Dan Stidham
What happened to the West Memphis 3 case?
Aug 19, 2011 · Echols' lead attorney, Donald Horgan, said ealier today that while it might appear as though celebrity support for the "West Memphis …
Who was involved in the West Memphis Three?
Dec 23, 2021 · by Leigh Egan. December 23, 2021. 1,279 Shares Tweet. The lawyer for Damien Echols has found lost evidence in the case against the “West Memphis Three,” three men who were teens when they were convicted of murder. Echols, along with friends Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelly, was convicted of murder in 1994, in connection with the 1993 murders of …
What was the Alford plea in the West Memphis Three?
The West Memphis Three Trials: 1994. Defendants: Damien Wayne Echols, Charles Jason Baldwin, Jessie Misskelley. Crimes Charged: Murder. Chief Defense Lawyers: Val P. Price, Scott Davidson, Daniel Stidham. Chief Prosecutors: Brent Davis, John Fogleman. Judge: David Burnett.
What happened at the hearing in West Memphis Arkansas?
Dec 22, 2021 · Attorney Patrick Benca said after a state court order, he was allowed to visit the West Memphis Police Department and found the evidence, intact and organized.
What happened to Damian Echols?
On March 19, 1994, Judge David Burnett sentenced Echols to death by lethal injection.
Is Damien Echols married?
What is the story of the West Memphis Three?
The West Memphis Three are Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr., who—as teenagers—were convicted in 1994 of triple murder in West Memphis (Crittenden County). Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore.Jan 19, 2022
How old is Lorri Davis?
Where do the West Memphis 3 live now?
But, he said, his refusal would have meant that Echols stayed on death row. "This was not justice," he said of the deal. "However, they're trying to kill Damien." Since his release, Baldwin has moved to Seattle to live with friends.
Is the movie Devil's Knot based on a true story?
Mara Leveritt's 2002 book Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three focuses on the facts of the 1993 murder of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis (Crittenden County) and the controversial court case that followed.
What happened to the boys in Devil's Knot?
Synopsis. On May 5, 1993, Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Steven Branch went missing from their homes in West Memphis, Arkansas. The next day, their bodies were found in the woods near their homes with evidence showing they had been brutally beaten and savagely murdered.
How old is Damien Echols now?
When did the West Memphis Three episode of Wrongfully Convicted come out?
The episode premiered May 5, 2011, with extensive background information included on the show's page at the Investigation Discovery site. In August 2011, White Light Productions announced that the West Memphis Three would be featured on their new program Wrongfully Convicted.
Who were the West Memphis Three?
The West Memphis Three photographed after their arrest in June 1993. The West Memphis Three are three men convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, United States. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, ...
Who were the three victims of the Memphis Three?
Memorial for the West Memphis Three victims. Steve Edward Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore were all second graders at Weaver Elementary School. Each had achieved the rank of "Wolf" in the local Cub Scout pack and were best friends.
When did the Memphis 3 air?
In January 2010, the CBS television news journal 48 Hours aired "The Memphis 3", an in-depth coverage of the history of the case including interviews with Echols and supporters. On September 17, 2011, 48 Hours re-aired the episode with the update of their release and interviews from Echols and his wife, and Baldwin.
How long did the West Memphis Three serve?
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. Echols' sentence was reduced to three counts of first degree murder. Lawyers representing the West Memphis Three reached the plea deal that allowed the men to be released from prison.
Who was sentenced to death for killing the children?
Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin to life imprisonment. During the trial, the prosecution asserted that the juveniles killed the children as part of a Satanic ritual.
How old were Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols?
Baldwin, Echols, and Misskelley. 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. Baldwin and Echols had been previously arrested for vandalism and shoplifting, respectively, and Misskelley had a reputation for his temper and for engaging in fistfights ...
Who was the expert witness on coerced confessions?
