[3] Echols, ADC# 000931, entered the system on March 19, 1994. 5-10-102 (a) (2) (Repl. RIDGE: All three of them would generally be together? Examiners reported that both men's charts indicated deception when they denied involvement in the murders. RIDGE: Yeah, you dont know what time it is? [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. GITCHELL: Did you ever use, did anyone use a stick and hit the boys with? Arent we getting a little Aaron Hutchinson here? RIDGE:And one of them was being cut on his penis? (He was submerged in the water and just a few minutes later, they were just damp?). GITCHELL: Does just everybody takes a turn. RIDGE:okay, which one did you see killed? JESSIE: No, hes been watching them, (How would Jessie know what Damien had done with the boys in the past?). In 2013, Misskelley's father, Jessie Misskelley, Sr., spoke on his behalf after his son shied away from local reporters. The plea deal did not technically result in a full exoneration; some of the convictions would stand, but the men would not admit guilt. Jump to 2:46 (where the below begins). Lawyers representing the West Memphis Three reached the plea deal that allowed the men to be released from prison. Boggan appeared in the first documentary of the Paradise Lost series about the murders. (Once again; there was no evidence of violent sodomy on any of the children. "I said, 'Look, you get mad because they're living a good life but they're earning. RIDGE:Youve been back to this place since that murder. [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. Nonetheless, they claimed he was not regarded as a direct suspect but a source of information. On August 19, 2011, Echols, along with Baldwin and Misskelley, was released from prison after their attorneys and the judge handling the upcoming retrial agreed to a deal. Many people, including some famous celebrities and musicians, believe that the West Memphis . JESSIE: They started screwing them again, (No evidence of violent sodomy nor does Jessie say at any time how he found out that sexual acts were committedafterhe left if he did not discuss itlaterwith Damien and Jason; another case of Jessie leaving.). JESSIE: Behind it, right back there behind it. In 2002, Henry Rollins worked with other vocalists from various rock, hip hop, punk and metal groups and members of Black Flag and the Rollins Band on the compilation album Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three. RIDGE:When you left from there, did you leave running? The West Memphis Three are three men convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, United States. GITCHELL: Is that when you first saw the pictures of the boys? GITCHELL: Okay, what is, tell me some of the things that you all do typically in the woods, in being in this cult. [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. He was considered the leader of the three. [3][9] Misskelley's father gave permission for Misskelley to go with police but did not explicitly give permission for his son to be questioned or interrogated. He is not dating anyone. 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. GITCHELL: When did you go back there? "Jason sends him texts and stuff all the time asking him why don't he come to this. By then, the man had left, and police did not enter the restroom on that date. 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. In 2000, The album Free the West Memphis 3 was released by KOCH Records. [59], Echols relocated to Salem, Massachusetts with his wife and has no intentions of returning to Arkansas. The song is about the West Memphis Three, with 100% of the proceeds going to their benefit foundation for their release. [18], 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. He is not dating anyone. Later that evening, their parents reported the boys missing. "WM3" redirects here. [25], Though he was informed of his Miranda rights, Misskelley later claimed he did not fully understand them. Misskelley ignored this advice and went on to detail how the boys were abused and murdered. [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]. Judge Laser then sentenced them to time served, a total of 18 years and 78 days, and they were each given a suspended imposition of sentence for 10 years. All rights reserved. Theyre not even TRYING to make this look like a legitimate interrogation! JESSIE: Right after I they beat up all three of them, and beat them up real bad. [6] Baldwin pleaded guilty to three counts of first degree murder while still asserting his actual innocence. [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]. 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. RIDGE:Oh, they come way up on him? Moore enjoyed wearing his scout uniform even when he was not at meetings. [49] She said that when she visited the police station, employees had photographs of Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley on the wall and were using them as dart targets. RIDGE:What kind of shoes were you wearing? You mentioned earlier that, one of the meetings you went to with this cult thing, they had some pictures. MATTINGLY: On February 4th, 1994, Jessie Misskelley was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. [44], In 2007, Echols petitioned for a retrial, based on a statute permitting post-conviction testing of DNA evidence due to technological advances made since 1994 which might provide exoneration for the wrongfully convicted. 