WM3

Check out the 7-minute news story from KATV-7 in Little Rock featuring Damien Echols. Fair and comprehensive, we like that!

It was in 1993, and three 8-year-olds were found murdered in West Memphis. Three teens were sent to prison for their deaths. Friday, we wrap up our three-part series on the West Memphis Three.

Across Arkansas and really across the world, the discussions continue 16 years later about whether the men are guilty or innocent. One thing they can agree on is how this famous case forever changed the city.

West Memphis, Arkansas is a crossroads of two major interstates. It's a small city with quaint shops and churches practically on every corner. Even so, it's a town filled with deep scars after what many believe was bad police work and a negative depiction in two HBO documentaries.

"I feel sorry for West Memphis," says author Mara Leveritt. "It not only suffered the murders; it has now suffered a lot as a result of how the murders were handled."

Leveritt has studied the case from the beginning, interviewed key players and told the story in a book, titled the Devil's Knot.

She explains, "I know the judge has said several times he is so sorry he let the cameras in there because it showed people what was happening in that trial and they couldn't believe it."

Still, Levreitt says because of the films, the West Memphis Three has received world-wide attention.

"There have been hundreds of people killed in the name of religion," said Fmr. Prosecuting Attorney John Fogleman at the Echols/Baldwin trial in 1994.

"The West Memphis Police Department did a botched job just to get these boys arrested," said Echols' mother Pam.

There've been rallies at the state capitol, dedicated internet sites and several celebrity supporters; like actress Winona Ryder, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and the Dixie Chicks.

"People say that people don't care any more; this situation proves that they do," explains Echols' wife Lorri.

Natalie Pasdar of the Dixie Chicks visited the Arkansas' State Capitol in 2007. She explained, "When you see the films and when you go to the website and you learn about the case and all the evidence that's out now, you just feel like what can I do?"

Lorri Davis, who married Echols years after his conviction, believes key players have built their careers on this case.

She says, "I think there is just a great protectiveness that we can take care of our own, we didn't do anything wrong. What I say to that is step up and be a hero. You are not going to be condemned."

Prosecutor Brent Davis is now a Circuit Judge. The former lead detective on the case is running for Crittenden County Sheriff. Prosecutor John Fogleman is running for a seat on the Arkansas Supreme Court. There's also speculation of a possible State Senate run for Judge David Burnett.

Davis says, "If it were tried today and we knew what we know today on all three cases, there is no way they would have been convicted."

Despite repeated and countless attempts by Today's THV, police and prosecutors won't comment on the case. They stand by the decision of two juries and their investigation.

Juror William Billingsley says, "It was very difficult because I was not put on the jury to try to play God or play executioner."

Still many questions remain, like the suspicious man seen the night of the murders. According to police, he walked into a West Memphis restaurant, what used to be Bojangles, covered in blood and mud. Detectives took scrapings from the bathroom.

"Then at trial when the defense team asked about that the police said, well we lost all that evidence," explains Leveritt.

If the 8-year-old boys would have lived they'd be in their mid 20's. Instead, a memorial now stands at their elementary school. Two of the kids' homes are vacant and boarded up. The crime scene, Robin Hood Hills is now gone. The boys who played together and died together are now separated. Michael Moore's resting place is in Arkansas, Stevie Branch is in Missouri and Christopher Byers is in Tennessee.

"One thing I know for sure, he wouldn't be in a grave in a cemetery in a headstone. There would be more to his life than that," says Byers' father John Mark Byers.

As for the three convicted, the 16, 17 and 18 year olds are now men in their thirties.

"I have seen them go from teenagers to practically balding," explains Leveritt.

"It's been so long since I've talked to either one of them, practically a lifetime," explains Echols about Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin.

Echols' home, where police arrested him, is now an empty shell. His only child is grown.

Echols says, "I have a son who is now almost the same age I was when I was sent here."

Sixteen years have passed. Many will always believe the West Memphis Three are guilty, while others work to get them freed.

Leveritt adds, "Now if you want to have a fair trial and these three convicted again then so be it, but let's not do it calling what we had any kind of fairness."

