JESSIE: They need to be put away for awhile. RIDGE:Did anybody see Damien and Jason? RIDGE: Alright, were going to correct that even further, thats the east side, Memphis side is the east side and you were standing at the top of the bank on the west side, were you looking down at what was going on? An open letter from Lorri Davis, wife of Damien Echols . Stidham overheard Judge Burnett discuss taking a lunch break with the jury foreman and heard the foreman reply that the jury was almost finished. GITCHELL: Was uh, where you all close to the creek at that point? Dropout Found Guilty in Deaths of 3 Boys : Crime: Jessie Lloyd Misskelley Jr., 18, is sentenced to life in prison for the brutal slayings. [9] On May 9, during a formal interview by Detective Bryn Ridge, Echols mentioned that one of the victims had wounds to the genitals; law enforcement viewed this knowledge as incriminating. 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. RIDGE: Alright, you went home and about what time was it that all of this was taking place? They wouldn't be able to pull the same tricks. JESSIE:No, he didnt borrow mine. "[9], Brent Turvey, a forensic scientist and criminal profiler, stated in the film Paradise Lost 2 that human bite marks could have been left on at least one of the victims. [10], After a month had passed with little progress in the case, police continued to focus their investigation upon Echols, interrogating him more frequently than any other person. RIDGE:Didnt you go there with some more boys once? I strongly suggest listening along while reading this transcript. RIDGE: Alright, and you know where the little Creek is that goes out to the express way, and it doesnt have a lot of water in it, but its got some water in it, and its flowing through the, which side of that creek were you on, were you on the Memphis side of the creek or the Blue Beacon side of the creek? Trace amounts of sperm DNA were found on a pair of pants recovered from the scene. His psychosis dominated his perceptions of everything going on in court, Woods wrote. [21], The citing of a black male as a possible alternate suspect was implied during the beginning of the Misskelley trial. Hutcheson claimed that, at the Wiccan meeting, a drunken Echols openly bragged about killing the three boys. Jessie Misskelley was brought in to WMPD for questioning on 3 June 1993. They were transferred to the hearing with their possessions. JESSIE:I didnt have no blood on me, I didnt get close to them. . GITCHELL: So, what else left is there, after that? Jessie Misskelley Jr. (born July 10, 1975) is one of the three members of what has been called the West Memphis 3 (Misskelley, Damien Echols, and Jason Baldwin). "[51] Pamela Hobbs' May 5, 2009 declaration in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas, Western Division indicates that "one hair was consistent with the hair of [Terry's] friend, David Jacoby" (Point 16), and:[52]. Jessie Misskelley Jr., released from prison in 2011 in the infamous West Memphis Three case was jailed Saturday night after he was arrested on a slew of traffic citations. RIDGE: okay, now when its going on, when this is taking place, you under you saw somebody with a knife, who had a knife? [9], Echols' family was poor, received frequent visits from social workers and he rarely attended school. JESSIE: I would say it was about that big around, I would say about that long. After a reported 12 hours of interrogation by police, Misskelley, who has an IQ of 72, confessed to the murders, and implicated Baldwin and Echols. His lawyer, Dan Stidham, remained in the room and continually advised Misskelley not to say anything. Officer Regina Meeks responded to the call, taking the restaurant manager's report through the eatery's drive-through window. [6] The judge sentenced them to 18 years and 78 days, the amount of time they had served, and levied a suspended sentence of 10 years. Boggan appeared in the first documentary of the Paradise Lost series about the murders. [6][59] Under the Bruton rule, his confession could not be admitted against his co-defendants and thus he was tried separately. [21], California police sent blood and urine samples from Morgan and Holland to the WMPD, but there is no indication WMPD investigated Morgan or Holland as suspects following their arrest in California. They were known for wearing black and listening to heavy metal. [84] Baldwin said in a 2011 interview with Piers Morgan that he worked for a construction company and he was learning how to drive.[79]. He was preceded in death by his spouse, Kathy Bartoush; his daughter, Loretta Townsend; and his parents and other siblings. (Jessie just said noon, it is now beingsuggestedto him to use a new time), Above Jessie has stated they met at 9 a.m., not 12 noon. RIDGE: Alright, Insp. JESSIE: And after I left they done more. RIDGE:An hour after you got home? JESSIE: He had been watching them. Christopher Byers had lacerations to various parts of his body and mutilation of his scrotum and penis. Stidham made similar comments during a radio show interview in May 2010. [31] Police had initially suspected that the victims had been raped because their anuses were dilated. 