Who Killed The Forgotten West Memphis Three? I said, Im going to send some kids down there., Those kids turned out to be Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, the young documentarians who had recently completed the acclaimed Brothers Keeper, a film chronicling a death and the resulting trial in a small upstate New York village. A statement he made to the producers of Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills did little to help his public image. They were released after prosecutors agreed to an Alford plea, in which the men maintained their innocence but pleaded guilty. In 2009, three witnesses filed affidavits claiming they saw Hobbs with the murdered boys the night they disappeared, contradicting Hobbs previous statements to police, according to CNN. He was 56. Years of solitary confinement and the abuse he said he suffered at the hands of prison guards had taken its toll. He was 56. Im not the jury. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Mara Leveritt, a journalist who followed the case throughout the 1990s and wrote the 2002 book Devils Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three, calls the strain of Christianity that runs through the region very literal and says that even her children faced harassment as teenagers for playing Dungeons & Dragons and listening to Ozzy Osbourne. McCaughey says her sister is very upset. La Mirada, California. The judge ruled that Hobbs could not establish actual malice, and ordered Hobbs to pay Maines legal fees amounting to more than $17,000, according to the Associated Press. On the evening of May 5, 1993, 8-year-olds Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore went missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. That the slain boys were each 8 years-old was important because eight was a "witch's number." The causes most high-profile moment came in 2000, when Trey Parker said the slogan at the MTV Movie Awards while collecting an award for Best Musical Sequence. "The reason I made the West Memphis boogeyman comment during the first film was because I was making light of the situation," Echols says in Paradise Lost 2: Revelations. Even without a smoking gun, the circumstantial evidence was enough for a conviction in a place like Crittenden County, Arkansas. The whole point of the web sleuths presented in the Cecil Hotel is that you cannot assume something is truthful just because circumstantially it seems interesting. A benefit album was released in 2000, and the phrase made it into a Dawsons Creek episode when Pacey shouted Free the West Memphis Three over an airport intercom. But it wasnt in the ways its directors had hoped. Mojo, however, was considerably more fired up, believing the same thing many of Paradise Losts viewers did: that the movie showed an incredible miscarriage of justice, one that would surely be fixed. But further down, in the section for the music department, theres a curious inclusion of a consultant who never worked in film again: Alex Sinofsky, the son of Bruce who was 12 at the time of Paradise Losts release. That there were three victims was a link to the biblical number of the beast. The specter of the church looms over Paradise Lost, best represented by an early scene in which Mark Byers leads his congregation in prayer and song. Quality. By 2005, Rollins himself had raised $100,000 for the cause. But on the subject of Paradise Lost, he speaks emphatically: He understands how important the movies were in helping him, Echols, and Misskelley walk free 10 years ago this August. The first being that boys were killed by someone they knew. As more people learned about the case from Paradise Lost and the work of people like Bakken and Sauls, the phrase Free the West Memphis Three caught on as a slogan for progressive musicians and actors in the 1990s, up there with Save the Rainforest and Free Tibet. Eddie Vedder became an early leading voice, soon followed by the likes of Peter Jackson, Johnny Depp, and Natalie Maines from the band then known as the Dixie Chicks. Well theres been a lot of things that happened over the years. A spiritual successor to Errol Morriss The Thin Blue Line, and a forerunner of more recent documentaries like Making a Murderer, the film stands today as the most affecting examination of one of the most studied legal cases in U.S. historyone that put heavy metal lyrics and black T-shirts on trial and helped lay the groundwork for the current thinking around false confessions. As the 20th century turned to the 21st, the movement seemed to be picking up steam. At that time, I was a little naive that what you read in the paper must have some truth to it, and all the press reports coming out of Arkansas were saying that this was like a slam dunk, an open-and-shut case with a confession that was printed in the newspaper.. Classmates at Weaver Elementary School, the three were active in their Cub Scout troop and responsible enough to be trusted to roam their neighborhood without supervision. He had always maintained he didnt commit the crimes, and outside the Varner Units walls, a growing chorus of activists and legal observers were arguing that same thing on his behalf. However, under pressure, leading questions, and scare tactics, Misskelley wove a contradictory story that first placed him at the crime scene as an eyewitness to the murders and then as an active participant. She also stated that beyond the single meeting at her trailer, she had no further contact with Echols. Published by The Commercial Appeal from Jun. They asked to see a cut, and they immediately said, Not only are we going to let you use all that music, but were not going to charge you anything for it., Metallica would be the first celebrities to throw their support behind the West Memphis