The Arkansas Supreme Court is currently reviewing the new DNA evidence as well as juror misconduct to determine whether to grant Damien Echols a new trial. Baldwin and Misskelley are seeking a new trial in Craighead County based on ineffective legal counsel.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel recently filed a legal response to the Supreme Court in Echols' appeal for a new trial saying there's no need to re-examine his conviction.
Watch the full interview with author Mara Leveritt.

Monday, we started from the beginning when Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were sent to prison. It could have all ended there, but for some that moment was just the beginning.

Tuesday night, we heard from Damien Echols on death row, who described "being in absolute terror and being numb at the same time." We also streamed Echols' extended interview.

Click here to read Attorney General Dustin McDaniel's response to Echols' latest motion for a new trial. In Bizarro World, the fact that Echols' DNA is not a match for the DNA at the crime scene doesn't mean he wasn't there and didn't do it. See Page 7: "In other words, it is conceivable that the appellant left no biological material or that any he left was not recovered or tested and there are wholly and obvious innocent explanations for the recovery of biological material of a victim's step-father and that of his friend." From Page 10: "In short, DNA evidence is not necessary to solve homicides, and, without DNA-testing results that could be dispositive of the identity of the killers here, the appellant cannot raise a reasonable probability he was not one of them."

Pray tell, what is that perfectly innocent explanation? I'm all ears, Dusty. These three teenagers were such criminal masterminds that they left behind NO DNA, footprints, murder weapon(s) or personal items, then returned to their homes ON FOOT with no wounds, victim's DNA or biological material from the outdoor crime scene? Jason even went to school at 9am the day after the murders! A thorough investigation of these murders has yet to occur, may never occur, and the real murder or murderers are out there somewhere.

We know you're scared, McDaniels, and here's why. The existent DNA from the 1993 Robin Hood Hills crime scene was tested and paid for by WM3 supporters (not the state of Arkansas) and does not belong to Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin or Jessie Misskelley. Two of the recovered hairs DO belong to persons that possibly had motive, opportunity and the means to commit the murders, unlike the WM3 who had none. Despite all of your transparent delays, as soon as these cases reach federal courts, they will be freed and you know it because not one piece of "evidence" the state presented at their original trials will hold up in any court today. And DNA that doesn't match the suspects? Not compelling. Anywhere. 

Damien Echols' defense team is scheduled to file its final brief with the Arkansas State Supreme Court on November 30, 2009.  The ASSC may hold oral arguments regarding these issues in early 2010.

[Thanks to Cov and Callahan for hosting the response.]

Please click here to watch the video, which includes interviews with Damien Echols, Pam Hobbs, and John Mark Byers.

Three teenagers were later convicted, but in recent months the case has been brought back into the spotlight and thousands across the world now believe the killer is still out there.

We've told you about new witnesses coming forward, appeals being filed and new evidence the defense claims clears the convicted. So over the next three nights, we'll dig deeper. Monday, we start from the beginning when the accused were sent to prison. It could have all ended there, but for some that moment was just the beginning.

It was March 18, 1994 when Judge David Burnett read the verdicts for Damien Echols, 19, and his best friend 16-year-old Jason Baldwin.

"We the jury, find Damien Echols guilty of capital murder of Steven Branch. We the jury, find Damien Echols guilty in the capital murder of Chris Byers. We the jury, find Damien Echols guilty in the capital murder of Michael Moore," says Judge Burnett.

"It's wrong. All of it is wrong. It's been our Salem witch trial from the very beginning," says one of Jason Baldwin's family members.

"He was tortured to death by three murdering bastards on a ditch bank. He was 8 years old," screamed Christopher Byers mother Melissa in 1994.

Some called it the work of Satanism for a crime so heinous, so horrifying, so tragic.

One resident cried, "All of West Memphis. All of West Memphis is just torn up."

The victims were Christopher Byers, Stevie Branch, Michael Moore; all 2nd grade classmates, all friends, all neighbors in a small West Memphis neighborhood.

They played together, disappeared together, died together.

Police Chief of Detectives Gary Gitchell explains in 1993, "The three boys were found submerged in water and it is not an accident. They did not slip off in it. We do have three homicide victims."

The scene was Robin Hood Hills just blocks from the boys' homes. The city became paralyzed with fear.

Author Mara Leveritt has studied the crimes and written a book. She says, "People were not going to the stores. Business was falling off."

Instead of letting their kids walk home from school, parents started picking them up.