30 minutes or an hour? RIDGE:Okay, what were you wearing that day? RIDGE:You say that you got sick, so thats what you were saying, did you throw up or anything? Metalcore band Zao's 2002 album Parade of Chaos included a track inspired by the case named "Free The Three". Anal dialation CAN happen after sodomoy; however, it is unlikely that two boys were raped and BOTH of them only showed dialation and NO tearing, especially in light of the violent rape with fighting and struggling that Jessie alleges. JESSIE:yes, out there in Lakeshore. JESSIE: They need to be put away for awhile. [9] Leveritt further noted that some of the physical evidence was stored in paper sacks obtained from a supermarket (with the supermarket's name printed on the bags) rather than in containers of known and controlled origin. "However, they're trying to kill Damien. RIDGE: Okay, and when you came back a little bit later, and are all three boys are tied? The bodies, he said, had been removed from the water before the coroner arrived to examine the scene and determine the state of rigor mortis, allowing the bodies to decay on the creek bank and to be exposed to sunlight and insects. The prosecution claimed that Echols' knowledge was nonetheless too close to the facts, since there was no public reporting of drowning or that one victim had been mutilated more than the others. "[90], The appellate legal team argued that Echols did not waive his assertion that he was not mentally competent before his 1994 trial because he was not competent to waive it. From left, Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin, the West Memphis Three, after their 1993 arrests in the murder of three boys. RIDGE:Where did you throw up at? RIDGE:These blue jeans that Jason was wearing, designer jeans, or were they old jeans, wore out, holes. RIDGE:Steven Branch and Christopher Byers. 1 (2005), while still in prison. [9] Misskelley's former attorney Dan Stidham cites multiple substantial police errors at the crime scene, characterizing it as "literally trampled, especially the creek bed." JESSIE: I got a little bit ways out of there and got half a mile up the road, is when I threw up, and couldnt hardly run and I just threw up. They did college in jail. (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. [8] Initial police searches made that night were limited. [82], On August 19, 2011, Misskelley, along with Baldwin and Echols, entered an Alford plea. JESSIE: They hadnt they hadnt said nothing around me, when I was over to my friends house, they didnt say nothing. Dr. Peretti, the Medical Examiner, described half-lunar wounds that were caused by a blunt object which could have been the result of kicks or blows with something such as a flashlight, not fists. Jessie Misskelley maintains guilt to his lawyers - Summer 1993 . There is no way he could have received any call). Christopher Byers had lacerations to various parts of his body and mutilation of his scrotum and penis. Further testing of the knife produced inconclusive results about the source of the blood. JESSIE:We go out kill dogs and stuff and then carry girls out there. Echols is married, an author, and a movie producer who travels the world. RIDGE:And, what kind of blade did it have on it? So they were there for a lot longer. [94], On August 19, 2011, Echols, along with Baldwin and Misskelley, entered an Alford plea, while asserting their innocence. Miller dismissed a suit Hobbs filed over Maines' remarks and writings implying that he was involved in killing his stepson. Did they get into the water with you all? After the documentary crew returned to New York, Berlinger and Sinofsky were reported to have discovered what appeared to be blood on the knife. JESSIE: I dont know where they laid their bikes down at, cause I was behind Damien and nem, way way behind them, (But he just said he was up on the bank, not that close. Searchers canvassed all of West Memphis but focused primarily on Robin Hood Hills, where the boys were reported last seen. When the bodies proved to have been discovered near where Aaron indicated, Bray asked Aaron for further details, and Aaron claimed that he had witnessed the murders committed by Satanists who spoke Spanish. (Listen to the inflection in his voice obviously suggesting an answer). At 47 years old, Jessie Misskelley height JESSIE: It leads out there close to the uhh field, close to the interstate. What color is Jasons hair? Stidham overheard Judge Burnett discuss taking a lunch break with the jury foreman and heard the foreman reply that the jury was almost finished. Although Jason Baldwin has been out of the spotlight for the past . [71] Douglas believed that the perpetrator had a violent history and was familiar with the victims and with local geography. RIDGE: Now did somebody take it and used your knife, do you have a knife? (Jessie now states that he leaves again second time . Jessie Misskelley lives life out of the spotlight, Jessie Misskelley Lives Life Out Of The Spotlight, Reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley report to prison, This has been the worst Ive ever been through: 97-year-old woman attacked by granddaughter, drunk, police say. Dropout Found Guilty in Deaths of 3 Boys : Crime: Jessie Lloyd Misskelley Jr., 18, is sentenced to life in prison for the brutal slayings. (There is no way this phone call could have taken place. Eight months after his original confession, on February 17, 1994, Misskelley made another statement to police. He was an honor student. I could not believe it was in Terry's things. Upon further examination, it was concluded that if these marks were bite marks, they did not match the teeth of any of the three convicted. JESSIE:I didnt have no blood on me, I didnt get close to them. 