Nobody was saying, This is an outrageous case that needs to be looked into.. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. That was more than the people deciding the case were able to hearthe presiding judge made the expert give most of his testimony without the jury in the courtroom because he questioned its relevance. Certain that, under what he felt were ridiculous circumstances, Echols' confidence and, on occasion, flippant attitude during the trial was often misinterpreted as evidence of his coldness toward the victims and their families. In 1994, the FBI said there was scant evidence that violent satanic crimes had ever occurred in America outside of a few isolated incidents, but that was long after TV hosts like Geraldo, Sally Jessy Raphael, and Oprah had spread moral hysteria about musicians weaving supposedly anti-Christian and occult messages into their songs, and long after wrongful convictions were handed down in the infamous McMartin Preschool sexual assault trials. At that time, I was a little naive that what you read in the paper must have some truth to it, and all the press reports coming out of Arkansas were saying that this was like a slam dunk, an open-and-shut case with a confession that was printed in the newspaper.. I spoke with one of the jurors, years later after the trials and convictions, and he said he had no doubt that people could throw their lot in with the devil and be commanded to do things that they wouldnt have done otherwisethat they have basically made the deal with the devil, Leveritt says. New access to evidence thought destroyed in 1993 'West Memphis Three case But they never had any physical evidence that connected us to this crime, Echols said in 2012. Luminol tests, which reveal the hidden presence of blood, were not performed at the scene until six days later. It ranges from Mark Byers, the crusading stepfather who became one of the West Memphis Threes biggest allies in the years before his 2020 death, to famed FBI criminal profiler (and Mindhunter inspiration) John E. Douglas. New access to evidence thought destroyed in 1993 'West Memphis - KAIT Maines won the lawsuit; police have never named Hobbs a suspect or charged him in connection with the killings.). Cinemorgue Wiki. It was almost like an out-of-body experience., When the credits rolled shortly after the unforgettable final scene, which shows a now-convicted Baldwin and Echols leaving the courtroom in handcuffs and entering a police cruiser as Metallica plays, Baldwin sat stunned. While Berlinger says that the work of people like Bakken and Sauls was more impressive than that of any celebrity, its undeniable that the famous and influential brought a megaphone and funding mechanism to this case that most never get. Due to marital problems stemming from Stevies death, the couple divorced in 2004, reported CNN. The state of Arkansas continues to attempt to prevent this testing from happening., New technology and advances in science would now allow us to test DNA in amounts so small that it would have been previously impossible. Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were best friends. With the guards blessings, Mojo led Baldwin to Varners visitation room, where everything had been put away aside from two chairs set up in front of a cart holding a small TV and a VCR. Who Is Terry Hobbs, Stepfather Of West Memphis Three Victim? | True The sneaker ligatures in which Terry Hobbs' DNA was found in," Soury said . Echols is an author and mystic living New York with his wife, architect Lorri Davis. But Echolss situation changed Baldwins thinking. Armchair detectives of today, I think a lot of them dabble in conspiracy theory, Berlinger says. But on that early morning in 1997, Jason Baldwin wasnt concerned with Berlinger and Sinofskys craft, or legal precedent, or crusading celebrities. But for every Your Own Backyard or Ill Be Gone in the Dark that has applied journalistic rigor to their research in the past two decades, theres an Up and Vanished, which has been at the center of ethical debates since the podcast debuted in 2016. A month later, authorities arrested Baldwin, Echols, and Misskelleythree teenagers who lived in trailer parks near West Memphis and had previous run-ins with the law, though nothing rising to the level of murder. I don't know if the other 2 did, but even if they did polygraphs aren't admissible in court. The footage included raw jailhouse interviews with the defendants, strategy sessions held by legal teams on both sides, and extended monologues from Mark Byers, the tall, goateed stepfather of one of the victims, who spoke as though he were reciting the Book of Revelation and who, at one point in Paradise Lost, fired a handgun at a pumpkin while reciting the names of the accused. Under order of the Arkansas Supreme Court, there were to be new