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. GITCHELL:Did you have some blood on your clothes? Would you do that? The record on appeal spells out a long history of Echols' mental health problems, including a May 5, 1992, Arkansas Department of Youth Services referral for possible mental illness, a year to the day before the murders. Stidham testified under oath that during the trial, Judge David Burnett erred by making an improper communication with the jury during its deliberations. No way did this happen; it is a straight-up invention said to tell Ridge what he wanted to hear. JESSIE: He was cutting him in the face. (Listen to the inflection in his voice obviously suggesting an answer). RIDGE:At the houses? RIDGE:okay, uh does Damien have a knife? [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]. 0:49 Jessie Misskelley Jr., one of the "West Memphis Three" convicted of killing three boys in the 1990's, faces a court appearance Monday after a weekend arrest for driving without a license,. RIDGE:Okay, has Jason and Damien talked to you since this happened? And be truthful. [9][28], On May 6, 1993 (before the victims were found later the same day), Hutcheson took a polygraph exam by Detective Don Bray at the Marion Police Department, to determine whether or not she had stolen money from her West Memphis employer. Misskelley, 42, is accused of driving without a license, no vehicle insurance, and driving a vehicle with one or more headlights. His stated reasons for the removal are apparently contradictory. Hutcheson was never charged with theft. RIDGE:And one of them was being cut on his penis? 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. [69], In 2010, district Judge Brian S. Miller ordered Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of victim Stevie Branch, to pay $17,590 to Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines for legal costs stemming from a defamation lawsuit he filed against the band. This would include running the results through the FBI's Combined DNA Index System database. JESSIE: They beat them up so bad where they cant hardly move, they had their hands tied down and he sit on them. [44], In 2007, Echols petitioned for a retrial, based on a statute permitting post-conviction testing of DNA evidence due to technological advances made since 1994 which might provide exoneration for the wrongfully convicted. [9] In 1996, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that Misskelley's confession was voluntary and that he did, in fact, understand the Miranda warning and its consequences. Or had he just been watching them. Many people, including some famous celebrities and musicians, believe that the West Memphis . RIDGE: Okay. Even if they were notinthe park at 9 a.m. it would not take three hours to walk from their homesorLakeshore, which is where, JESSIE: No . (The knife that was eventually introduced into evidence as the possible murder weapon did not match this descriptionit was a hunting-type knife). RIDGE: He didnt tell you that he hid it somewhere? They were convicted under what can best be described as questionable . (There wasno evidence that Christopher Byers had been strangled with a stick or anything else. JESSIE: They were going to catch their bus and stuff, and they was on their bikes and so, (If the children were catching the bus, why would they be riding their bikes? Police said the recording was "inaudible", but Hutcheson claimed the recording was audible. (She had . [73], There have been a number of books about the case, also arguing that the suspects were wrongly convicted: Devil's Knot by Mara Leveritt; Blood of Innocents by Guy Reel; and The Last Pentacle of the Sun: Writings in Support of the West Memphis Three, edited by Brett Alexander Savory & M. W. Anderson, and featuring dark fiction and non-fiction by well-known writers of speculative fiction. 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. I don't know, he just doesn't want to," she said. JESSIE: Right after I they beat up all three of them, and beat them up real bad. JESSIE: Yes, he run out there and I caught him and brought him back, and then I took off, (This is the first of seven times that Jessie says he left and hes told and you came back.You dont need a PhD to see that this confession is utter crap. 18. RIDGE:But you would be able to point out where these things took place? RIDGE:Okay, how did he have sex with that one? [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. A subsequent search of the ditch revealed the bodies of three boys. The judge then sentenced the three men to 18 years and 78 days, the amount of time they had served, and also levied a suspended sentence of 10 years. [18], At the time of their arrests, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. was 17 years old, Jason Baldwin was 16 years old, and Damien Echols was 18 years old. RIDGE:when you kill a dog, what do you do with that? Echols testified that Detective Ridge's description of their earlier conversation (which was not recorded) regarding those particular details was inaccurate (and indeed that some other claims by Ridge were "lies"). RIDGE:Put away for a while. [9] Friends and neighbors also conducted a search that night, which included a cursory visit to the location where the bodies were later found. Stidham, who was later elected to a municipal judgeship, has written a detailed critique[citation needed] of what he asserts are major police errors and misconceptions during their investigation. . RIDGE: At 9 oclock in the morning? He then realized, he has said, that his refusal would have meant that Echols stayed on death row. 