I had always assumed that my son's murderer had taken the knife during the crime. RIDGE: Beat them up real bad, and then they took their clothes off? Present in the interview is Insp. JESSIE: Uh, I dont know what he done with it, cause after I left then they, I dont know what they done with, after I left I dont know what they done with it. [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]. (Impossible time; the boys were in school. RIDGE: So, there is like a tall bank, were you where were you at on that bank? It is not yet known whether the jury had an accurate transcript that included the next, critical portion wherein Jessie is told they are correcting his statement ]]]. And Susie Brewer Boggan says she is now out of Jessie Misskelley's life. He was considered the leader of the three. 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. A police officer leaked portions of Aaron's statements to the press contributing to the growing belief that the murders were part of a Satanic rite. Jessie Misskelley maintains guilt to his lawyers - Summer 1993 . [66] In 2007, Pamela Hobbs, the mother of victim Stevie Branch, joined those who have publicly questioned the verdicts, calling for a reopening of the verdicts and further investigation of the evidence. they they skipped school, (The children did not skip school; they were all accounted for that day in class). Jessie Misskelley said in a short interview a few months ago that he is happy staying out of the limelight, as he lives and works in West Memphis. RIDGE: Okay. JESSIE: A friend of mine, he borrowed them. is 5'2"(1.57m) . Despite a shoulder-to-shoulder search of Robin Hood Hills by a human chain, searchers found no sign of the missing boys. Although most of the genetic material recovered from the scene was attributable to the victims of the offenses, some of it cannot be attributed to either the victims or the defendants. RIDGE: Alright, you went home and about what time was it that all of this was taking place? RIDGE:You havent heard anybody? 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. [94], On August 19, 2011, Echols, along with Baldwin and Misskelley, entered an Alford plea, while asserting their innocence. GITCHELL: Okay, what is, tell me some of the things that you all do typically in the woods, in being in this cult. "He still believed in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus". How close would he have to be behind Damien to have his view of the bikes blocked? JESSIE: You know Damien keeps asking me how come I left and stuff and hadnt anybody said anything to me about it. [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]. JESSIE: I saw him cut one of the little boys. Is there anything else that you want to add to this statement? A news story about Jessie Misskelley's curious behavior following his release from prison; avoiding media interviews and going into hiding. Baldwin and Misskelley were sentenced to life in prison. Digging for an answer when he doesnt know what response will please his questioner). The audio file ishere(right click and Save As or Right click and Open in New Tab to play). RIDGE: And who made that phone call? In 1994, a memorial was erected for the three murder victims. The prosecution accused the three young men of committing a Satanic murder. RIDGE:To that particular place? Officer Regina Meeks responded to the call, taking the restaurant manager's report through the eatery's drive-through window. . He lived with his parents and his nine-year-old sister, Dawn. RIDGE: What did he hit him with? (Ridge leads Jessie again; Jessie doesnt state on his own where he was, he is told. Damien first came into my life in 1996, when my friend and I watched a documentary called Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills. [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. (Detective Ridge testified that he was unaware on this date that Jessie had a mental handicap. Misskelley agreed to introduce Hutcheson to Echols. Michael Moore was the son of Todd and Dana Moore. [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. (I didnt see a briefcase), then ask the question again Jessie will come through for you . You tell me. RIDGE: This is Det. 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. Echols is married, an author, and a movie producer who travels the world. RIDGE:Put away for a while. Celebrities and musicians held fundraisers to support efforts to free the men. (Listen to the inflection in his voice obviously suggesting an answer). 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. RIDGE:hes going to Blue Beacon, is he going out towards the fields, wheres he running too? Okay, what was he choking him with? That night? Eight months after his original confession, on February 17, 1994, Misskelley made another statement to police. RIDGE:He doesnt have one, he didnt have one that night? . [citation needed], While in prison, Echols wrote letters to Gloria Shettles, an investigator for his defense team. The film stars Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth. GITCHELL: What time did you get there? Stidham has called the coroner's investigation "extremely substandard." On September 17, 2011, 48 Hours re-aired the episode with the update of their release and interviews from Echols and his wife, and Baldwin. . We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 10 July. In 2000, The album Free the West Memphis 3 was released by KOCH Records. After the initial investigation, the police failed to control disclosure of information and speculation about the crime scene.[38]. JESSIE: Then they tied them up, tied their hands up, they started screwing them and stuff, cutting them and stuff, and I saw it and I turned around and looked, and then I took off running, I went home, then they called me and asked me, how come I didnt stay, I told them, I just couldnt. RIDGE:You said that they had their hands tied up, tied down, were they hands tied in a fashion that they couldnt have run, you tell me. JESSIE: He made the call from his house and Damien was hollering in the background saying, we done it, we done it, what are going to do if somebody saw us, what are we going to do? (You dont have to be a doctor to know that when someone is hit child or adult it doesnt bruise them up until much later. JESSIE:There was a group of pictures of all three of them. GITCHELL: How many pictures did you see, altogether? The court sentenced him to life plus 40 years in prison. [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. Douglas served as FBI Unit Chief of the Investigative Support Unit of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime for 25 years. According to HBO's documentaries Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000), no blood was found at the crime scene, indicating that the