One resident says, "To think that this possibly was going on while I was so close to it. It's an eerie feeling inside."

The wooded area, off Interstate 40, has since been torn down, but there is still speculation today if they were killed there, or somewhere else and then dumped later."

No one though debates the brutality of the crime. The boys were found naked, mutilated and beaten. Their hands and feet were bound.

Leveritt says, "The whole region was traumatized by these murders."

Rumors flew in the religious community along with stories of satanic rituals and witches.

Days turned into weeks.

Gitchell says, "We've got 28,000 to 30,000 people in West Memphis and as far as I'm concerned everybody is a suspect."

Then a month after the murders came a break. After hours of questioning, Jessie Misskelley Jr. confessed. He was a borderline mentally retarded 17-year-old with what some say was an error-filled story. It's one his father says was provoked.

"Cussed him, spit in his face, stepped on his hands," says Jessie Misskelley Sr.

"I just don't understand if he was in fact involved in this crime how he made a mistake on a time factor," explains a false confession expert during the trial.

Leveritt says, "The suggestions for the changes came from police, even in the parts that were recorded."

Misskelley recanted his confession the next day but had already implicated two others, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin. Both listened to heavy metal music. Echols wore black and practiced the Wicca religion.

After the arrests, the West Memphis Police Department held a press conference. A reporter asked, "On a scale of one to ten, how solid is this case?" Gitchell responded, "An 11"

All three were taken into custody. All three were tried. All three were convicted. Damien Echols was sentenced to die. Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were locked up for life.

Gail Grinnell, Baldwin's mother says, "My son is suffering for something he hasn't done."

As for the victims' families, some seemed to let it all end there.

"That is what all three of them are. Punks. Punks," shouted Pam Hobbs, Stevie Branch's mother, in 1993.

Also in 1993, Christopher Byers father, Mark John Byers said, "The day you die. I am going to praise God."

Only recently, they've had a change of heart. They now believe the killer is still out there.

"It is total incompetency on the West Memphis Police Department," says Byers.

Pam Hobbs explains, "The justice system failed me May 5, 1993."

They're two parents, now 16 years later fighting for justice; not just for their sons but for the three men accused.

Now Today's THV does want to make it clear that not all the parents believe the three men are innocent; including Michael Moore's father, Todd Moore. We reached out to him several times hoping he'd share his story, but he declined to be interviewed or even make on comment.

If it weren't for two HBO documentary filmmakers, this case wouldn't have garnered the world wide attention it has today. Was justice served?

Damien Echols says, "Back then, the murders were still fresh and everyone was still scared, almost terrified. Everybody was in sort of a blind panic at the time and it limited everybody's ability to use logic or to think."

We'll let you decide. Tuesday night, we'll walk you through the new evidence that the defense says clears the West Memphis Three. Catch the second part of this three part series Tuesday night on the "THV 10:00 Difference."

The boys attended Weaver Elementary in West Memphis. Shortly after the murders, the school put up a monument in their honor.

Beginning tonight at 10:00 p.m (Central Time), KTHV will be airing a three-part special about the case. 

Monday:  Was Justice Served For The WM3 & The Victims?

Tonight on the "THV 10:00 Difference," we're taking a look back at three of the state's most haunting murders. Sixteen years ago, Arkansans sat in shock as they watched the news and learned of the brutal killings of three children in West Memphis.

Three teenagers were later convicted but in recent months the case has been brought back into the spotlight.

We've told you about new witnesses coming forward, appeals being filed and evidence the defense claims clears the convicted. So over the next three nights, we'll dig deeper. Tonight, we start from the beginning when the accused were sent to prison. It could have all ended there, but for some that moment was just the beginning.

It was April 18, 1994, when Judge David Burnett read the verdict for Damien Echols, 19, and his best friend 16-year-old Jason Baldwin.

"We the jury, find Damien Echols guilty of capital murder of Steven Branch. We the jury, find Damien Echols guilty in the capital murder of Chris Byers. We the jury, find Damien Echols guilty in the capital murder of Michael Moore."

"It's wrong. All of it is wrong. It's been our Salem witch trial from the very beginning," says one of Jason Baldwin's family members.

Some called it the work of Satanism for a crime so heinous, so horrifying and so tragic.

