The Strange Case of the West Memphis Three
The West Memphis Three were three teenagers from West Memphis, Arkansas who were wrongfully accused of killing three boys in an alleged and completely unsubstantiated ritual.
On May 5, 1993, Michael Moore, Steve Branch, and Christopher Byers were reported missing around 7 p.m. by John Mark Byers, the adoptive father of one of the children. After 8 p.m. the police, neighbors, and a search and rescue team canvased the area focusing on the Robin Hood Hills area where the kids were last seen. The next day, around 1:45 p.m., Parole Officer Steve Jones spotted a black shoe floating in a muddy creek in Robin Hood Hills. After another search, they found the three boys’ bodies naked and hogtied with their shoelaces. Their clothes were twisted around branches stuck in the creek. Two pairs of underwear were never found.
Initially, police suspected the boys had been beaten on-site and then sexually assaulted. This was due to lacerations on Christopher Byer's body and the mutilation of his scrotum and penis. The other two boys didn’t have any wounds on their nether regions. According to the forensics report, Moore and Branch died of drowning and multiple injuries while Byers died of numerous injuries only.
The Three Victims
All three boys were 8-year-old, second graders at Weaver Elementary School. They were “wolfs” in the Cub Scouts, lived within blocks of each other, and were best friends. They were known to ride their bikes throughout the neighborhood and always be together. In 1994, a memorial was erected at the Weaver Elementary playground to honor the three boys. On the 20th anniversary of the murders, funds were raised to refurbish the memorial.
James Michael Moore
James Michael Moore was considered the leader of the rag-tag brood. He had brown hair, stood at 4 feet, 5 inches, and weighed 55 pounds. Moore loved to wear his boy scout uniform even when he wasn’t going to meetings. He lived with his parents, Todd and Dana Moore, and his nine-year-old sister. The second grader was last seen wearing blue pants, his boy scout uniform shirt, and a boy scout hat. He was riding his green bike.
Steve Edward Branch
Steve Edward Branch was an honor student at Weaver Elementary School. His mother, Pamela, divorced his real father when he was an infant. Later, she married Terry Hobbs who was his step-father and one of the last people to see Steve and the boys before they disappeared. The second grader had blonde hair, stood 4 foot 2 inches, and weight 64 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans and driving a black and white bicycle.
Christopher Michael Byers
According to his mother, Christopher Michael Byers was a normal little kid who still believed in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. His parents divorced when he was four. Shortly after his mother, Melissa, married John Mark Byers who adopted the boy. Byers had light brown hair, stood four feet, and weighed 55 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans, and dark shoes. He wasn’t riding his bike the day he disappeared.
The West Memphis Three Suspects
Damien Echols
Considered a cult leader and overseer of the murders, Damien Echols was eighteen years old and a self-proclaimed Wiccan. He had regular run-ins with law enforcement including previous arrests for vandalism, burglary, and shoplifting. His probation officer, Jerry Driver, believed there was a satanic cult in the area. Due to Echols dark clothes, his heavy metal music tastes, and his interest in the occult, Driver was convinced the teenager had founded the cult and was secretly running it behind closed doors. Echols lived with his parents at the Broadway Trailer Park. He had poor grades and barely made it through school. So, he decided to drop out. The teenager had a stint in a mental institution and had issues with grandiosity, hallucinations, depression, and mood swings. He had a girlfriend who was pregnant, and he worked part-time for a roofing company. Echols frequently hung out with his best friend, Jason Baldwin. They listened to Metallica, read and discussed Stephen King novels, talked to girls on the phone and played video games.
Jason Baldwin
Unlike his best friend, sixteen-year-old Jason Baldwin did well in high school and a natural talent for drawing and art. He was encouraged to study graphic design in college. Baldwin had some history with law enforcement, mostly getting in trouble with Echols for vandalism and shoplifting. The teenager lived at home with his parents in the Lakeshore neighborhood.
Jessie Misskelley, Jr
Seventeen-year-old, Jessie Misskelley, Jr had a low IQ and a bad temper. He did terribly in school and was known to have a temper. Misskelley didn’t hang out with Echols and Baldwin but they knew of each other. The teenager had a reputation for starting fights and eventually dropped out. Misskelley lived with his parents at the Highland Trailer Park.
Mentions in this Episode:
Animated Map of the Kids Wherabouts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_panic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMartin_preschool_trial
https://shakedowntitle.com/cases/west-memphis-3/
https://famous-trials.com/westmemphis/2236-chronology
Subscribe and Review: Itunes and Stitcher.
Join the Discord Server: https://discord.gg/Fe6PkHJr
Music by: “Guiton Sketch” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