Three, but they were far from the last. Its first season ostensibly focused on the disappearance of a Georgia beauty queen, but it spent nearly as much time digging through the salacious details of the victims love life and dipping into amateur psychology as it did looking at evidence. A year after the DNA results were released, Hobbs sued Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines for defamation, claiming she implied he was a murderer on the bands website and at a 2007 rally, according to The New York Times. Bakken immediately showed her friends Burk Sauls and Grove Pashley, who were both equally gripped by what they had just watched. Titled West of Memphis, the film, directed by Amy J. Berg, presents an overview of the West Memphis Three's 18 years in prison, the revelation of new evidence, and explores the possibility of an alternate suspect. Pam Hobbs divorced Terry Hobbs in 2004 and has reversed her position on the West Memphis Three's guilt. Echols' disdain for authority, penchant for black clothes, and propensity to make shocking statements didn't help his plight. Terry was born on September 11, 1959 in Sweetwater, to Jack Harvey and Marjorie Hobbs. The Latest CD: 92 YEARS YOUNG: JAMMIN' AT THE GIBBS HOUSE. Two questions plagued the conservative, middle-class community: Why would anyone commit such a heinous act, and, more importantly, who? The prosecutor would later say, There was a lack of physical evidence to tie anyone or anything to the crime scene, while the lead investigatorthe same one who told the press the case was an 11 out of 10would concede, Youve got a lot of circumstantial evidence is what youve got. After roughly 18 months of editing, Paradise Lost debuted at Sundance in January 1996 before heading out to other festivals. After hours of questioning, a frustrated Morgan blurted out that he had been hospitalized for drug and alcohol abuse and might have committed the murders. This is a brand new website dedicated to the internationally famous musician, Terry Gibbs. He says his dad and Berlinger werent seeking notorietydocumentaries certainly werent a means to get rich or famous in those days. They procured the domain WM3.org and made a website, updating it with whatever information they could track down. " Every crime, no matter what it is, gets blamed on Satanism.". They saw the same thing you did. Support came from unlikely corners: a classroom of kids who held a cookie sale that raised $30, local bands in Chicago who held a benefit show and sent $150. They couldnt have been cooler, recalls Berlinger, who would go on to direct the 2004 documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster alongside Bruce Sinofsky. Terry Hobbs was born in 1958 and grew up in Northern Arkansas. of Auburndale, FL passed away Monday, August 16, 2021. Terry Hobbs was born on November 25, 1969 in Columbus, Georgia, USA. Social media didnt fully exist yet, but the group managed to harness the potential of the nascent information superhighway to bring attention to their cause. I don't know if the other 2 did, but even if they did polygraphs aren't admissible in court. Misskelley, who reportedly had an IQ of 72, changed his story several times, and only a small part of his statements was recorded. When the pair got the call from Nevins, they mobilized immediately, landing in Arkansas shortly after the arrests. TSGT Terry Lee Hobbs, USAF, ret. It ranges from Mark Byers, the crusading stepfather who became one of the West Memphis Threes biggest allies in the years before his 2020 death, to famed FBI criminal profiler (and Mindhunter inspiration) John E. Douglas. Baldwin remembers the dire circumstances laid out during the call. Berlinger also concedes Revelations had some ethical problems, chiefly because it raised the possibility that Mark Byers committed the killings. Family and friends can send flowers and/or light a candle as a loving gesture for their loved one. Nevertheless, Echols made no incriminating statements. Covered in wounds, all three showed signs of having been beaten. If the state of Arkansas has a deep and abiding belief that the West Memphis Three are child murderers and did these terrible crimes, then shame on them for letting them out after 18 and a half years because a bunch of celebrities are whining about it, Berlinger says. At the request of West Memphis authorities, the two were picked up and questioned by Oceanside police. To date, no DNA evidence from the crime scene can be linked to Damien Echols, Baldwin, or Jessie Misskelley. They were releasedfrom prison in 2011 on whats called an Alford plea, after new forensic evidence was presented as part of the case. But inside, he was just another prisonerBaldwin didnt know who he could trust. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! When we were driving in the car a lot, wed play a lot of the Metallica album Master of Puppets, says Alex Sinofsky, who became a doctor instead of getting behind the camera himself. It was so emotionally taxing to watch and go through it again, he says. The idea of the average citizen becoming embroiled in a criminal investigation isn't far-fetched in 2021, . The governor of the state of Arkansas who will one day pardon the West Memphis Three is probably in junior high right now, he says. Terry. The third put forth the unusual theory that the killings were committed as a cult ritual. Griffis also found the devil in nearly every number associated with the crime. (Police questioned Byers several times during the investigation, but never considered him a suspect.) The news was devastating beyond just word of his friends suffering. Much of Cecil Hotel focuses on the amateur investigators who turned coincidences into conspiracy theories, ultimately accusing an innocent person of her death. It just needed a catalyst. On the evening of May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys disappeared from the streets of West Memphis, Ark. What a story it is. The three teens were arrested after Misskelley said they committed the crime after 12 hours of interrogation. the only grade you receive is from quizzes, exams, and the final. 