location where the bodies were found was not necessarily the location where the murders actually happened. Code Ann. This is very, very important, now just tell us the truth. There was a small amount of blood found at the scene that was never tested. RIDGE:How was he actually killed? [63] In 2011, supporters pushed Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe to pardon Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley based on their innocence. (The knife that was eventually introduced into evidence as the possible murder weapon did not match this descriptionit was a hunting-type knife). JESSIE: I was there until they tied them up and then thats when I left, after they tied them up, I left. [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. RIDGE: Had Damien seen these boys before? [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. See full bio Born: July 10, 1975 More at IMDbPro Contact Info: View agent, publicist, legal on IMDbPro Biography Awards Photo Gallery Filmography (by Job) RIDGE:okay, when you initiating somebody new come into a cult what actually is done to initiate that person into a cult? (Above Jessie has stated they met at 9 a.m., not 12 noon. RIDGE: Okay, let me ask you something, now this is real serious and I want you to be real truthful, and I want you to think about it before you answer it, dont just say yes or no, real quick. The knife was not received at the West Memphis Police Department until January 8, 1994. JESSIE: He had been watching them. RIDGE:What kind of shoes were you wearing? Hutcheson's young son, Aaron, was also present, and proved such a distraction that Bray was unable to administer the polygraph. Beebe said he would deny the request unless there was evidence showing someone else committed the murders. JESSIE: By uh, Blue Beacon Truck Wash. (The location was widely reported in the media in May 1993), (Ridge might as well say: reat afte me A little patch of woods). Someone makes a brief coughing sound plainly as if to say youre wrong listen closely. Officials failed to drain the creek in a timely manner and secure possible evidence in the water (the creek was sandbagged after the bodies were pulled from the water). RIDGE:Okay, had somebody taken pictures of these boys? RIDGE:Did you see any of the boys actually killed? During subsequent questioning, Morgan claimed a long history of drug and alcohol use, along with blackouts and memory lapses. The relevance of Morgan's recanted statement would later be debated in trial, but it was eventually barred from admission as evidence. [49] She further asserted that the police had implied that if she did not cooperate with them they would take away her child. Describe those pictures for me. JESSIE: They had had some houses, trees and stuff, (Trees, houses, and stuff?? RIDGE:Oh, they come way up on him? JESSIE: He hit him with his fist and bruised him all up real bad, and then ull (phonetic) Jason turned around and hit Steve Branch. GITCHELL: So, what else left is there, after that? After the West Memphis 3 were convicted, Susie Brewer Boggan went on with her life. Jessie Misskelley is reluctant to talk, but his father ushis son is working and doing fine in West Memphis. Did they take like one picture of one boy. Not long after three teens were arrested, including Damien Echols, 18, Jason Baldwin, 16, and Jessie Misskelley, 17. RIDGE: Alright, where does that path go too? [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. An open letter from Lorri Davis, wife of Damien Echols . [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. "[69] Byers has spoken to the media on behalf of the convicted, and has expressed his desire for justice for the families of both the victims and the three accused. [96] After his release, he has worked on a number of additional media projects. JESSIE: They hadnt they hadnt said nothing around me, when I was over to my friends house, they didnt say nothing. His father said Byers may not have taken his prescription on May 5, 1993. A report jointly issued by the state and the defense team stated, "Although most of the genetic material recovered from the scene was attributable to the victims of the offenses, some of it cannot be attributed to either the victims or the defendants. [62], Many of the men's supporters, and opponents who still believe them guilty, were unhappy with the unusual plea deal. Trace amounts of sperm DNA were found on a pair of pants recovered from the scene. 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. JESSIE: He didnt know nothin about that. 1993).3 The jury was also instructed on accomplice liability as follows: In this case, the state does not contend that Jessie Lloyd Misskelley, Junior acted alone in the commission of the offense of three counts of capital murder. [47] John Mark Byers had his teeth removed in 1997, after the first trial but before an imprint could be made. JESSIE: Yes, and I took off and run home. She was 13 when he was arrested, along with Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin, for the murders of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis nearly two decades ago. Judge David Laser accepted the pleas and sentenced the three to time served. 30 minutes or an hour? GITCHELL: okay, now you have participated in this cult, right? How could Damien be in the background if he was not there? He said that the victims had died from a combination of blunt force trauma and drowning, in a crime which he believed was driven by personal cause. 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?). 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. During their conversation, Hutcheson reported that Echols made no incriminating statements. JESSIE: They had holes in them and the knees were cut. RIDGE: Is there a path that you go down? During the trial, the prosecution asserted that the juveniles killed the children as part of a Satanic ritual. [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. RIDGE:Okay, the night you were in these woods, uh had you all been in the water? When told the blood matched both his and Chris' blood type, Byers said he had no idea how that blood might have gotten on the knife. And what kind of a shirt, you know everybody wears a special shirt with different things, (Begging for an answer having to do with death), JESSIE: He was wearing a mega death shirt. Jessie Misskelley was born on July 10, 1975. GITCHELL: Now, youre pointing to the Byers boy again? [10] During a polygraph examination, he denied any involvement. No matches were found. [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. RIDGE:But you would be able to point out where these things took place? JESSIE: I dont know, I left before them. 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? 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