Professor Richard Ofsche of the University of California at Berkeley was called as an expert witness on coerced confessions after the judge's ruling, but was not allowed to present all of his prepared testimony as to why he believed the confession was probably coerced.
Who testified that none of the three youths had made the bite mark wounds?
Mouth impressions had been taken of Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley, and at the hearing Dr. Thomas David, a forensic odontologist, testified that in his opinion none of the three youths had made the bite mark wounds. The hearing was held before Judge Burnett, who had presided over the original trial.
What was the significance of the verdict of the murder of three teenage boys?
SIGNIFICANCE: The conviction of three teenage boys for the sadistic murder of three eight-year-old boys in what the prosecution claimed was a Satanic ritual received national attention largely as a result of a prize-winning documentary film which contributed to doubts about the correctness of the verdict. In the early afternoon of May 6, 1993, the ...
Who were the three people that were last seen playing together?
James Moore, Steven Branch, and Christopher Byers had been last seen playing together in the late afternoon of the previous day. A search had begun in the late evening and had gone on through most of the night. Their bodies were naked and their hands were bound to their feet with shoelaces.
Did Misskelley keep a record of the interrogation?
No record of the interrogation was kept, except for a short recording of the confession that Misskelley gave at the end of it. Misskelley admitted having killed the three boys and implicated Damien Echols and a third boy, 17-year-old Charles Jason Baldwin.
When was Misskelley tried?
Misskelley's trial was separated from the other two, and he was tried first, in January 1994. The prosecution's case relied solely upon his confession. Daniel Stidham, counsel for Misskelley, moved to have the confession held inadmissible, but Judge David Burnett ruled that the confession was voluntary and admissible.
When did the murders of Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin start?
The trial of Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin began on February 22, 1994 , also before Judge Burnett. The prosecution again relied heavily on Jessie Misskelley's confession, but they also went to considerable lengths to try to establish that the murders were part of an occult sacrificial ritual led by Echols.
When did the West Memphis Three plea deal happen?
The West Memphis Three and their Alford Plea: On August 19, 2011, a plea deal nothing short of remarkable was struck in a case that has held the attention of the town of West Memphis, Arkansas and arguably the nation for over 18 years. In a crafty maneuver exemplifying the skills of legal advocacy, attorneys from both sides ...
When did Braga and Ellington come into the West Memphis Three case?
Since both attorneys came into the West Memphis Three case in January 2011, Braga and Ellington were relatively free of the emotional ties the original attorneys had to the much-disputed case.
What was the Alford plea deal?
In a crafty maneuver exemplifying the skills of legal advocacy, attorneys from both sides of the very publicized legal case negotiated a plea deal called the Alford Plea, finally putting a highly controversial murder case to rest. The following is a brief synopsis of the case that shocked a nation, paired with exclusive personal input from the attorneys who negotiated the deal, exhibiting a rare instance of true legal compromise.
Who were Damien Echols' friends?
Shortly after the bodies were discovered, attention was on local smart-mouthed teenager, Damien Echols and his friends Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. At the time, Echols was known and denigrated for his black clothing, interest in heavy metal music and apparent lack of respect for authority.
What was the fate of the West Memphis Three?
The fate of the teenagers who came to be known as the West Memphis Three was all but sealed. Over the next year, the prosecution and defense battled a respectable legal war. Each legal team was faced with an insurmountable task.
Who was sentenced to death for the murder of the 3 second graders?
Echols was subsequently sentenced to death while Baldwin and Misskelley were given life sentences. Roughly a year after the bodies of the three second graders were discovered, the West Memphis community took a sigh of relief.
When did the three get a break from the Supreme Court?
In November of 2010 the three received a remarkable break from the state Supreme Court. After new DNA evidence failed to connect the three to the atrocious crime, the court ruled that the three could present new evidence at the trial level in an effort to establish their innocence. As both sides waited for a decision as to whether ...
What was the West Memphis Three murder?
