While thats cooled from the days of concerts in the shadows of the Arkansas Supreme Court building, the documentaries still live on HBO Max, where they pull in new viewers to this day. 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. However, within the first crucial hours after the bodies were discovered, mistakes were made at the crime scene that negatively impacted the investigation. There also were issues with other details he provided, including how the victims were bound and whether the boys were raped. Im not the judge. When the pair got the call from Nevins, they mobilized immediately, landing in Arkansas shortly after the arrests. The first and likely simplest gauge is continued interest in the case. Certain that, under what he felt were ridiculous circumstances, Echols' confidence and, on occasion, flippant attitude during the trial was often misinterpreted as evidence of his coldness toward the victims and their families. Lying in the open air in near 80-degree temperatures accelerated the decomposition of the bodies. The Alford plea is a seldom-invoked and somewhat confusing legal maneuver, but the basics are fairly straightforward. Investigators never found any evidence that tied him, Jason Baldwin, or Jessie Misskelley to the murders of the boys, Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers. One person who has come up in the investigation is Terry Hobbs, although police have never named him a suspect or charged him in connection with the case. 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. (2 weeks at #1, on for 19 weeks!) No explanation has yet been given as to why such a seemingly important lead was dropped. (Shortly after Villegass acquittal, Baldwin had something of a full-circle moment with his client: He took him to a Metallica show in El Paso, Texas, where they hung out backstage on the invitation of Lars Ulrich.). The next day, their bodies were found in a nearby canal. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! The West Memphis Police Department interviewed Hobbs, who was dismissive of the findings, claiming the hair could have been picked up during a visit to his home since the victim "played with our little boy regularly," according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. 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. In 2007, new DNA and physical evidence arose that seemed to further distance the West Memphis Three from the murders. of Auburndale, FL passed away Monday, August 16, 2021. The idea of killer teens in the Christian South, not any greater sense of purpose, was mainly what intrigued Sheila Nevins, then the head of HBOs documentary division, when she spotted a story about the case on the inside pages of The New York Times. Except this was 1996, and home internet was still in its infancy. The level of corruption in the American justice system is glaring and sickening.. The boys were so mutilated, investigators thought the murders were part of some kind of Satanic ritual. Little kids will be looking under their bed 'Damien might be under there! (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. Local 24 News EXCLUSIVE: Terry Hobbs on his new memoir on the West Memphis 3. Its evidence that Damien Echols attorneys wanted to do new DNA testing on. October 14, 2017: #26 on the JazzWeek chart! On the evening of May 5, 1993, 8-year-olds Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore went missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. Filing Date : With their 2007 request for a new trial rejected, time was running out for the West Memphis Three. 34465541-95D0-45B0-BEEB-B9E0361A315A Mike Allen arrived on the scene. 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. "People probably think I'm in Satanism because what they don't understand they try to destroy or ridicule. Berlinger and Sinofsky expected a similar result to come quickly in the West Memphis Three case. Replacing Burnett was Circuit Court Judge David Laser. They were naked and hog-tied with their own shoelaces, and showed signs of blunt force trauma and mutilation, the latter of which may have been the work of wild animals, reported the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper. They were releasedfrom prison in 2011 on whats called an Alford plea, after new forensic evidence was presented as part of the case. On 04/08/2021 Terry Hobbs was filed as a Bankruptcy - Chapter 13 lawsuit. Hobbs said he wrote the book so people, especially other victims of crime, could understand the tragedy he has gone through and how it impacted his life. They werent telling me I was lying, even if they may have been saying that in their minds. Well theres been a lot of things that happened over the years. Sinofsky family connection aside, Berlinger says this was an important part of the film: The prosecutors had put heavy metal lyrics and Baldwins and Echolss Metallica fandom on trial as much as the teens themselves. Berlinger says that after months of filming, the parents of one of the victims raised the issue of payment. Misskelley's coerced confession, as contradictory as it seemed to the evidence, was consistent in implicating Echols and Jason Baldwin. Debates still occur regularly onlinethe West Memphis Three subreddit is fairly active for one on a 28-year-old caseand podcasts have looked at the crime from all angles. It was born out of genuine admiration for the fact that these guys took the time out of their lives to dedicate, to go down to Arkansas, to build a website, to really step out of their lives, Berlinger says. there are no assignments to cushion your grade, so either pass or fail. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. 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. He was an actor, known for Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988), Fast Food (1989) and In the Heat of the Night (1988). 24 to Jun. TERRY HOBBS OBITUARY Terry Roland Hobbs, 62, of Sweetwater, passed away on Saturday, September 11, 2021. None of the initial trio behind WM3.orgnor their friend Lisa Fancher, who later became a key part of the efforthad ever considered themselves an activist to that point. 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. But then the verdicts arrived: Both Baldwin and Echols were found guilty on all counts, just like Misskelley had been six weeks before them. All of those factors combined to create a tipping point, says Leveritt. That story line would make up the bulk of 2000s Paradise Lost 2: Revelations, a rare sequel for a documentary, especially before the streaming era proved that true crime series like Making a Murderer and The Staircase could maintain audience interest for years. Who Killed The Forgotten West Memphis Three? Although the appeals were repeatedly denied, a new batch of DNA testing done in 2007 reignited the investigation. What has never been definitively answered, however, is who committed the 1993 murders, and The Forgotten West Memphis Three, premiering Saturday, March 28 at 8/7c on Oxygen, reexamines the case and key theories. 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. Reaching its apex in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Satanic Panic was a wave of paranoia rooted in the belief that Satanic cults intent on corrupting the souls of the young had infiltrated American society. He graduated from Sweetwater High School in 1977. McCaughey says her sister is very upset. The sneaker ligatures in which Terry Hobbs' DNA was found in," Soury said . Not everyone believes that the West Memphis Three are innocent of the killings of Michael Moore, Stevie Branch, and Christopher Byers. On August 19, 2011, all three accepted the deal and were immediately released from prison. But I had to. 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. Events. Baldwins attorneys even avoided putting him on the witness stand or mounting much of a defense, believing the burden was on the state. And that is why Echols has attorneys who want to use a new DNA test called M-Vac, a wet vacuum system that can find more DNA than older tests. William Holford Griffiths. 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. During the final year of the two-year span, from July 2021 to July 2022, California lost about 211,000 people, according to data from the state Department of Finance. The evolution of how the teens were perceivedon behalf of both the filmmakers and even part of the defense teamis captured on camera early as Stidham and his colleagues began to consider whether Misskelleys confession had been coerced. This is a story of justice delayed and justice denied. In 2004, Vicki Hutcheson recanted her trial testimony, stating that she had lied on the stand. And they used that visibility to help raise funds for the defense. Defense attorneys also pointed out that Griffis' doctorate was obtained through a notorious diploma mill and had been awarded with Griffis having never attended a single class. They were found nude and hogtied in a creek in a wooded area in West Memphis. But Echolss situation changed Baldwins thinking. In the joint trial of Baldwin and Echols, which took place separately from Misskelleys, Berlinger and Sinofsky filmed the surreal moments that juries were actually present for: a rundown of the books Echols checked out of the library, a parade of band T-shirts worn by the pair, a copy of a Blue Oyster Cult record found in Damiens girlfriends house that became evidence because of the word cult and song titles like Dont Fear the Reaper. What the cameras couldnt capture, however, was the introduction of physical evidencethe prosecution didnt offer much of that aside from a knife that was never directly linked to the crimes and fabric threads deemed microscopically similar to items found in Baldwins and Echolss homes, an assertion that has been questioned in the years since the trials. How do you measure the legacy of Paradise Lost, which is one of the best reviewed documentaries of all time and considered among the most influential, but whose mission is only partly complete? More than 25 years after the murders of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis,a new book gives a first-person account of what was happening behind the sce More than 25 