Then I came down here when he got out," she said. 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. GITCHELL: Where the pipe is that goes across the water? Despite his reported IQ of 72 (categorizing him as borderline intellectual functioning) and his status as a minor, Miskelley was questioned alone; his parents were not present during the interrogation. His psychosis dominated his perceptions of everything going on in court, Woods wrote. [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. So they were there for a lot longer. He is from 1975. 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. RIDGE:Did you actually kill any of these boys? [3][9] Misskelley specifically said he was "scared of the police" during this confession. I had always assumed that my son's murderer had taken the knife during the crime. 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. 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. RIDGE:They had already gotten them off. JESSIE:No, he didnt borrow mine. JESSIE: Close to right where there before you come in and they laid them down right there, and after I left I dont know what they done with the bikes. RIDGE:Okay, was it a designed shirt, like this bull run type shirt, or was it just a plain white, old. In his efforts to win a new trial, Echols, 27 at the time of the appeal, claimed he was incompetent to stand trial because of a history of mental illness. Alright, another boy was cut I understand, where was he cut at? RIDGE: Alright, have they got their clothes on when you saw them tied? [8] Initial police searches made that night were limited. Also presented in the filing was new expert testimony that the supposed knife marks on the victims, including the injuries to Byers' genitals, were in fact the result of animal predation after the bodies had been dumped.[55]. RIDGE: They were on theMemphisside. Note:This is a transcription of the taped confession of Jessie Misskelley, Jr. regarding the murder of Chris Byers, Steve Branch and Michael Moore. RIDGE:Why did you not come forward with this information? RIDGE:But you would be able to point out where these things took place? RIDGE: Beat them up real bad, and then they took their clothes off? In May 2013, for the 20th anniversary of the slayings, Weaver Elementary School principal Sheila Grissom raised funds to refurbish the memorial. 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. JESSIE:They had some cocaine, and a little gun. However, there was no forensic evidence indicating that the murdered boys had been raped. RIDGE: Okay, one of them were cut on the face real bad, is that what you said? RIDGE: Alright, you went home and about what time was it that all of this was taking place? Damien Wayne Echols (born Michael Wayne Hutchison,[85] December 11, 1974) was on death row, locked-down 23 hours per day at the Varner Unit Supermax. He is in a relationship with a woman who befriended him while he was in prison. RIDGE:Did you see any of the boys actually killed? GITCHELL:Did you have some blood on your clothes? All three defendants pleaded not guilty. 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. Describe those pictures for me. ), 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? [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. [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]. There was nothing of the kind on Chris neck. [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. And Susie Brewer Boggan says she is now out of Jessie Misskelley's life. The crime and investigation. 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. Jessie Misskelley was born on July 10, 1975. By then, the man had left, and police did not enter the restroom on that date. There was a small amount of blood found at the scene that was never tested. JESSIE: He choked him real bad and all. It was a pocket knife that my father had given to Stevie, and Stevie loved that knife. They wouldn't be able to pull the same tricks. director of photography Film Editing by Susan Shipton Casting By Production Design by Phillip Barker Art Direction by Thomas Minton Set Decoration by Melinda Sanders Costume Design by Kari Perkins RIDGE: Alright, they were on their bikes, where were the bikes at? "However, they're trying to kill Damien. They were transferred to the hearing with their possessions. 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. When he first hit the boy, when Damien first hit the first boy, did they have their clothes on then? 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: I was there until they tied them up and then thats when I left, after they tied them up, I left. RIDGE: Had Damien seen these boys before? Regardless of your opinion on his behavior, it is safe to say that Jason Baldwin is one of the richest film producers in the world. He told me that he had to go toWest Memphisso, him and Damien with and then I went with them. 