALSO, the Commercial Appeal, local newspaper, picked up chatter about the murders on their police scanner, hearing about the castration, and printed it in the next days paper. [10], After a month had passed with little progress in the case, police continued to focus their investigation upon Echols, interrogating him more frequently than any other person. RIDGE: Yeah, you dont know what time it is? JESSIE: Different shirts, different Metaalica shirts have different pictures. [61] As part of the plea deal, the three men cannot pursue civil action against the state for wrongful imprisonment. RIDGE: When youve been by yourself, and Im sure in the last three weeks youve been by yourself with them sometime. In an interview with Piers Morgan, he said that he would like to have a career in writing and visual arts.[95]. RIDGE:Old t-shirt, where are these shoes at now? [[[The following portion was cut out Watergate Style from the statement played for the jury. RIDGE:Okay, alright did and the one that they were cutting the penis off of, did any of them are cutting the penis or whatever was being done, did they have sex with him at all? RIDGE: Alright, where did he cut him at? RIDGE OR GITCHELL? [54], On October 29, 2007, papers were filed in federal court by Echols's defense lawyers seeking a retrial or his immediate release from prison. You dont need a PhD to figure this out a stick across a neck would cause very obvious linear damage. Organized by Eddie Spaghetti of the band Supersuckers, the album featured a number of original songs about the case and other recordings by artists such as Steve Earle, Tom Waits, L7, and Joe Strummer. JESSIE: No, hes been watching them, (How would Jessie know what Damien had done with the boys in the past?). [30] Critics have also stated that Misskelley's various "confessions" were in many respects inconsistent with each other, as well as with the particulars of the crime scene and murder victims, including (for example) an "admission" that Misskelley watched Damien rape one of the boys. He has claimed both that the seizure medication he was taking caused periodontal disease, and that he planned the removal because of other kinds of dental problems which had troubled him for years. [9][pageneeded], A more thorough police search for the children began around 8:00am on May 6, led by the Crittenden County Search and Rescue personnel. GITCHELL:Did you have some blood on your clothes? They were released with 10-year suspended sentences, having served 18 years. A month later, three teenagersDamien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr.were charged with murdering the boys. During the course of his interrogation, which lasted for several hours, Jessie was given a lie detector test and the police succeeded in securing a confession from Jessie of his own part in the murders of the three boys. (As unusual a character as Damien was, youd think the local photo developer might have remembered him coming in to get pictures developed especially when those photos were of kids who later turn up murdered; or theyd have found a camera or some corroboration?). [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]. He stated in his report for Echols's legal team that there was no evidence the murders were linked to satanic rituals and that post-mortem animal predation could explain the alleged knife injuries. RIDGE:Okay, what about when you get with Jason by himself? In his efforts to win a new trial, Echols, 27 at the time of the appeal, claimed he was incompetent to stand trial because of a history of mental illness. Stidham has called the coroner's investigation "extremely substandard." [6], Factors cited by prosecutor Scott Ellington for agreeing to the plea deal included that two of the victims' families had joined the cause of the defense, that the mother of a witness who testified about Echols's confession had questioned her daughter's truthfulness, and that the State Crime Lab employee who collected fiber evidence at the Echols and Baldwin homes after their arrests had died. RIDGE: Okay, was it after school had let out? In August 2011, White Light Productions announced that the West Memphis Three would be featured on their new program Wrongfully Convicted. Misskelley, 42, is accused of driving without a license, no vehicle insurance, and driving a vehicle with one or more headlights. Echols spent several months in a mental institution in Arkansas and afterward received "full disability" status from the Social Security Administration. They were convicted under what can best be described as questionable . Police detective Bryn Ridge testified that he later lost those blood scrapings. He had never told me that he had it. RIDGE:The boots that Damien had on, are they army type boots too, or what kind of boots were they? The episode premiered May 5, 2011, with extensive background information included on the show's page at the Investigation Discovery site. He is not dating anyone. JESSIE: They took turns going up under the water. (There is no way this phone call could have taken place. On April 28, 2011, the band Disturbed released a song entitled "3" as a download on their website. The14thStreetWoods are down the street from the BB woods; a good distance). I don't know, he just doesn't want to," she said. Susie Brewer Boggan, the recent former girlfriend of Jessie Misskelley, Junior, wants to set the story straight about her relationship with Misskelley. Stidham made similar comments during a radio show interview in May 2010. (Jessie was never taken to the woods with a video camera for this purpose.). Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 46 years old? Video 4: An animated map of the 1993 West Memphis Murders showing the conflicts & corroborations in Jessie Misskelley's first confession on 3rd June 1993.Ind. The memorial is located in the playground of Weaver Elementary School in West Memphis, where all three victims were second graders at the time of the crime. JESSIE: No, he wasnt wearing anything like that. GITCHELL: Was uh, where you all close to the creek at that point? RIDGE: Do you know what his penis is? He testified that Judge Burnett responded, "You'll need food for when you come back for sentencing," and that the foreman asked in return what would happen if the defendant was acquitted. Okay, what was he choking him with? He lived with his mother, Sharon Melissa Byers, his adoptive father, John Mark Byers, and his stepbrother, Shawn Ryan Clark, aged 13. RIDGE: Okay, what did he say to you about it when you came to the police department, after seeing that boy in the woods? This ruling was in turn thrown out by the Arkansas Supreme Court as to all three defendants on November 4, 2010.