In August 2011, White Light Productions announced that the West Memphis Three would be featured on their new program Wrongfully Convicted. The police did not telephone the coroner until almost two hours after the discovery of the floating shoe, resulting in a late appearance by the coroner. In 2000, the biological father of Christopher Byers, Rick Murray, expressed his doubts about the guilty verdicts on the West Memphis Three website. RIDGE: Okay, was it after school had let out? Bryn Ridge of the West Memphis Police Department, currently in the detective division of the West Memphis Police Department conducting an investigation of the Triple Homicide, Case File # 93-05-0666. "[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. Echols, who had been tried as an adult, was sentenced to death. (Aisde from conflicting with the five times he says and then I left, it also conflicts with the claim that he saw the boys pulled into the water). 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. [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: Yeah, you dont know what time it is? 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. 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. 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. Jason Baldwin, 16, Jessie Misskelley, 17, and Damien Echols, 18, were ultimately convicted in 1994. 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. GITCHELL:thats who you are pointing at? GITCHELL: Did they have a briefcase with them? Susie Brewer Boggan, the recent former girlfriend of Jessie Misskelley, Junior, wants to set the story straight about her relationship with Misskelley. He is a member of famous Producer with the age 47 years old group. RIDGE:Okay, Damians didnt come up that far? According to Leveritt, "Police records were a mess. JESSIE:I didnt see a briefcase, not unless they left it there at that day before it happened, unless they left it there by accident then but I didnt see one that day. RIDGE:Doesnt get into the club? However, these potential bite marks were first noticed in photographs years after the trials and were not inspected by a board-certified medical examiner until four years after the murders. Jessie Misskelley is reluctant to talk, but his father ushis son is working and doing fine in West Memphis. MATTINGLY: On February 4th, 1994, Jessie Misskelley was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. (Again, the hog tied postion doesnt align with the boys being on their backs. [90] Echols's mental state while in prison awaiting trial was also called into question by his appellate team. 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. [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." 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. RIDGE:Okay, you couldnt stand it. 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. After the initial investigation, the police failed to control disclosure of information and speculation about the crime scene.[38]. After a reported 12 hours of interrogation by police, Misskelley, who has an IQ of 72, confessed to the murders, and implicated Baldwin and Echols. Jessie Misskelley Jr., released from prison in 2011 in the infamous West Memphis Three case was jailed Saturday night after he was arrested on a slew of traffic citations. [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. There is no way he could have received any call). What did you see him cut or who did you see him cut? First of all, Matthew Baldwin stated that Damien nor Domini had been to the trailer on this day. RIDGE OR GITCHELL? RIDGE: Where did they lay their bikes down at, thats what Im asking you? The location was widely reported in the media in May 1993). To assist in the appeals process, Echols' appellate legal team retained a Berkeley, California-based forensic psychiatrist, Dr. George Woods, to make their case. A hearing on Echols' petition for a writ of habeas corpus was held in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. [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 confessed to the murders, which inculpated the other two accused. RIDGE:Okay, what were you doing in the water? Discover Jessie Misskelley's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. their arms and stuff, and hold them down like, where they couldnt raise up and the other one stick his legs up. Jessie Misskelley Net Worth. RIDGE: okay, now when its going on, when this is taking place, you under you saw somebody with a knife, who had a knife? 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. RIDGE: Has he done things with them before? [22], Police officers James Sudbury and Steve Jones felt that the crime had "cult" overtones, and that Damien Echols might be a suspect because he had an interest in occultism, and Jones felt Echols was capable of murdering children. RIDGE: Okay, how were they screwing them when you saw them? His parents divorced when he was four years old & shortly afterward his mother married John Mark Byers, who adopted the boy. [4], In July 2007, new forensic evidence was presented. RIDGE:When he called you on the phone, did he say that he had just got in? RIDGE:No kind of design or anything? Jason Baldwin, along with Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. are known as The West Memphis Three, who are three men convicted in 1994 of the murders of three 8 year old boys, in West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993. JESSIE: They hadnt they hadnt said nothing around me, when I was over to my friends house, they didnt say nothing. RIDGE:Which way the boys came from and where you all were when he hollered for the boys and stuff like that, you wouldnt have a problem with that? [9] Friends and neighbors also conducted a search that night, which included a cursory visit to the location where the bodies were later found. Stidham overheard Judge Burnett discuss taking a lunch break with the jury foreman and heard the foreman reply that the jury was almost finished. [9] The initial autopsy report describes the drug as Carbamazepine and the dosage at a sub-therapeutic level. JESSIE: I saw him cut one of the little boys. JESSIE: We usually you know, kill an animals, you know, so you have to know how to handle the meat and stuff, after we kill it to see if he knows, if he cant handle it, then he dont get in. Only two segments, totaling 46 minutes, were recorded. After a 12-hour police interrogation, one of the teenagers, Jessie Misskelley Jr., implicated the other two, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin. . In 2013, written statements from two men, Billy Wayne Stewart and Bennie Guy, were introduced in the court. 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. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt, and riding a black and red bicycle. He had never told me that he had it. After the West Memphis 3 were convicted, Susie Brewer Boggan went on with her life. Jessie Misskelley Jessie Misskelley returned home to West Memphis after his release, the only one out of the WM3 who decided to stay in the area. But Jessie's life did not go the same direction as Echols and Baldwin. [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. Do you think they are sick or just mean? [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. Misskelley ignored this advice and went on to detail how the boys were abused and murdered. RIDGE:Are you willing to go down there with us and us having a camcorder and show us where these things took place? Misskelley was convicted by a jury of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. GITCHELL: Does just everybody takes a turn. GITCHELL: Okay, and it has these same three boys in it? The first report to the police was made by Byers' adoptive father, John Mark Byers, around 7:00pm. We have estimated Im saying what time was it that you were actually there in the park? Gitchell touched on a point, real close, now what clothes were Jason wearing that day? The episode premiered May 5, 2011, with extensive background information included on the show's page at the Investigation Discovery site. [56] That ruling was appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in the case on September 30, 2010. RIDGE:And, what kind of blade did it have on it? JESSIE: Yes, and I took off and run home. RIDGE:What kind of shirt were you wearing? Copyright 2012 WMC-TV. The counsel representing the men said they would continue to pursue full exoneration. Stidham, who was later elected to a municipal judgeship, has written a detailed critique[citation needed] of what he asserts are major police errors and misconceptions during their investigation. So they were there for a lot longer. JESSIE: They need to be put away for awhile. [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]. They were released with 10-year suspended sentences, having served 18 years. ), RIDGE: Alright, you got in front of you a picture, that was taken out of the newspaper I believe, its got three boys and these are the three boys that were killed on that date in Robin Hood Woods, okay, which one of those three boys is it you say Damien hit? 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. 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. [10] During a polygraph examination, he denied any involvement. 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. 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. Arent we getting a little Aaron Hutchinson here? RIDGE: Alright, is that where he was cutting? . JESSIE: They took turns going up under the water. JESSIE: His hands, like a stick, he had a bit old stick, kinda holding it over his neck. Naw, no psych or IQ issue here). JESSIE: They could run, they just had them tied, when they knocked them down and stuff, they could move (hold?) He was last seen wearing blue pants, a blue Boy Scouts of America shirt, and an orange and blue Boy Scout hat, and riding a light green bicycle. (Ridge leads Jessie again; Jessie doesnt state on his own where he was, he is told. Jessie Misskelley Jr Confession in West Memphis Three Case Home Law Jessie Misskelley Jr Confession in West Memphis Three Case February 3, 2022 by Madison Gregory Note: This is a transcription of the taped confession of Jessie Misskelley, Jr. regarding the murder of Chris Byers, Steve Branch and Michael Moore. [91], Echols' lawyers claimed that his condition worsened during the trial, when he developed a "psychotic euphoria that caused him to believe he would evolve into a superior entity" and eventually be transported to a different world. [36] The court sentenced Echols to death and Baldwin to life in prison.[3]. He has one daughter with his ex-wife Elizabeth Baldwin, and one son with his former girlfriend Isabella Hofmann. Present in the interview is Insp. RIDGE:What kind of shoes were you wearing? Actor Johnny Depp, a longtime supporter of the West Memphis Three and personal friend of Damien Echols, was on hand to support the film in its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012. JESSIE: That one, he runs out, going out the out the park and I chased him and grabbed him and brought him back. [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. Nonetheless, they claimed he was not regarded as a direct suspect but a source of information. How could Damien be in the background if he was not there? JESSIE: They had holes in them and the knees were cut. RIDGE: okay, what occurred while you were there? 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. [27], Vicki Hutcheson, a new resident of West Memphis, would play an important role in the investigation, though she would later recant her testimony, claiming her statements were fabricated due in part to coercion from police. RIDGE:They havent talked to you about this? GITCHELL: What did the stick look like, I mean was it like a a big log like that or is it a stick? JESSIE: Well after, all of this stuff happened that night, that they done it, I went home about noon, then they called me at 9 oclock that night, they called me. Also, Matthew states Jason came in around 7:30. [79], West of Memphis, directed and written by Amy J. Berg, and produced by Peter Jackson, as well as by Echols himself, premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. [35] On March 19, 1994, Echols and Baldwin were found guilty on three counts of murder. RIDGE: Okay, so he kills an animal, you mentioned earlier that he may have to eat part of that animal, what part of the animal would he eat? JESSIE: When I was there, I saw Damien hit this one (pause) hit this one boy real bad, and then uh, and then he started screwing them and stuff and then uh, (There is no evidence from the Medical Examiner whatsoever that any of the boys were raped; it was inconclusive. Even if they were notinthe park at 9 a.m. it would not take three hours to walk from their homesorLakeshore, which is where, JESSIE: No . That night? They were transferred to the hearing with their possessions. RIDGE:Okay, how long was the knife that Jason was using? [9], Echols' family was poor, received frequent visits from social workers and he rarely attended school. [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. He is from 1975. RIDGE: It was like earlier in the day, but you dont know exactly what time, okay, cause weve got Ive gotten some real confusion with the times that youre telling me, but now,this 9 oclock in the evening call that you got, explain that to me. JESSIE: No, they didnt get into the water with us. [59] Since his release, Misskelley has become engaged to his high school girlfriend and enrolled in a community college to train as an auto mechanic. GITCHELL: Alright, thats uh the Byers boy. [57], In early December 2010, David Burnett was elected to the Arkansas State Senate. GITCHELL: Now, where you in a car? [61] As part of the plea deal, the three men cannot pursue civil action against the state for wrongful imprisonment. Okay, so you saw Damien strike Chris Byers in the head. [47] John Mark Byers had his teeth removed in 1997, after the first trial but before an imprint could be made. 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