One of the keys to understanding the West Memphis Three murders is the phenomenon known as the Satanic Panic. Reaching its apex in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Satanic Panic was a wave of paranoia rooted in the belief that Satanic cults intent on corrupting the souls of the young had infiltrated American society. Heavy metal music, role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, and horror movies were regarded as gateways to evil. Best selling books such as Lawrence Pazder's Michelle Remembers and disgraced evangelical comedian Mike Warnke's The Satan Seller fueled the madness with tales of ritual abuse and human sacrifice.
What was the investigation of the West Memphis murders?
A mishandled investigation of the West Memphis murders. HBO. According to Devil's Knot author Mara Leveritt, the investigation of the murders was divided along three lines. The first being that boys were killed by someone they knew. The second postulated that they had been slain by one or more strangers.
How long did the West Memphis Three stay in jail?
As the West Memphis Three languished behind bars for 18 years, thousands of supporters called out for their freedom while others vehemently declared their guilt.
Is West Memphis like a second Salem?
West Memphis is pretty much like a second Salem," Echols stated in the 1996 documentary Paradise Lost: The Murders at Robin Hood Hills. "... Every crime, no matter what it is, gets blamed on Satanism.".
Who helped fund the West Memphis Three?
As detailed by The Hollywood Reporter in 2011, Jackson and Walsh helped fund key investigations for the West Memphis Three's defense during the last seven years of their incarceration. In 2013, Jackson and Damien Echols produced a fourth documentary about the case.
Who were the three boys that disappeared in 1993?
Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were best friends. Classmates at Weaver Elementary School, the three were active in their Cub Scout troop and responsible enough to be trusted to roam their neighborhood without supervision.
Who was the kid that was a misfit?
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.
Overview
Defendants
Jessie Misskelley Jr. (born July 10, 1975) was arrested in connection to the murders of May 5, 1993. 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. However, the confession was at odds with facts known by police, such as the time of the murders. Under the Bruton rule, his confession c…
The crime
On May 5, 1993, three eight-year-old boys (Steve Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers) were reported missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The first report to the police was made by Byers' adoptive father, John Mark Byers, around 7:00 pm. The boys were allegedly last seen together by three neighbors, who in affidavits told of seeing them playing together around 6:30 pm the evening they disappeared and seeing Terry Hobbs, Steve Branch's stepfather, calling them t…
Victims
Steve Edward Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore were all second graders at Weaver Elementary School. Each had achieved the rank of "Wolf" in the local Cub Scout pack and were best friends.
Steve Branch was the son of Steven and Pamela Branch, who divorced when he was an infant. His mother was awarded custody and later married Terry Hobb…
Suspects
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.
Baldwin and Echols had been previously arrested for vandalism and shoplifting, respectively, and Misskelley had a reputation for his temper and for engaging in fistfights with other teenagers at school. Misskelley and Echols had dropped out of high school; however, Baldwin earned high gr…
Investigation
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. The police interviewed Echols on May 7, two days after the bodies were discovered. During a polygraph examination, he denied any involvement. The polygraph examiner claimed that Echols' chart indicated deception. On May 9, during a formal in…
Trials
Misskelley was tried separately, and Echols and Baldwin were tried together in 1994. Under the "Bruton rule", Misskelley's confession could not be admitted against his co-defendants; thus he was tried separately. All three defendants pleaded not guilty.
During Misskelley's trial, Richard Ofshe, an expert on false confessions and police coercion, and Professor of Sociology at UC Berkeley, testified that the brief recording of Misskelley's interrogati…
Aftermath
There has been widespread criticism of how the police handled the crime scene. Misskelley's former attorney Dan Stidham cites multiple substantial police errors at the crime scene, characterizing it as "literally trampled, especially the creek bed." The bodies, he said, had been removed from the water before the coroner arrived to examine the scene and determine the state of rigor mortis, allowing the bodies to decay on the creek bank and to be exposed to sunlight an…
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