"All of West Memphis. All of West Memphis is just torn up," said one resident in 1993.

The victims were all 8 years old, all second grade classmates, all neighbors in a small West Memphis neighborhood. They played together, disappeared together, died together.

Police Chief of Detectives Gary Gitchell says, "The three boys were found submerged in water and it is not an accident. They did not slip off in it. We do have three homicide victims."

The scene was Robin Hood Hills, just blocks from the boys' homes. The city became paralyzed with fear.

"People were not going to the stores. Business was falling off," explains author Mara Leveritt.

A month after the murders, a break came. After hours of questioning, Jessie Misskelley Jr. confessed. He recanted his story the next day but had already implicated two other teens, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin.

Catch this THV Extra tonight on the "THV 10:00 Difference" and find out why two of the victim's parents now 16 years later believe the three men accused are innocent. 

If it weren't for two HBO documentary filmmakers, this case wouldn't have garnered the world wide attention it has today. Was justice served?

Damien Echols says, "Back then, the murders were still fresh and everyone was still scared, almost terrified. Everybody was in sort of a blind panic at the time and it limited everybody's ability to use logic or to think."

We'll let you decide. We'll walk you through the new evidence that the defense says clears the West Memphis Three.

By George Jared

JONESBORO — Three women’s witness statements will not be considered by the Arkansas Supreme Court in deciding whether they’ll order a new trial for convicted murderer Damien Echols.

Justices denied a motion for staying Echols’ appeal and refused to consider new witness statements submitted for review earlier this month.

No written explanation accompanied the decision. Officials with the Arkansas Supreme Court in Little Rock said it is common for motion rulings not to have written explanations.

Echols and cohorts Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were convicted in 1994 of the deaths of West Memphis 8-year-olds Michael Moore, Steven Branch and Christopher Byers.

The boys’ bodies were found in a drainage ditch in the Robin Hood Hills area of West Memphis on May 6, 1993, one day after they reportedly disappeared while riding bikes in their neighborhood.

Attempts to reach Echols’ attorney, Dennis Riordan, were unsuccessful.

Claims by sisters

Two sisters, Jamie Clark Ballard and Brandy Clark Willams, claim they saw Byers, Branch and Moore at 6:30 p.m. on May 5, 1993, near the time prosecutors believe the boys were abducted. Ballard was 13 at the time, and Williams was 11.

Their mother, Deborah Moyer, also claims she saw the boys at the time. All three stated in sworn affidavits that the last time they saw the boys the three were headed toward Branch’s house, which was on the same street as Moyer’s, at the behest of Terry Hobbs, Branch’s stepfather.

In sworn statements Hobbs has said he never saw his stepson or the other boys on May 5, 1993.

Hobbs became a central figure in the case in 2007 when a hair collected from one of Moore’s ligatures likely matched Hobbs’ DNA. Another hair collected from a nearby tree stump at the crime scene is a likely match for a friend Hobbs claimed to have been with when the boys became missing, according to court documents.

The West Memphis Police Department has maintained that Hobbs and the friend, David Jacoby, are not and never have been suspects in the case. Secondary hair transfer might account for those particular hairs being at the crime scene, police say.

None of the DNA evidence that has been tested thus far implicates Echols, Baldwin or Misskelley, who’ve been dubbed the “West Memphis Three.”

More than $1M raised

Their supporters have raised more than $1 million to hire attorneys and investigators to seek new trials.

A lack of DNA and forensic evidence linking the convicted to the crime and perceived wrongdoing by prosecutors and Judge David Burnett have spurred international interest in the case.

The bizarre manner in which the boys were tied and the horrific injuries to their bodies led police and prosecutors to believe the killings could have been part of an occult or satanic ritual.

Echols told police he was a member of the Wiccan religion and didn’t believe in God or the devil. The admission made him a suspect, and it also brought his best friend, Jason Baldwin, into the fold.

Some of the parents of the slain boys have in recent years come forward doubting the convictions.

Police based their initial case on a convoluted confession given by Misskelley on June 3, 1993. Misskelley got the time and exact place of the crimes wrong during his interrogation.

He also told police the boys were sexually assaulted.

According to state Medical Examiner Dr. Frank Peretti and other defense forensic pathologists, the boys were not sodomized, and no evidence proved they were forced to perform oral sex, as Misskelley confessed.

