Hollingsworth said that he, Buddy, and the two older men all participated in beating the three eight-year-old boys, and confirmed Buddy's account that Hobbs ordered the two teens to take off the pants of the boys, before cutting the genitals of one of them with his knife. A documentary film about the 1993 killings, West of Memphis (a film paid for and produced by well-known director Peter Jackson), suggests (without making a direct accusation) that Terry Hobbs, stepfather of victim Stevie Branch, participated in the murders of the three boys. Although the appeals were repeatedly denied, a new batch of DNA testing done in 2007 reignited the investigation. In June 1996, HBO aired Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, the first of three documentaries that took a critical look at the case, highlighting law enforcements questionable investigation tactics and lack of physical evidence tying Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley to the murders. After 18 months Echols was informed that the evidence was likely not available, but after a state court order, Echols team was invited to the West Memphis Police Department to review what evidence remained. Terry was born in Northern Arkansas and grew up in the Ozark Mountain region of the state. Terry Hobbs was working for the Memphis Ice Cream Company. The dynamic between them must have been s fucked up and dark and tense. The pair abruptly fled to Oceanside, Calif., four days after the murders. The (False) Confession of Jesse Misskelley, Jr. Damien Echols: Statements and Polygraph Reports (May 9-10, 1993), West Memphis Three Trials: The Transcripts, Jury Decisions in the West Memphis Three Trials, The West Memphis Three Trials: Key Appellate Decisions, The West Memphis Three Trial: Questions for Discussion, Free at Last! the Manager stated that the black man was 5-11, thin dirty, late 20's, pair of sunglasses were left in toilet suspected by Black / male. Book News! At the request of West Memphis authorities, the two were picked up and questioned by Oceanside police. After new DNA evidence was discovered, the West Memphis Three were released from prison in August 2011 by agreeing to an Alford plea, which allowed him to proclaim their innocence while admitting the prosecution had enough evidence to convict him. 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. The suit names all three members of . Since the West Memphis Three were released, no one else has been charged in the murders of Stevie, Christopher and Michael. Initially, Misskelley repeatedly denied having knowledge of the crime, aside from rumors that Damien Echols was involved. Currently, Hobbs has not been charged with anything related to the murders. Polygraph tests revealed deception in the answers of both men in regard to the crimes. In the Bible Belt, the Satanic Panic took hold with a vengeance. Timeline Of The West Memphis Three Victims, Motivations For Investigating The West Memphis Case. Finally, and perhaps most damningly, the filmmakers produced three young men who now claim to have been told by a nephew of Terry Hobbs that the fact that Terry killed the three boys was a closely guarded "family secret." Griffis also knew how to spot a Satanist. Misskelley and Baldwin got life sentences while Echols received the death penalty. They were stripped naked and hogtied with their own shoelaces. 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. No credible law enforcement official believes so." came back out to Missouri + walked toward Delta Service Station. The only possible culprits were 18-year-old Damien Echols, a poor teen with an interest in the occult and a record of mental illness, his friend Jason Baldwin, a quiet kid whose talent for art tended toward dark subjects, and Jessie Misskelley, a 17-year-old misfit with an IQ of 73. DNA testing in 2007 has identified a hair fragment found on Michael Moore's bindings to be consistent with Hobbs. Baldwin is the co-founder of the legal advocacy organization Proclaim Justice. Also part of the plea was the provision that the three could not sue the state. Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of eight-year-old victim Stevie Branch, has been named in documents released in Marian, Arkansas by the attorneys for Pam Hobbs, Stevie's mother. I rewatched the paradise lost docs and in the last one, just before the murders, Pam had "kissed a Mexican" and Terry said that years later when he brought on the lawsuit with Natalie Maines. Jamie Clark Ballard, who lived only three doors down from Terry and Pam Hobbs, has supplied a sworn affidavit, as have both her . Two of the West Memphis Three's most ardent supporters were director Peter Jackson, best known for The Lord of the Rings films, and his partner Fran Walsh. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I truly believe the real killer(s) are still out there and it's not the WM3. Feigning a romantic interest in Echols, she asked Misskelley to arrange a meeting. However, within the first crucial hours after the bodies were discovered, mistakes were made at the crime scene that negatively impacted the investigation. Terry Hobbs in Kentucky. No explanation has yet been given as to why such a seemingly important lead was dropped. It breaks my heart and I thought about it for 3 weeks straight after I got into the case. They begin by pointing out that two juries in 1994, after listening to all the evidence, found the three guilty. However, in 2010, a series of rapidly unfolding developments turned the tide for Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. He will take it to his grave but some people in the town know and I'm not sure why he isn't and wasn't under more suspicion. [signed] Mike Allen, The West Memphis Three Trials: An Account, The West Memphis Three Trial: Selected Images, The Accusations of Aaron Hutcheson, Age 8. On the morning of June 2, 1993, Jessie Misskelley Jr., a 17-year-old high school drop out with a reported IQ of 73, was taken into custody by Detective Mike Allen. that was a red flag to me, alright. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! West Memphis Police Interview of Terry Hobbs on June 21, 2007. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. At 8:40 P.M. on May 5, 1993 the West Memphis Police Department received a call that a bleeding black man had entered the Bojangles restaurant (located near where the three bodies were eventually discovered) about thirty minutes earlier and gone into the women's rest room. They also question the alibi given by Hobbs, that he spent the evening of the murders with his friend, David Jacoby. Ridge took blood scrapings from North Wall inside women's bathroom above toilet, took blood scrapings from inside of door to women's bathroom + Entrance hall to bathroom From Sitting Area at Bojangles. Despite the best efforts of the police, dozens of volunteers, a search-and-rescue team, and a helicopter dispatched from nearby Memphis, Tenn., searchers came up empty handed. According to Guy's account of Hollingsworth's confession, Terry Hobbs became enraged after one of the boys began kicking him. Sex always wins and a casual look through history will show that people are gonna get off to what they need to get off to. Eight-year-olds Stevie, Michael and Christopher were best friends and Cub Scout members who attended Weaver Elementary School, where they were in second grade. The group also stated that Echols submitted a FOIA request over 18 months ago, but the request went unanswered, which is a violation of Arkansas state law. Echols ultimately ended filing a lawsuit against the police department. Located across from Memphis, on the west bank of the Mississippi River, West Memphis shares many problems with its more famous neighbor. During Misskelley's trial, Hutcheson testified that she had attended an "an occult Satanic meeting" she referred to as an "esbat." Unfortunately, for three teen outsiders, the West Memphis Police Department chose to focus on the cult angle to the detriment of their efforts to investigate the other two, more likely scenarios. Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers were only 8 years old when they viciously murdered in 1993. I didn't even comprehend that the situation could get this serious that it can go this far. Join Facebook to connect with Amy Hobbs and others you may know. According to Devil's Knot author Mara Leveritt, the investigation of the murders was divided along three lines. I just can't get it out of my head. After ending his first marriage, he wed Pamela Hicks Branch in 1986, when her son Stevie was almost 2 years old. For years, the stepfather of one of the three children killed in West Memphis, Arkansas, has maintained his innocence, despite public outcry to investigate him. He was home during the evenings when his wife worked a four-hour shift at Catfish Island. On Aug. 11, 2011, the West Memphis Three entered the courtroom for the final time. How is that a way to describe sex? His confession had numerous factual errors and inconsistencies, according to the Arkansas Times newspaper. Luminol tests, which reveal the hidden presence of blood, were not performed at the scene until six days later. It's affected a lot of lives, but for some reason it keeps being brought up," said Hobbs. Despite an offer of a reduced sentence, Misskelley ultimately recanted his statements and refused to testify against Echols and Baldwin. They had a daughter together, Amanda Hobbs, who was 4 years old at the time of her brothers death. You really would need magic to pull it off. With a large population of fundamentalist Christians, the American South was particularly subject to occult paranoia. Idrettskarriere Fr 2015. In 2004, Vicki Hutcheson recanted her trial testimony, stating that she had lied on the stand. Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. An attorney for one of the victim's mother dropped the bombshell in court today that she believes her ex-husband Terry Hobbs took part in the killings. And, of course, they believe that much of the evidence produced in the Echols/Baldwin trial was quite probative, including the testimony of two twelve-year old girls who say they heard Damien confess to the murders at a softball park, and blue candle wax found on Chris Byers' shirt that was "consistent" with candle wax found in the bedroom of Echols. apparently Terry said just 2 weeks after the deaths that Pam was neglecting her duties as a wife, apparently Terry was jealous of how much Pam loved and gave attention to Stevie. Subject to occult paranoia her brothers death, terry Hobbs on June 21, 2007 join Facebook to with!, Christopher and Michael when her son Stevie was almost 2 years when! Really would need magic to pull it off developments turned the tide for Damien Echols involved... 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