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. GITCHELL: What time did you get there? His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. [10] During a polygraph examination, he denied any involvement. The film stars Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth. [90] Echols's mental state while in prison awaiting trial was also called into question by his appellate team. Two other defendants await trial in Arkansas. [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." RIDGE: Okay. 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. RIDGE: Which way does he go, I mean, does he go back towards where the houses are. [33] His conviction was appealed, but the Arkansas Supreme Court affirmed the conviction. During the trial, the prosecution asserted that the juveniles killed the children as part of a Satanic ritual. Actor Johnny Depp, a longtime supporter of the West Memphis Three and personal friend of Damien Echols, was on hand to support the film in its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012. Several rounds of DNA testing in recent years have failed to turn up any physical evidence connecting the three men to the . JESSIE: I was looking down, and after I seen all of that, I took off, (Were going to correct that??? ????). During their conversation, Hutcheson reported that Echols made no incriminating statements. (There is no way this phone call could have taken place. JESSIE: Well after, all of this stuff happened that night, that they done it, I went home about noon, then they called me at 9 oclock that night, they called me. [88] He moved to New York City after his release. You tell me. [57] The justices also instructed the lower court to examine claims of misconduct by the jurors who sentenced Damien Echols to death and Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin to life in prison. RIDGE:So, they are scared, is that right, JESSIE: They are scared cause after what they did, I told him that I was going to work with my daddy next time, I got to do something. RIDGE:What kind of shoes were you wearing? Echols spent several months in a mental institution in Arkansas and afterward received "full disability" status from the Social Security Administration. Byers was eight years old, 4ft. tall, weighed 52lbs, and had light brown hair. 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. [4], In July 2007, new forensic evidence was presented. He moved to New York with his wife Lorri Davis. He confessed to the murders, which inculpated the other two accused. Also, Matthew states Jason came in around 7:30. [53], In September 2008, attorney (now judge) Daniel Stidham, who represented Misskelley in 1994, testified at a postconviction relief hearing. Present in the interview will be Inspector Gary Gitchell and Jessie Misskelley. I can't help it you just laid on a bed and laid there,'" said Boggan. That's right, the man I was about to pledge my life to was a convicted murderer. GITCHELL: You didnt see a briefcase? 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. GITCHELL: Where was the little boy actually at? JESSIE: Right, we walked and then uh, JESSIE: We went up to Robin Hood. RIDGE:Going under the water, what were they doing up under the water? His father said Byers may not have taken his prescription on May 5, 1993. Under the "Bruton rule", Misskelley's confession could not be admitted against his co-defendants; thus he was tried separately. He said that the victims had died from a combination of blunt force trauma and drowning, in a crime which he believed was driven by personal cause. Also, my sister Jo Lynn told me that she saw Terry wash clothes, bed linens and curtains from Stevie's room at an odd time around the time of the Murders. Hutcheson's young son, Aaron, was also present, and proved such a distraction that Bray was unable to administer the polygraph. 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:Thats what youre describing with your hands, right? (I didnt see a briefcase), then ask the question again Jessie will come through for you . Jessie Misskelleys income source is mostly from being a successful Producer. Briefcase? JESSIE: A friend of mine, he borrowed them. Moore enjoyed wearing his scout uniform even when he was not at meetings. JESSIE: I dont know, I left before them. Each man then entered an Alford plea to lesser charges of first- and second-degree murder while verbally stating their innocence. RIDGE:Okay, you couldnt stand it. RIDGE: Alright, is that where he was cutting? RIDGE:To that particular place? RIDGE: Alright, where were they at? On August 19, 2011, three men, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, who were convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the murders of three boys in Arkansas, are released from prison in. JESSIE: Yeah, they seen them boys and then they hollered, Damien hollered said, hey, the little boys come up there. (Aisde from conflicting with the five times he says and then I left, it also conflicts with the claim that he saw the boys pulled into the water). RIDGE:Holes in the knees. I went with them and then. RIDGE: Okay, and when you left, did you hear any more hollering or anything? RIDGE:When he called you on the phone, did he say that he had just got in? RIDGE: When youve been by yourself, and Im sure in the last three weeks youve been by yourself with them sometime. RIDGE:Since this crime took place. JESSIE: He keeps on asking me what are we going to do next, I told him, I cant do nothing now cause I go to work with my daddy everyday. Jessie Misskelley was born on July 10, 1975. Misskelley was first questioned on June 3, 1993, a day after Hutcheson's purported confession. 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