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. Misskelley's confession eventually served as the basis for all three arrests. RIDGE:What kind of shirt were you wearing? HBO executives ordered them to return the knife to the West Memphis Police Department. . He had stayed the night at a friends house who had no phone. JESSIE: I was looking down, and after I seen all of that, I took off, (Were going to correct that??? GITCHELL: Now, youre pointing to the Byers boy again? You received a phone call is that correct? JESSIE: He was wearing some blue jeans and boots, army boots like, RIDGE:Army boots? Stephen Braga, an attorney with Ropes & Gray who took up Echols's defense on a pro bono basis beginning in 2009, negotiated the plea agreement with prosecutors. 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. There was additional new evidence discovered in 2007 that I cannot now recall. [1][2][3], Due to the dubious nature of the evidence as well as the suspected presence of emotional bias in court, the case generated widespread controversy and was the subject of several documentaries. RIDGE:Okay, you couldnt stand 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]. GITCHELL: How many pictures did you see, altogether? RIDGE: Okay, he had his legs up in the air, alright, what was to keep the little boys from running off, but just their hands are tied, whats to keep them from running off? RIDGE:Besides just playing, the little boys, had they been in the water? (Jessie does not state the location of the crime scene; Ridge tells him, and Jessie repeats it. JESSIE: No, hes been watching them, (How would Jessie know what Damien had done with the boys in the past?). Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin to life imprisonment. [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. The defense's expert testified that the mark in question was not an adult bite mark, while experts put on by the State concluded that there was no bite mark at all. JESSIE:We go out kill dogs and stuff and then carry girls out there. He is a producer, known for Devil's Knot (2013), Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) and West of Memphis (2012). [62], Many of the men's supporters, and opponents who still believe them guilty, were unhappy with the unusual plea deal. Jessie Misskelley after his murder conviction. RIDGE: When he hits the first boy and then Jason hits another boy, and one takes off running. 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. [76], A website by Martin David Hill, containing approximately 160,000 words and intending to be a "thorough investigation", collates and discusses many details surrounding the murders and investigation, including some anecdotal information. This is very, very important, now just tell us the truth. RIDGE:Alright, youre describing a knife that would be about 6 inches long, is that right? Misskelley and Echols had dropped out of high school; however, Baldwin earned high grades and demonstrated a talent for drawing and sketching, and was encouraged by one of his teachers to study graphic design in college. Piers Morgan Tonight aired an episode on September 29, 2011, about the three's plans for the future and continued investigations on the case. RIDGE:He doesnt have one, he didnt have one that night? JESSIE: Close like army type, not quite, RIDGE:Okay, they are black, is that right, they lace up? DNA evidence at the scene was not found to include any from Echols or his co-defendants. RIDGE: Alright, you know what a penis is? This isnotsomething only the police knew). Also, Matthew states Jason came in around 7:30. GITCHELL: Ive got a feeling here, youre not quite telling me everything, now you know that were recording everything, so this is very, very important to tell us the entire truth. Stidham made similar comments during a radio show interview in May 2010. GITCHELL: Did they have a briefcase with them? (Jessie confuses the boys here; this is pertinent in the second statement(*)). [48], After an expert examined autopsy photos and noted what he thought might be the imprint of a belt buckle on Byers' corpse, the elder Byers revealed to the police that he had spanked his stepson shortly before the boy disappeared. Byers was eight years old, 4ft. tall, weighed 52lbs, and had light brown hair. RIDGE:Okay, had somebody taken pictures of these boys? [35] On March 19, 1994, Echols and Baldwin were found guilty on three counts of murder. [86] Until August 2011, he was incarcerated in the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC) Varner Unit Supermax. , money, salary, income, and assets. [60], Under the deal, Judge David Laser vacated the previous convictions, including the capital murder convictions for Echols and Baldwin, and ordered a new trial. [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. JESSIE: We were just sitting there, throwing stuff at each other. . Misskelley agreed to introduce Hutcheson to Echols. [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. [21] Morgan was presumed to be at least casually familiar with all three murdered boys, having previously driven an ice cream truck route in their neighborhood. JESSIE: Damien had kinda of a big old stick when he hit that first one, after he hit him with his fist and knocked him down and got him a big old stick and hit him. Jessie, in front of me I have a rights form, and it has your signature at the bottom of it, is that your