[46]. RIDGE:When you left from there, did you leave running? Searchers canvassed all of West Memphis but focused primarily on Robin Hood Hills, where the boys were reported last seen. "You shouldn't be mad about it, you could do it too," said Boggan. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. (Ridge leads Jessie again; Jessie doesnt state on his own where he was, he is told. [70], John E. Douglas, a former longtime FBI agent and current criminal profiler, said that the murders were more indicative of a single murderer intent on degrading and punishing the victims, than of a trio of "unsophisticated" teenagers. Jessies times of arrival at the woods will change many times throughout the three statements), JESSIE: Yes, I did. Copyright 2012 WMC-TV. [49] She also claims that an audiotape the police said was "unintelligible" (and that they eventually lost) was perfectly clear and contained no incriminating statements. [57], In early December 2010, David Burnett was elected to the Arkansas State Senate. JESSIE: I was up there standing up there on the top. JESSIE: He was cutting him in the face. After the initial investigation, the police failed to control disclosure of information and speculation about the crime scene.[38]. RIDGE: Jason had a knife, what did he cut with the knife. RIDGE:Youve been back to this place since that murder. Byers agreed to and passed a polygraph test about the murders during the filming of Paradise Lost 2: Revelations, but the documentary indicated that Byers was under the influence of several psychoactive prescription medications that could have affected the test results. He lived with his mother, Pamela Hobbs, his stepfather, Terry Hobbs, and a four-year-old half-sister, Amanda. RIDGE: What did he hit him with? RIDGE: okay, now when its going on, when this is taking place, you under you saw somebody with a knife, who had a knife? RIDGE:But you would be able to point out where these things took place? Was he faced down and he was cutting on him, or. (Jessie confuses the boys here; this is pertinent in the second statement(*)). To call them disorderly would be putting it mildly. (The crime scene was blocked off for over a month and guarded by WMPD precisely to see if the criminal would return to the scene of the crime.No reports of Jessie appearing were made.). scout deaths", "New judge appointed for West Memphis appeals", "Deal Frees 'West Memphis Three' in Arkansas", "The Ropes & Gray Partner Who Helped Free the West Memphis Three", Prosecutor's statement on West Memphis 3 plea deal, "West Memphis Three Attorneys Discuss Alford Plea Details", "FLASH: West Memphis 3 freed in plea bargain", "West Memphis 3, locked up 18 years, together in NY", "Arkansas crime lab to study 'West Memphis 3' case DNA", "Father of Victim to Convicted Killer: "I'm Here for You", Victim's father wants West Memphis 3 set free, Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines Wins "West Memphis Three" Defamation Suit, "Professional profiler convinced of innocence of West Memphis Three", "Mindhunter: Former FBI unit chief recalls high-profile cases", "Metallica May Give Music To "Paradise Lost" Sequel", Untying The Knot: John Mark Byers and the West Memphis child murders, "Disturbed Release Benefit Single for West Memphis Three", "West Memphis Three 'Wrongully Convicted Episode Trailer White Light Productions' CNN iReport", "Decades without daylight: 'West Memphis Three' describe life in prison", "Johnny Depp Reveals Anguish Over West Memphis Three Injustice", "West Memphis Three drama 'Devil's Knot' with Reese Witherspoon sets release", "West Memphis 3 cases to receive hearing, possible new trial", "Q&A: Paradise Lost directors Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky", "Damien Echols may be troubled but he's not killer, some say", "Echols of West Memphis 3 talks about appeal, death row", "Defense Offers New Evidence in a Murder Case That Shocked Arkansas", "The Damien I Know The Architect and the Inmate", "CNN Larry King Live-Damien Echols Death Row Interview", Echols' Attorneys File New Motion Claiming Wrongful Conviction In 'West Memphis Three' Case, "Piers Morgan Damien Echols On The Death Penalty 02/08/2013", "Ex-Misfits Singer Rocks With West Memphis 3's Echols | Billboard.com", "Illusions Album: Michale Graves & Damien Echols", "L.A. Times article on Damien Echols art exhibit at Copro Gallery", "SALEM Exhibit of Echols' Artwork at the Copro Gallery", "DAMIEN ECHOLS ARTISTS ON ART MARCH 25 6:15 7:00 PM", "The Midnight Gospel: Damien Echols' appearance explained how the Netlfix voice actor escaped death row", The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry (The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies), Echols of West Memphis 3 talks about appeal, death row, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Memphis_Three&oldid=1134318011, Echols co-wrote the lyrics to the song "Army Reserve", on, Echols and Michale Graves released an album titled, Echols began creating art while on death row as a "side effect of my spiritual, magical practice. RIDGE: In the woods. [48], After an expert examined autopsy photos and noted what he thought might be the imprint of a belt buckle on Byers' corpse, the elder Byers revealed to the police that he had spanked his stepson shortly before the boy disappeared. That's right, the man I was about to pledge my life to was a convicted murderer. JESSIE: Yes, he run out there and I caught him and brought him back, and then I took off, (This is the first of seven times that Jessie says he left and hes told and you came back.You dont need a PhD to see that this confession is utter crap. Ridges leads him into when you came back, signaling Jessie that theres more for him to say. According to local West Memphis police officers, on the evening of May 5, 1993, at 8:42pm, 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. JESSIE: And started doing the same thing, then the other one took off, Michael uhhMooretook off running, so I chased him and grabbed him and held him, cause they got there and then I left. RIDGE:Okay, how did he have sex with that one? 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. RIDGE: Okay, did any of the other two boys, were you there when they were actually killed? For the former Australian rules footballer, see, DNA testing and new physical evidence (2007). Alright, when you get the boys back together, where you at from the creek?