Misskelley, who has an IQ of 72, also said ropes were used to tie the youths when, in fact, their own shoelaces had been used.

Despite the inconsistencies a jury found Misskelley guilty. Even after the conviction Misskelley confessed twice more, and each time his story changed. He now claims the initial confession was coerced.

Police maintain that Misskelley gave them details, such as the mutilation of Byers’ genitals, that only the killer would know. A review of the confession tape isn’t clear as to whether Misskelley identified Byers.

The three women came forward with their new claim after learning earlier this year that Hobbs told police he didn’t see the juveniles the day they disappeared.

Ongoing lawsuit

Hobbs is in an ongoing civil lawsuit with famed country music singer Natalie Maines after she allegedly named him as the true killer on Web site posts and at a rally in Little Rock in 2007.

Hobbs steadfastly maintains his innocence in the case but refuses to comment about it publicly, acting on the advice of his attorney.

Retrial for hearings for both Baldwin and Misskelley wrapped up earlier this month, and Burnett is expected to decide by the end of the year if the two will receive new trials.

Echols has other challenges before the Arkansas Supreme Court that might garner him a new trial. It’s unknown when the court will rule on those filings.

Copyright 2009 Jonesboro Sun

ARKANSAS SUPREME COURT
Opinions delivered October 29, 2009

CR08-1493. Damien Wayne Echols v. State of Arkansas, from Craighead
Circuit, Western District. Appellant’s motion for order staying appeal
and remanding for further proceedings regarding showing of actual
innocence is denied. Wills, J., not participating.

By George Jared

JONESBORO — She had two pieces of candy in her hand, one for her son
Stevie, and the other for her daughter Amanda.

Leaving work at a West Memphis restaurant at 9 p.m. May 5, 1993, Pam
Hobbs walked up to her husband’s car. Inside, 4-year-old Amanda
reached for the treat in her mother’s hands. “Where’s Stevie?”
she asked Amanda. “Momma, we can’t find him,” the girl replied.

Pam spent the rest of the moon-lit night searching the neighborhood
and combing the nearby woods, desperately hoping the boy would come
home.

The nude, bound bodies of 8-year-old Stevie Branch and his two
companions, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore, were found in an
irrigation ditch in the Robin Hood Hills area of West Memphis the
next day.

Less than a year later three teen-agers — Damien Echols, Jason
Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley — were convicted of capital murder in
the case. For years Hobbs referred to the so-called “West Memphis
Three” as “punks” and “freaks.”

From the beginning, Hobbs said she suspected that her then-husband,
Terry Hobbs, might be involved. Stevie disappeared around 6 p.m. that
night, but, according to police records, Terry Hobbs didn’t tell his
wife about the disappearance until he picked her up from work more
than three hours later, even after he claimed to authorities he’d
been searching for the boy.

“He didn’t tell me Stevie was missing. He went and used the pay
phone,” Hobbs said. “Amanda’s the one that told me. Don’t you
think it’s a little suspicious that he didn’t tell me my own son
was gone?”

Hairs and other DNA from the crime scene were tested in 2007, and
none of the convicted men were a match. But one hair found inside a
ligature used to bind Michael Moore could have come from Terry Hobbs,
and another hair at the scene might have come from one of the man’s
friends, according to court documents.

The hairs could have also been at the scene because of secondary hair
transfer, police said. Witnesses have come forward in the last week
claiming to have seen the boys in Terry Hobbs’ care near the time
they disappeared, according to documents filed with the Arkansas
Supreme Court.

The new allegations contradict sworn statements Terry Hobbs made to
investigators in which he said he didn’t see any of the boys the day
they disappeared.

This evidence convinced Hobbs that her former husband might be
involved in the brutal slayings.

Terry Hobbs denied the allegations by his former wife. Advised by his
attorneys not to speak with the media, Hobbs said Monday morning he
couldn’t answer questions about the specific accusations. But he did
say defense attorneys for the convicted have leveled vicious attacks
against him.

“If I could, I’d tell them to straighten and do right,” Terry
Hobbs said. “I don’t care what any of them think.”

Terry Hobbs’ attorney, J. Cody Hiland, is out of town this week and
unavailable for comment.

