An attorney for one of the West Memphis Three blamed the “Satanic Panic” for the wrongful conviction of the three teens.
The West Memphis Three were thought to belong to a satanic cult due to their choice of music, clothing and books – but that was far from the truth.
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When the mutilated bodies of three eight-year-old Cub Scouts were found in a ditch in West Memphis, Arkansas, locals were convinced it was a satanic ritual murder.
But the ensuing manhunt ruined the lives of three more boys, with a local teenager put on death row and two others sentenced to life imprisonment – despite a clear lack of evidence or motive.
Damien Echols, 18, Jason Baldwin, 16, and Jesse Misskelley Jr., 17, became known as the West Memphis Three.
They were convicted of murdering Steve Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers, all eight, in a satanic ritual on May 5, 1993.
Their only crime, according to their legal team, was not conforming to the way Bible Belt teens should dress, act or act.
Since then, they have consistently declared their innocence.
The 17-year-old was represented by Judge Dan Stidham Misskelley Jr. in the case.
He told The Sun that belief in satanic rituals had “captured the South Central and the nation” – and was sure to happen again.
“The only opponent I couldn't overcome was the Satanic Panic,” Judge Dunne said.
“This literally scared the Mid-South here in the United States and affected the entire nation.
“At that time, our culture was very different than it is today, and of course there will be repetitions of that, and it seems to be on a 300-year cycle.
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“As the world became more sophisticated and less superstitious, and the Internet emerged, we were in the midst of a moral panic at the time, at least here in America.
“The FBI stepped in and actually did a survey and was never able to find any murder in the United States or link it to a satanic ritual murder.”
One of the teens, Jason Baldwin, was arrested wearing a Metallica T-shirt that was presented in the case as “Exhibit 99,” Stidham said.
This is the only “evidence” that was used against him as Metallica's music was associated with Satan in the Bible Belt at the time.
Meanwhile, Damian Echolls had checked out books from the library that the prosecution linked to Satan.
The case captivated the world with celebrities, including Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, Johnny Deppand Winona Ryder She joined the calls to overturn the conviction.
a lot He believes there has been a serious miscarriage of justice.
While the three teenagers were blamed for the murders and horrific injuries inflicted on the boys, Judge Dunne claims the animals actually caused the mutilation of the bodies.
In the ditch, it was most likely an alligator tortoise.
Stidham explained that a forensic expert saw a photo of one of the boys who had been “horribly mutilated” and described it as “the worst photos.” [he’d] “Unprecedented” – but he added that the three convicted teenagers could not “accomplish this”.
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“There are some new DNA techniques that were not available in 2007 when we finally opened the case and proved it was not a satanic ritual murder,” Stidham said.
“The injuries to the boy's body were from animal predation, most likely, turtles, raccoons, things like that, which the police misinterpreted, along with the initial autopsy report that made them believe that's what happened.”
But Stidham says that wasn't the only thing police misinterpreted or got wrong in this case.
The cops even questioned an eight-year-old boy named Aaron who claimed to have witnessed the murders, which he said were committed by Spanish-speaking Satanists.
“You can't question kids with leading questions and then expect to get an honest answer,” Stidham said.
“When a child tells you they went to day school and got on a plane with a pink elephant, flew to Australia, and came back before the time to be picked up from school – that is absolutely outrageous.
“That couldn't be happening. But as in our case, in this case, the police simply ignored it and continued to move forward.”
Dunn was called to defend Misskelley Jr. after he confessed to police about the killings – which were later said to have been done under duress.
The then 17-year-old spent 12 hours being interrogated by police without a guardian or legal representative present.
The teenager had such a low IQ that he did not understand the case and cops forced him to confess to a crime he did not commit, according to Judge Dunn.
He said Misskelley “did not understand the role of a lawyer, he did not know what a lawyer was, he did not understand the role of the jury, the role of the judge, the role of the prosecutor.”
So Misskelly, in Stidham's eyes, “wasn't even competent to stand trial.”
Other teens were also coerced into confessions, according to Stidham, one of whom had a similar IQ to Misskelley.
Misskelly was tried separately before Echols and Baldwin because of the “Broughton Rule” which meant that his confession could not be used to prosecute his co-conspirators in a joint trial.
He was sentenced to life in prison and later lost an appeal, but Dunn says witnesses were forced to lie or turn away.
In 2011, the three teens were released from prison as part of a plea deal — meaning the teens were imprisoned for 18 years for crimes they did not commit.
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Stidham reflected on the case and the judicial system, and claimed that the state of Arkansas had not admitted its “mistakes” in the case.
“All they'll add is, 'You know, we made a mistake and we'll drop the charges and send them home and pay them compensation for the best years of their lives they lost while being held captive for 18 years,'” he said. Years and 78 days.
“They didn't do that. What they did instead was a deal was made, an Alford call, and that depends on North Carolina versus Alford.”
“Essentially, you plead guilty while maintaining your innocence – it's like a game of football.
“It seems like a waste of time and it doesn't make sense for them not to finish the match and declare the winner.
“But it wasn't about winning, it was about doing the right thing, and Arkansas State didn't do the right thing.”
In April, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled in favor of using new DNA testing methods on crime scene evidence that was not available when it was originally tested.
But until their innocence is proven beyond a reasonable doubt, the West Memphis Three remain bound by their convictions.
West memphis three schedule
May 5, 1983 – Eight-year-olds Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers are reported missing.
May 6, 1983 – The bodies of the three boys are found in a muddy creek in Robin Hood Hills.
May 7, 1983 – Damian Echolls is interviewed about the murders.
June 3, 1983 – Police interview Jesse Misskelley Jr. about the murders. He was interrogated for 12 hours without a legal representative or guardian.
February 5, 1994 – Misskelly is convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 40 years.
March 19, 1994 – Damian Echols and Jason Baldwin are convicted of three counts of murder. Damien was sentenced to death and Baldwin to life imprisonment.
May 1994 – The three defendants lodge an appeal but their convictions are upheld.
October 2003 – Witness Vicky Hutchinson told all her evidence and said everything she told them was fabricated. She claimed that the police threatened to take her child away if she did not cooperate.
2007 – DNA taken from the crime scene was tested against Echols, Baldwin, or Misskelley. Nothing was found to be a match. Terry Hobbs, Stevie Branch's father, was found to be a partial match to DNA found in ligatures found on one of the victims.
October 29, 2007 – Echols' attorneys file a motion for a retrial or immediate release. They cited new DNA evidence and the testimony of Terry Hope's ex-wife.
July 2008 – The jury foreman in the original trial is found to have discussed the case with an attorney prior to jury deliberations.
September 2008 – Dan Stidham testified at a post-conviction hearing that Judge David Burnett made inappropriate communications with the jury during their deliberations.
September 10, 2008 – Circuit Court Judge David Burnett denied the request for a retrial. It was appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court.
November 4, 2010 – The Arkansas Supreme Court ordered a judge to consider whether new DNA evidence might exonerate the three.
August 19, 2011 – Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelly are released from prison after taking Alford Blaze. This means they accepted lesser charges of first and second degree murder while verbally declaring their innocence.
2022 – The first attempt to test DNA from the original crime scene, which was thought to be missing, is launched. It was rejected.
April 19, 2024 – The Arkansas Supreme Court paves the way for testing evidence of crime using new methods.
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