years after the murders of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis,a new book gives a first-person account of what was happening behind the scenes. . Theyve had several victories, including the case of Daniel Villegas, who was acquitted of capital murder in 2018 after a 25-year legal saga. That was more than the people deciding the case were able to hearthe presiding judge made the expert give most of his testimony without the jury in the courtroom because he questioned its relevance. A month later, authorities arrested Baldwin, Echols, and Misskelleythree teenagers who lived in trailer parks near West Memphis and had previous run-ins with the law, though nothing rising to the level of murder. The arrest, trial, and conviction of the three young men known as the West Memphis Three came under national scrutiny as details of the case became public. To this day, it is still unclear who is responsible for the killings. (Despite Misskelleys statement, the coroners examination found no injuries on the victims consistent with sexual assault.) It has happened to a lot of people that just dont have the spotlight of a documentary, he says. With the area secured, Detective Bryn Ridge volunteered to search the ditch. 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. What a story it is. There are no events scheduled. Here were these guysat best they were neutral. Berlinger says that he counts Errol Morriss The Thin Blue Line as one of his greatest influences, not just for the innovations Morris brought to the documentary genre, but also because it helped free Randall Dale Adams from a sentence for the murder of a Texas police officer that he did not commit. Funeral Home Services for Terry are being provi. Over the years there has been lots of speculation and finger pointing as to who was responsible. 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. "I knew from when I was real small that people were going to know who I was," Echols said in 1994. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. . Auburndale, FL - TSGT Terry Lee Hobbs, USAF, ret. He was handed the phone. It was clear that Paradise Lost was resonating. 2011 Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (Documentary) Self - Stepfather of Stevie Branch. There have also been several high-profile incidents of laypeople reinvestigating decades-old cold cases in more rigorous, journalistic ways and helping bring them to a resolution. Damien Echols (@damienechols) July 7, 2021 Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of Branch who was under suspicion but never charged, said he welcomes new DNA testing. That didn't make sense to me. every single person in my class was either . While Berlinger says that the work of people like Bakken and Sauls was more impressive than that of any celebrity, its undeniable that the famous and influential brought a megaphone and funding mechanism to this case that most never get. Misskelley, who reportedly had an IQ of 72, changed his story several times, and only a small part of his statements was recorded. Echols' disdain for authority, penchant for black clothes, and propensity to make shocking statements didn't help his plight. doesn't know how to teach the material and you will end up teaching yourself everything. Investigators kept minimal notes and omitted pertinent details including criminal records. They saw this movie and they felt like, I have to do something.. I don't know if the other 2 did, but even if they did polygraphs aren't admissible in court. The second is by looking at it as an act of passion and perseverance. Terry was born on September 11, 1959 in Sweetwater, to Jack Harvey and Marjorie. of Auburndale, FL passed away Monday, August 16, 2021. Show more Show more What's next for West. In the minds of many, the bizarre nature of the Robin Hood Hills murders could only have been committed by one of Satan's minions. 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.. Terry Hobbs passed away in Nampa, Idaho. (Maines briefly became a part of the story when Terry Hobbs, stepfather of another . So when I saw this tiny little article in the Times, I wasnt about to free anybody that was guilty. 2 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. Branded the, What has never been definitively answered, however, is who committed the 1993 murders, and , Due to marital problems stemming from Stevies death, the couple divorced in 2004, reported, The test results showed that no genetic material on the crime scene evidence was a match to Echols, Baldwin or Misskelley, reported the, The West Memphis Police Department interviewed Hobbs, who was dismissive of the findings, claiming the hair could have been picked up during a visit to his home since the victim "played with our little boy regularly," according to the, "They said close to the crime scene because at one time I did walk near where they had found the kids with Terry Hobbs But I didn't wear hats back then, my hair could have blown around anywhere, Jacoby told Memphis NBC affiliate, 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, 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. 