The West Memphis Police Department has repeatedly stated that Terry
Hobbs is not a suspect in the killings, and the case is closed. Terry
Hobbs is suing country singer Natalie Maines for defamation after she
allegedly referenced him as the possible killer in Web site posts and
at a rally in Little Rock in 2007.

Finding a knife that belonged to Stevie years after his death in her
ex-husband’s knife collection also fueled Hobbs’ speculations. The
night Stevie went missing, his stepfather repeatedly washed already
clean clothes and other items around the house, Hobbs’ sister, Jo
Lynn McCaughey, said.

Draped in a Free the West Memphis Three shirt, McCaughey said she
thinks her former brother-in-law was involved. During those hearings
Hobbs spoke to Baldwin for the first time, telling him that she hoped
he got another trial.

“If they’re not guilty, then God let them go,” Pam Hobbs said.
“I wish I could just tell Judge [David] Burnett to look at the new
evidence. They never got a fair trial. They were convicted before the
trials ever started.”

Attention from the case tortures Hobbs, she said. Questions about the
murders and who committed them haunt her. Despite her belief that
Terry Hobbs may have played a role in her sons’ death, the two still
talk. Their daughter Amanda has two children now. And Hobbs said the
children bring her a lot of joy.

Conversations about what happened to Stevie are rarely brought up,
she said. After 17 tumultuous years of marriage, the couple split up
in 2004.

Before Stevie’s funeral, Hobbs spent a quiet moment alone with her
son. Sitting next to his body, she gently slipped his socks on one
last time.

Should Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley ever be exonerated for the
crime, it’s possible that no one will be brought to justice for
Stevie’s murder.

Hobbs said she’s content with that. “God knows who did it, and
he’ll take care of it in good time,” she said.

Hobbs thinks often about her son, who’s been gone now twice as long
as he was alive. He liked to sing and dreamed of someday being a
police officer, his mother said.

A trunk containing Stevie’s last earthly possessions is under lock
and key, Hobbs said. Clothes, toys, school papers and other
knickknacks inhabit the trunk.

In lonely moments she’ll pull out an old school paper or assignment
completed by her son.

“He was so smart, and he made really good grades the three years he
was in school,” she said. “I always like to remember that.”

The mother said she thinks she’ll see her son again.

“I’ve got an angel in Heaven,” she said. “Steve’s in Heaven.
He’s waiting for me.”

Copyright 2009 Jonesboro Sun

Last year, curator Jenny Schlenzka had the chance to curate “Through A
Glass Darkly,” the opening exhibition of RedLine, a promising
not-profit contemporary art space in Denver. While working there,
Schlenzka and fellow artist Jen DeNike discovered the story of Damien
Echols. Echols is an artist and writer who, at 18 years old, was
wrongly convicted of murder in 1994 in West Memphis, Arkansas and
sentenced to death.

Both the trial and investigation were characterized by egregious
misconduct on the part of the authorities. Echols was merely a
goth-metal kid in a conservative small town who was targeted for being
different. Deeply involved in this case of human injustice, DeNike and
Schlenzka put together a group of artists, museum curators, gallery
directors, musicians and actors who believe in the innocence of Damien
Echols.

On October 25 from 6 to 9pm, New York gallery Maccarone Inc. will host
a benefit that aims to raise much-needed legal funds for the final
push to free Damien Echols. The related silent auction includes works
by Allora & Calzadilla, Kristin Baker, Walead Beshty, Carol Bove,
Peter Coffin, Jen DeNike, Carlton DeWoody, Anna Gaskell, Douglas
Gordon, Adam Helms, Elizabeth Huey, Alfredo Jaar, Terence Koh, Nate
Lowman, Corey McCorkle, Anthony McCall, Adam Pendelton, Genesis Breyer
P-Orridge, Lisi Raskin, Mika Rottenberg, Taryn Simon, Mike Smith, Alec
Soth and Francesco Vezzoli.

http://www.flashartonline.com/interno.php?pagina=news_det&id=526&det=ok&title=Cultural-reaction-against-death-row

By George Jared

JONESBORO — Neighbors of three West Memphis 8-year-olds who were
murdered in 1993 have come forward, claiming they saw the juveniles
around the time they disappeared.

And the new revelations conflict with statements made by one of the
boys’ stepfather as to his whereabouts when the three went missing.