signature? RIDGE: This is Det. RIDGE:Does that involve eating part of the penis of the animal? According to the statements given by Berlinger and Sinofsky, Cooper informed them of his receipt of the knife on December 19, 1993. Steve Branch was the son of Steven and Pamela Branch, who divorced when he was an infant. RIDGE:Metalica shirt, alright, was he wearing a cap, anything like that? (Again ignores Jessies statement that he left and guides him into saying more happened). GITCHELL: Youre talking about the Byers boy again? Further testing of the knife produced inconclusive results about the source of the blood. However, after blood was found on the knife, Byers stated that he had used it only once, to cut deer meat. Misskelley, 42, is accused of driving without a license, no vehicle insurance, and driving a vehicle with one or more headlights. You tell me. (The knife that was eventually introduced into evidence as the possible murder weapon did not match this descriptionit was a hunting-type knife). Directed by Atom Egoyan Writing Credits ( WGA) Cast (in credits order) Produced by Music by Mychael Danna Cinematography by Paul Sarossy . His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. 3:30 PM - 7:00 PM - Jessie with Susie Brewer. After the initial investigation, the police failed to control disclosure of information and speculation about the crime scene.[38]. Charles Jason Baldwin[83] (born April 11, 1977) along with Misskelley and Echols, entered an Alford plea on August 19, 2011. 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. RIDGE: Which way does he go, I mean, does he go back towards where the houses are. He is a producer, known for Devil's Knot (2013), Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) and West of Memphis (2012). RIDGES:Cutting him in the face. A hair identified as belonging to a black male was later recovered from a sheet wrapped around one of the victims. RIDGE:About the size of a baseball bat, maybe just a little bit bigger round? He was last seen wearing blue jeans, dark shoes, and a white long-sleeved shirt. [26][43] In June 1996, Misskelley's lawyer, Dan Stidham, was preparing an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. [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. JESSIE:Yes, I think when we had that cult. During the trial, the prosecution asserted that the juveniles killed the children as part of a Satanic ritual. However, the confession was at odds with facts known by police, such as the time of the murders. They were known for wearing black and listening to heavy metal. Uncertainty remained due to the small amount of blood[9] and because both John Mark Byers and Chris Byers had the same HLA-DQ genotype. (In Gitchells testimony on the stand he states that Jessie knew about the castration of Christopher Byers and that was not public knowledge, when in fact, that was not true. The prosecution called Dale W. Griffis, a graduate of the unaccredited Columbia Pacific University, as an expert in the occult to testify the murders were a Satanic ritual. The audio file ishere(right click and Save As or Right click and Open in New Tab to play). JESSIE: They beat them up so bad where they cant hardly move, they had their hands tied down and he sit on them. Under the "Bruton rule", Misskelley's confession could not be admitted against his co-defendants; thus he was tried separately. Second, Dennis Dent stated he was having a phone conversation with Angela (Jasons mother) between 9:00 and 9:30 pm, during her break at work. [89], Echols' mental stability during the years immediately prior to the murders and during his trial was the focus of his appellate legal team in their appeal attempts. 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. 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. RIDGE:Okay, what about when you get with Jason by himself? JESSIE: I couldnt stand it to see what they were doing to them. 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. "WM3" redirects here. No way did this happen; it is a straight-up invention said to tell Ridge what he wanted to hear. He stated in his report for Echols's legal team that there was no evidence the murders were linked to satanic rituals and that post-mortem animal predation could explain the alleged knife injuries. JESSIE: His hands, like a stick, he had a bit old stick, kinda holding it over his neck. GITCHELL: Okay, what is, tell me some of the things that you all do typically in the woods, in being in this cult. Miller dismissed a suit Hobbs filed over Maines' remarks and writings implying that he was involved in killing his stepson. (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. RIDGE: And you mentioned that you heard some voice in the background? Stidham testified under oath that during the trial, Judge David Burnett erred by making an improper communication with the jury during its deliberations. A subsequent search of the ditch revealed the bodies of three boys. Arent we getting a little Aaron Hutchinson here? There has been widespread criticism of the handling of the crime scene by the police. [citation needed]. 