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. 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. eyewitness evidence surfaced 16 years later. The first film gave rise to a movement devoted to reopening the investigation in hopes of exonerating, and ultimately freeing, Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols, and Jessie Misskelley. Baldwin is the co-founder of the legal advocacy organization Proclaim Justice. 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. She says she is too because they believe they are hearing different stories. He began his career in the. Despite an offer of a reduced sentence, Misskelley ultimately recanted his statements and refused to testify against Echols and Baldwin. Years of solitary confinement and the abuse he said he suffered at the hands of prison guards had taken its toll. The case status is Pending - Other Pending. None of the early interviews with the parents were recorded. As detailed by The Hollywood Reporter in 2011, Jackson and Walsh helped fund key investigations for the West Memphis Three's defense during the last seven years of their incarceration. Griffis also knew how to spot a Satanist. Websleuths, an online forum for discussions about unsolved homicides and missing-person cases, has more than 100,000 members, and internet vigilantes have used social media and other online breadcrumbs to help track down actual criminals, such as the Canadian murderer and subject of the documentary Dont F*ck With Cats, Luka Magnotta. We are sad to announce that on September 11, 2021 we had to say goodbye to Terry Hobbs of Sweetwater, Texas. Now a judgewho coincidentally works part time in the courtroom where Misskelley was convictedStidham spends time speaking to law students about the judicial system. One of the keys to understanding the West Memphis Three murders is the phenomenon known as the Satanic Panic. Among those active in the cause were singer Eddie Vedder of the band Pearl Jam, the country music trio The Dixie Chicks, punk rock icon and poet Henry Rollins, and actor Johnny Depp. I think we were the first internet sleuths, but we were not internet sleuths.. Other possible suspects includedBrian Holland and Chris Morgan, two young men from Memphis, Tenn., with a history of drug offenses. Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelly and Jason Baldwin were originally convicted of the killings and released from prison in 2011 after making a deal with prosecutors. A theory held is that Terry Hobbs was the one who actually killed the three boys and had pinned it on the Memphis 3 boys. Im not the jury. 1.0. . The districts current prosecuting attorney, Keith Chrestman, did not respond to requests for comment for this article, but his predecessor Scott Ellington, whose office negotiated the deals, told The New York Times in 2011 that while new trials would have likely resulted in acquittals, We dont think that there is anybody else. The Moore family has been outspoken about the end result, vehemently protesting the 2012 Oscar nomination for the third Paradise Lost installment. This family in-fighting led to him shooting his brother-in-law. During the trials of Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols, Griffis drew tenuous links between circumstantial evidence, such as the killings taking place near the date of the pagan festival of Beltane. 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. I spoke with one of the jurors, years later after the trials and convictions, and he said he had no doubt that people could throw their lot in with the devil and be commanded to do things that they wouldnt have done otherwisethat they have basically made the deal with the devil, Leveritt says. Sheriff's deputies in Calhoun County say Terry Hobbs was reported missing on Saturday, April 20, 2019. On the surface, 18-year-old Damien Echols, an intelligent, but psychologically troubled teen with interests in Wicca and extreme music, fit the profile. Their main worry was Damien, who was staring down the threat of lethal injection should the appeals fail. Under order of the Arkansas Supreme Court, there were to be new evidentiary hearings in the case. Now, he was being asked to consider something that he never dreamed he would: accepting a plea deal that would set the West Memphis Three free, but require them to give up their quest for exoneration. Quickly, however, he realized Berlinger and Sinofsky were taking a different approach. Stating that she would ask around, Hutcheson agreed to "play detective.". 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. November 03, 2021 November 4, 2021 . 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. Bray asked her if she knew about rumored cult activity in the community. Making his way through the muck on his hands and knees, Ridge soon discovered clothing twisted around sticks and thrust into the ditch's bottom. Few celebrities at the time did as much as Henry Rollins, however. Jesse was gonna take it anyway. Case Number : 2:21-BK-21177. He responded proudly, 11..
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