In affidavits presented to the Arkansas Supreme Court on Monday,
sisters Jamie Clark Ballard and Brandy Clark Williams and their
mother, Deborah Moyer, claim to have seen Stevie Branch, Christopher
Byers and Michael Moore at 6:30 p.m. May 5, 1993.

The boys were playing in Moyer’s backyard when Branch’s stepfather,
Terry Hobbs, yelled at the boys and told them to go to his house,
according to court documents.

Ballard, then 13, said she spoke to Byers, telling him his older
brother was looking for him. Williams, who was 11 at the time, and
Ballard then left for church, documents state. Moyer said she went
outside to tell the boys to get out of her yard, and she saw a man
with blond hair standing down the street yelling at the boys.

Contradicts statements

That contradicts a sworn statement Hobbs gave to police, in which he
said he never saw Branch or the other two on the day they disappeared.

Officials with the West Memphis Police Department have repeatedly said
Hobbs is not a suspect in the murders, and he was interviewed only at
the behest of prosecutors.

Hobbs has professed his innocence in various media interview and even
filed a lawsuit against famed country musician Natalie Maines after he
claimed she made public remarks indicating he was guilty of the
killings.

Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, who were teens at
the time, were convicted of capital murder in 1994 for killing the
boys.

The nude, tied, bludgeoned bodies of Branch, Moore and Byers were
found in a rain-filled ditch in the Robin Hood Hills area of West
Memphis, a day after they went missing.

A perceived lack of DNA or forensic evidence tying the convicted to
the crime has caused a international outpouring of support for new
trials in the case.

Attorneys for Echols presented the neighbors’ statements to the
Arkansas Supreme Court in hopes it will order new trials. It’s not
known if or when the statements will be added to Echols’ case file.

Satanic or occult activity was the alleged motive for the crime.

Misskelley confessed to police in 1993

Misskelley confessed to the crime in an interview with police June 3,
1993. He claimed he, along with Echols and Baldwin, was consuming
alcohol near the ditch when the three boys approached. The teens then
subdued, sexually assaulted and tortured the boys before disposing of
them in the water, police said.

The confession is riddled with errors, including the time of the crime
and where it happened. Misskelley said ropes were used to tie the
victims when in fact their own shoelaces were used. Misskelley, who
has an IQ of 72, has since recanted the confession and has said that
police coerced him into confessing.

Renowned forensic pathologists have recently testified at a hearing
for Baldwin and Misskelley there was no evidence of a sexual assault.
State medical examiners, who were criticized for their work on the
case, said there was no evidence the boys were sodomized, and no semen
was collected.

Horrific injuries to all three boys, including the genital mutilation
of Byers, were the result of cuts from a sharp implement or knife,
state medical examiners claim. But defense forensic pathologists
testified that most of the wounds, including those to Byers genitals,
can be attributed to animal predation.

In Misskelley’s confession he claimed they used a knife on the victims.

Hairs and other DNA collected from the crime scene were tested in 2007
and didn’t match any of the defendants. A hair found inside one of
Moore’s ligatures matched Hobbs, court records state. Police said the
hair could have been at the scene as a result of a secondary transfer.

Ballard, Moyer and Williams came forward with new information about
the case after learning Hobbs said he didn’t see his stepson or the
other boys just prior to their disappearance.

According to documents, Ballard said she was friends with Ryan Clark,
Byers older brother. After school the day the boys disappeared,
Ballard said Byers’ stepfather, John Mark Byers, told Clark to find
his brother.

When Ballard saw Byers playing in her backyard she reportedly told him
that his brother was looking for him, and he needed to go home.

Pam Hobbs, Branch’s mother who was married to Terry Hobbs for 17
years, has said recently that she believes her ex-husband was involved
in the murders, and she thinks the men convicted deserve new trials.
John Mark Byers has also said he thinks Terry Hobbs was involved with
the murders, and he now ademantly supports efforts to free the so
called “West Memphis Three.”

Rule 37 hearings for Misskelley and Baldwin wrapped up earlier this
month, and Judge David Burnett is expected to rule by the end of the
year if they will get new trials. In 1999 Burnett rejected a bid by
Echols for a new trial.

gjared@jonesborosun.com

Copyright 2009 Jonesboro Sun