21, 2021 at 1:51 PM PDT CALHOUN COUNTY, Fla.. All of them were convicted after Misskelley confessed to helping Echols and Baldwin with the murders, which he later recanted. The Alford plea is a seldom-invoked and somewhat confusing legal maneuver, but the basics are fairly straightforward. I went to a Baptist school and I got accused of being a devil worshiper because I was trying to learn how to write hieroglyphics, says Sauls, today a screenwriter and VFX designer. Rather, they were fighting for something they believed in. Mojo jumped up, Baldwin recalls. So, how much is Terry Hobbs worth at the age of 50 years old? Terry Hobbs Memphis 32, 14-Jun, Superior Funeral Home-Hollywood. They were found nude and hogtied in a creek in a wooded area in West Memphis. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Terry Lee Hobbs of Auburndale, Florida, born in Winter Haven, Florida, who passed away on August 16, 2021, at the age of 56, leaving to mourn family and friends. " (Detective Allen) told me if I knew anything, that there was a $35,000 reward, and if I could help them out, we'd get the money," said Misskelley, as quoted by Mara Leveritt in Devil's Knot. Case Number &colon; 2:21-BK-21177. Misskelley returned to life in West Memphis. This is before considering the 2013 dramatized movie based on the events (and Leveritts book), Stidhams plans to release the book Harvest of Innocence, and how elements of the case made their way into True Detectives third season. The trio assumed that the convictions had already been overturned by the time Bakken received the screenerthis was a modern-day witch hunt, they thought, and surely the state of Arkansas had already corrected the course. Griffis also knew how to spot a Satanist. West Memphis is in the heart of the Bible Belt: just a two-hour drive from where, legend has it, the devil tuned Robert Johnsons guitar, in a state thats 46 percent evangelical Protestant. Almost 30 years ago, three eight-year-old West Memphis boys were found murdered and three teenagers were charged in the murders. Three teenage boys were arrested for the crimes Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. and prosecutors argued they killed the boys as part of a Satanic ritual. Here were these guysat best they were neutral. It was almost like an out-of-body experience., When the credits rolled shortly after the unforgettable final scene, which shows a now-convicted Baldwin and Echols leaving the courtroom in handcuffs and entering a police cruiser as Metallica plays, Baldwin sat stunned. Over the years there has been lots of speculation and finger pointing as to who was responsible. He says that while he was in the supermax prison in Varner, he would write letters trying to drum up support for not just himself, but also for other inmates he believed were wrongfully convicted. every single person in my class was either . In May of that year, police discovered the bodies of Michael Moore, Stevie Branch, and Christopher Byers in the Robin Hood Hills, a small wooded area near the I-40/I-55 exchange. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as: names, dates, place of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships. They had a daughter together, Amanda Hobbs, who was 4 years old at the time of her brothers death. Then youd try to find it, and it didnt exist, because when we went out to discussion groups, no one knew about the case yet., After learning that the teens were still in prison, Bakken, Sauls, and Pashley decided to make full use of the budding technological revolution. (WMC) - Not a single piece of evidence ever connected the West Memphis Three, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, to the 1993 murders of Steve Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore. Sheila Nevins, the HBO exec who pushed for Berlinger and Sinofsky to make that initial trip to Arkansas, is most proud of the companys willingness to let her finance three documentaries over 18 years without knowing where they would go. (Despite Misskelleys statement, the coroners examination found no injuries on the victims consistent with sexual assault.) Berlinger and Sinofsky began to take notice. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. Baldwin, who had been coached by his lawyers to avoid speaking to the press, says money was the only reason he agreed to the added pressure of appearing in the documentary, especially when everyone else in a position of authority seemed adversarial toward him. In November, Judge David Burnett, who had presided over the trial, was elected to the state senate. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. A quarter-century later, what does the documentary tell us about citizen activism, the criminal justice system, and the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 90s? The story felt personal for all of them, but especially Sauls: He had grown up in Florida and Georgia as an outcast obsessed with art and reading some of the same books Damien Echols had. By the time she got done watching it, her life was forever changed. They didnt even think he would physically survive through December, Baldwin says. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. He had been expecting a visitation, but was instead led to the prison chapel office, where inmates were typically brought only if someone close to them had died. As the movement to free the West Memphis Three gained traction, a number of celebrities joined the cause, bringing the case under more scrutiny. Armchair detectives of today, I think a lot of them dabble in conspiracy theory, Berlinger says. As part of the deal, they cannot file wrongful-conviction lawsuits, which both Berlinger and Baldwin say couldve cost the state tens of millions of dollars. June 29 Terry Hobbs, 34, 1718 Spyglass Lane, Mishawaka, booked on a warrant from Elkhart County. With the guards blessings, Mojo led Baldwin to Varners visitation room, where everything had been put away aside from two chairs set up in front of a cart holding a small TV and a VCR. Yes, the West Memphis Three are out of prison, but as long as they are considered guilty in the eyes of the state, the case is closed, meaning no further investigation can occur. I still believe in my heart that Jessie, Jason, and Damion Echols [sic] are responsible for what happened to our children, Hobbs told Memphis ABC affiliate WATN in June 2019. Because I was thinking, if you haven't done anything, then they can't prove you did something you haven't actually done. Mojo was right. Also, law enforcement chose not to focus on the victims' families as the starting point of the investigation as is the norm. I think I introduced my dad to it because that was not his normal genre., Three Metallica songsOrion, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), and Call of Ktuluwould play throughout the documentary. In the years since the trial, John Mark Byers, adoptive father of Christopher Byers, and Pamela Hobbs, mother of Stevie Branch, became vocal supporters of the West Memphis Three. The consequences of that online campaign were ruinous: The person they targeted, a Mexican metal musician who worked under the name Morbid, was harassed into hiding. We were mainly in it for the aesthetics of filmmaking, but the last scene of Paradise Lost, when Damien is chained up and sent away to death row, that was just heartbreaking and devastating for us, Berlinger says. Attorneys for Echols have submitted a formal request to inspect the records that are available, involving cataloguing of the evidence as well as information on the loss of the evidence. People have come out of the woodwork and said this and this and people have done things and a lot of them are wrong, said Hobbs. Filing Date &colon; November 03, 2021 November 4, 2021 . I had a friend who was working on 20/20, and they had done a film about exorcism in one of the magazine pieces, Nevins says. And that makes him hopeful that exoneration is on the horizon. (Echolswho is in better health today, though his eyesight has degenerated and he has premature arthritis from his time in solitary confinementin particular has maintained a relatively public life, through the five books hes published, performing magic for Patreon subscribers, and making TV appearances to discuss other cases he sees as similar to his.) "I knew from when I was real small that people were going to know who I was," Echols said in 1994. Minutes later, Sgt. Even though they said they didnt murder the three boys, they are technically convicted killers. He said, J.B., youre going home, man, youre going home.. Knowing that the police were already focusing on Damien Echols, Hutcheson asked her neighbor, Jessie Misskelley Jr., about the brooding teen and his occult connection. On the surface, 18-year-old Damien Echols, an intelligent, but psychologically troubled teen with interests in Wicca and extreme music, fit the profile. But the list of people who have looked at the facts of the case and come away believing Baldwin, Echols, and Misskelley are innocent is long. The state of Arkansas continues to attempt to prevent this testing from happening., New technology and advances in science would now allow us to test DNA in amounts so small that it would have been previously impossible. But I had to. Hobbs described what it was like the day the three walked free. Misskelley's coerced confession, as contradictory as it seemed to the evidence, was consistent in implicating Echols and Jason Baldwin. By getting to the story quickly, the directors were able to document the post-arrest period and two trials that followed in painstaking detail. Over the years there has been lots of speculation and finger pointing as to who was responsible. It allowed them to get out of prison after almost 20 years. (Maines briefly became a part of the story when Terry Hobbs, stepfather of another . You still dont really know what happened to these kids. No charges have been brought against Jacoby, and he has never been named a suspect by the West Memphis Police Department. The concept of citizen investigations intrigues Berlinger just as much as it did in the 1990s, though today hes often more concerned with the moral implications. He died on April 4, 2019 in Panama City Beach, Florida, USA. Terry Roland Hobbs <p>Terry Roland Hobbs, 62, of Sweetwater, passed away on Saturday, September 11, 2021.</p> <p>Terry was born on September 11, 1959 in Sweetwater, to Jack Harvey and Marjorie Hobbs .Terry graduated from Sweetwater High School in 1977. As the appeals processes stretched across several years and the buzz of the initial film faded, the directors began looking for ways to keep the story alive. Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were best friends. Events. So advocacy and diligence become tantamount, because most people in a similar situation to the one he was in dont have the benefit of filmmakers and musicians fighting on their behalf. Show more Show more What's next for West. They werent telling me I was lying, even if they may have been saying that in their minds. It was clear that Paradise Lost was resonating. A murderer was loose in West Memphis. The case status is Pending - Other Pending.