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 ]]]. JESSIE: Uh, the meat off of his leg. Douglas served as FBI Unit Chief of the Investigative Support Unit of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime for 25 years. 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. JESSIE: I dont know, I left before them. [39] The State's experts had examined the actual bodies for any marks, and others conducted expert photo analysis of injuries. RIDGE: Now did somebody take it and used your knife, do you have a knife? Police said the recording was "inaudible", but Hutcheson claimed the recording was audible. Searchers canvassed all of West Memphis but focused primarily on Robin Hood Hills, where the boys were reported last seen. The third picture, which will be. JESSIE: My dad woke me up this morning. JESSIE:Ive been in it for about three months. Baldwin, who is also involved with movies about the life of the West Memphis 3, plans to attend law school. "He still believed in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus". On April 28, 2011, the band Disturbed released a song entitled "3" as a download on their website. (Hello? Stidham has called the coroner's investigation "extremely substandard." JESSIE: A friend of mine, he borrowed them. RIDGE:Okay, what were you wearing that day? 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. 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. (Again, the hog tied postion doesnt align with the boys being on their backs. JESSIE: They asked me how come I left so early and stuff, and I told them that I couldnt stay there watching it no more, so I had to do something to get out of there. RIDGE:The boots that Damien had on, are they army type boots too, or what kind of boots were they? The knife was a folding hunting knife manufactured by Kershaw. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. Police believed the boys were assaulted and killed at the location where they were found; critics argued that the assault, at least, was unlikely to have occurred at the creek. 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. RIDGE: Alright, when did they take their clothes off? They both claimed to have had information on the case linking Terry Hobbs to the murders, but were ignored by police initially. JESSIE: Thats the one that I seen them cutting on. RIDGE:Wouldnt have any problem with that? The court sentenced him to life plus 40 years in prison. RIDGE: All three of them would generally be together? JESSIE: I went down there and sit there, and after what they did to the boys, I just sit there. 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. 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM - Roofing with Ricky Deese and Josh Darby. 19. [86][87] In prison in 1999, he married landscape architect Lorri Davis. RIDGE: Is there a path that you go down? RIDGE: Okay, did any of the other two boys, were you there when they were actually killed? RIDGE:Was anything on his shirt? RIDGE:Are you willing to go down there with us and us having a camcorder and show us where these things took place? [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. Dilation of the anus is a normal post-mortem condition. . JESSIE: Um-mm, they were going to catch, they were going somewhere and like I said, Damien and nem left before I did, I told them that I would meet them there and stuff, and I had to get ready it was early in the morning and so, they went ahead and met me, they went on up there and then I come up later on behind them. You mentioned earlier that, one of the meetings you went to with this cult thing, they had some pictures. . GITCHELL: Did they call them by name? (You need to hear Jessies voice on his bottom Is a question, not a statement), RIDGE: On his bottom? I can't help it you just laid on a bed and laid there,'" said Boggan. 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. 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? (No one knew that the three boyus would be together; Steve Branch was told to be home in 15 minutes, Chris Byers was prohibited from being the RHH woods the idea that it was a targeted killing of these boys doesnt even come close to fitting). Jessie Misskelley's net worth GITCHELL: But, you saw them cutting on the boys, JESSIE: I saw them cutting on them, and then. [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." "I said, 'Look, you get mad because they're living a good life but they're earning. [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. .no . Jessie Misskelley maintains guilt to his lawyers - Summer 1993 . [88] He moved to New York City after his release. . He confessed to the murders, which inculpated the other two accused. This makes no sense.). He lived with his mother, Sharon Melissa Byers, his adoptive father, John Mark Byers, and his stepbrother, Shawn Ryan Clark, aged 13. JESSIE: Yeah, weve been in the water, we were in it that night, playing around in it. (It is also confirmed that Jason was in school on 5/5/93; hecouldnot have been in the woods at 9 AM.). [94], On August 19, 2011, Echols, along with Baldwin and Misskelley, entered an Alford plea, while asserting their innocence.
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