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. RIDGE: What did he hit him with? RIDGE: He didnt tell you that he hid it somewhere? No way did this happen; it is a straight-up invention said to tell Ridge what he wanted to hear. His psychosis dominated his perceptions of everything going on in court, Woods wrote. Two other defendants await trial in Arkansas. JESSIE:No, he didnt borrow mine. JESSIE: And then Damien, I heard Damien in the background saying we done it, we done it, what we gonna do now what about if somebody saw us. RIDGE:You went to the Robin Hood, explain to me where those woods are. This is consistent with the language ofArk. During interrogation, West Memphis police suggested to Byers that he might have left the knife out accidentally, and Byers agreed with this. How close would he have to be behind Damien to have his view of the bikes blocked? [59] The three entered into unusual Alford plea deals. He just said no and again we ask a question designed to ignore the last answer and give another, completely different response), JESSIE:Jason was screwing him while Damien stuck his in his mouth and then they both were. A hair "not inconsistent with" Stevie Branch's stepfather, Terry Hobbs, was found tied into the knots used to bind one of the victims. GITCHELL: Where was the little boy actually at? RIDGE: Which way does he go, I mean, does he go back towards where the houses are. [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. JESSIE: I couldnt stand it to see what they were doing to them. Under the terms of the Alford guilty plea, Echols and his co-defendants accepted the sufficiency of evidence supporting the three counts of first degree murder while maintaining their innocence. GITCHELL: You didnt touch the bikes? [63] In 2011, supporters pushed Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe to pardon Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley based on their innocence. [45] The petition failed when the original trial judge, Judge David Burnett, disallowed presentation of this information in his court. What did you see him cut or who did you see him cut? He testified that his own failure to put this incident on the court record and his failure to meet the minimum requirements in state law to represent a defendant in a capital murder case was evidence of ineffective assistance of counsel and that Misskelley's conviction should therefore be vacated. (Hello? A hearing on Echols' petition for a writ of habeas corpus was held in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. There has been widespread criticism of the handling of the crime scene by the police. 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,. When police speculated about the assailant, the juvenile probation officer assisting at the scene of the murders speculated that Echols was "capable" of committing the murders," stating: "it looks like Damien Echols finally killed someone. [citation needed], Around 1:45pm, juvenile Parole Officer Steve Jones spotted a boy's black shoe floating in a muddy creek that led to a major drainage canal in Robin Hood Hills. RIDGE:The little boys came on over? RIDGE:Holes in the knees. RIDGE: so, your time period may not be exactly right in what youre saying? We have estimated Aaron's further statements were wildly inconsistent, and he was unable to identify Baldwin, Echols, or Misskelley from photo line-ups, and there was no "playhouse" at the location Aaron indicated. Baldwin and Echols were acquainted with Misskelley from school, but were not close friends with him. [26] Portions of Misskelley's statements to the police were leaked to the press and reported on the front page of the Memphis Commercial Appeal before any of the trials began. Listen to the inflection in Ridges voice it is a clearinstruction, not a question and Jessie is plainly trying to give the correct answer, following it with right there behind it. GITCHELL: Was uh, where you all close to the creek at that point? [14], Steve Edward Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore were all second graders at Weaver Elementary School. In 2013, written statements from two men, Billy Wayne Stewart and Bennie Guy, were introduced in the court. JESSIE: Yes, and I took off and run home. Byers initially claimed the knife had never been used. RIDGE OR GITCHELL? [6], On May 5, 1993, three eight-year-old boys (Steve Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers) were reported missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. 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. RIDGE:Was it a knife that you fold up, or was it like a hunting knife? RIDGE:The boots that Damien had on, are they army type boots too, or what kind of boots were they? 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.