evidentiary hearings in the case. In August 2011, Jason Baldwin was pulled from his prison cell under confusing circumstances once again. I couldnt not watch it at this point. West Memphis is in the heart of the Bible Belt: just a two-hour drive from where, legend has it, the devil tuned Robert Johnsons guitar, in a state thats 46 percent evangelical Protestant. Pam Hobbs divorced Terry Hobbs in 2004 and has reversed her position on the West Memphis Three's guilt. The second is by looking at it as an act of passion and perseverance. Hobbs denied the accusation, saying that his family does have secrets, but none of them have to do with murder. A source said the evidence was transferred to shipping containers where there was a fire, and some of the evidence was destroyed. However, within the first crucial hours after the bodies were discovered, mistakes were made at the crime scene that negatively impacted the investigation. When the pair got the call from Nevins, they mobilized immediately, landing in Arkansas shortly after the arrests. In 1996, a screener for Paradise Lost passed her desk. How do you measure the legacy of Paradise Lost, which is one of the best reviewed documentaries of all time and considered among the most influential, but whose mission is only partly complete? His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. He said Boxful of Nightmares is his memoirs unedited. It was also revealed in 2012 that Hobbs nephew allegedly told his friends, My Uncle Terry murdered those three little boys," and that the killings were a Hobbs family secret, according to, I still believe in my heart that Jessie, Jason, and Damion Echols [sic] are responsible for what happened to our children, Hobbs told Memphis ABC affiliate. Its evidence that Damien Echols attorneys wanted to do new DNA testing on. The second postulated that they had been slain by one or more strangers. No knives and not weapons were used," says Jo Lynn McCaughey. Misskelley told Hutcheson that he really didn't know much about Echols other than that he was "a weird person." As reported by the Arkansas Times, examination of the shoe laces used to bind Michael Moore contained hair "not inconsistent" with that of Stevie Branch's stepfather, Terry Hobbs. Terry was born on September 11, 1959 in Sweetwater, to Jack Harvey and Marjorie. Terry Hobbs, one of the men named in the documents. That the slain boys were each 8 years-old was important because eight was a "witch's number." This is the true story of the West Memphis Three murders. there are no assignments to cushion your grade, so either pass or fail. They even hired experts to examine the case, including a forensic criminal profiler who discovered what appeared to be bite marks on one of the victims that didnt match any of the convicted. So advocacy and diligence become tantamount, because most people in a similar situation to the one he was in dont have the benefit of filmmakers and musicians fighting on their behalf. We didnt see them grow up.. They were found nude and hogtied in a creek in a wooded area in West Memphis. In the minds of many, the bizarre nature of the Robin Hood Hills murders could only have been committed by one of Satan's minions. There also were issues with other details he provided, including how the victims were bound and whether the boys were raped. A graveside service will be conducted on Wednesday, March 17 at Cloverdale Memorial Park beginning at 11am. The case status is Pending - Other Pending. As part of the deal, they cannot file wrongful-conviction lawsuits, which both Berlinger and Baldwin say couldve cost the state tens of millions of dollars. After ending his first marriage, he wed Pamela Hicks Branch in 1986, when her son Stevie was almost 2 years old. Additionally, the judge in the original trialswho under Arkansas law presided under the requests for retrials in the years following the convictionshad been elected to the state Senate that December, meaning someone new and possibly more sympathetic would oversee the case. And then there was the public pressure: In August 2010, Vedder and Maines headlined yet another benefit concert, this one in Little Rock. Timeline Of The West Memphis Three Victims, Motivations For Investigating The West Memphis Case. The districts current prosecuting attorney, Keith Chrestman, did not respond to requests for comment for this article, but his predecessor Scott Ellington, whose office negotiated the deals, told The New York Times in 2011 that while new trials would have likely resulted in acquittals, We dont think that there is anybody else. The Moore family has been outspoken about the end result, vehemently protesting the 2012 Oscar nomination for the third Paradise Lost installment. One of the prosecution's key pieces of evidence linking Jason Baldwin to the crime a survival knife with a serrated edge recovered from a lake behind his home has also come under scrutiny. Last year, I noticed that Terry went missing. Its like ripping a Band-Aid off a wound. The first being that boys were killed by someone they knew. Support came from unlikely corners: a classroom of kids who held a cookie sale that raised $30, local bands in Chicago who held a benefit show and sent $150. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Searching obituaries is a great place to start your family tree research. He says that while he was in the supermax prison in Varner, he would write letters trying to drum up support for not just himself, but also for other inmates he believed were wrongfully convicted. After roughly 18 months of editing, Paradise Lost debuted at Sundance in January 1996 before heading out to other festivals. This family in-fighting led to him shooting his brother-in-law. It was also revealed in 2012 that Hobbs nephew allegedly told his friends, My Uncle Terry murdered those three little boys," and that the killings were a Hobbs family secret, according to WMC-TV. You need corroborating evidence.. Hobbs was Branch's stepfather. Over two decades after the murders, what really happened to Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore on the evening of May 5, 1993, remains a mystery. He was just taking in the enormity of the defining event of his life to that point, which had been committed to film and was now playing for him inside the cavernous, auditorium-style visitation room. (WMC) - Its a case that has captured the nation and certainly the Mid-South. Hobbs says his book is 25 years in the making, adding it is called Boxful of Nightmares for a reason. Two questions plagued the conservative, middle-class community: Why would anyone commit such a heinous act, and, more importantly, who? Paso Robles, California. The judge ruled that Hobbs could not establish actual malice, and ordered Hobbs to pay Maines legal fees amounting to more than $17,000, according to the Associated Press. Debates still occur regularly onlinethe West Memphis Three subreddit is fairly active for one on a 28-year-old caseand podcasts have looked at the crime from all angles. of Auburndale, FL passed away Monday, August 16, 2021. As the first in a trilogy of Paradise Lost films about the case, the 1996 movie was a stunning example of cinma vrit, as directors Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky embedded themselves with the prosecution, the defense, and the families of both the slain and the accused to put human faces on a heart-wrenching tragedy, as well as highlight the overblown worries of satanic rituals and murderous cults that proliferated throughout the 1980s and 90s. What a story it is. Terry Hobbs is the one suspected of murder and the wounds that were inflicted on my nephew were where turtles bit his face. Griffis also found the devil in nearly every number associated with the crime. I dont know if they were questioning it, but they werent mistreating me and telling me that what I was telling them wasnt true., While Berlinger admits that he and Sinofsky may have tilted pro-prosecution in the early days of filming, that quickly changed after witnessing how the cases came together and spending time with the three teens during pretrial jailhouse interviewsparticularly Baldwin, who Berlinger describes as sweet and studious.. Mara Leveritt, a journalist who followed the case throughout the 1990s and wrote the 2002 book Devils Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three, calls the strain of Christianity that runs through the region very literal and says that even her children faced harassment as teenagers for playing Dungeons & Dragons and listening to Ozzy Osbourne. The evolution of how the teens were perceivedon behalf of both the filmmakers and even part of the defense teamis captured on camera early as Stidham and his colleagues began to consider whether Misskelleys confession had been coerced. They had a daughter together, Amanda Hobbs, who was 4 years old at the time of her brothers death. Making his way through the muck on his hands and knees, Ridge soon discovered clothing twisted around sticks and thrust into the ditch's bottom. To bolster their assertions that the killings were related to occult activity despite virtually no evidence prosecutors brought in their own so-called expert on cult murders. And without substantial physical evidence, police zeroed in on a pair of teens they knew well: Echols, a self-professed Wiccan who wore all black and read Stephen King, and his best friend Baldwin, who was considered an outsider because of his love of drawing and bands like Metallica. According to Dan Stidham, the attorney for Misskelley, that money became essential for the cash-strapped defense teams, who needed to pay for expert witnesses and other expenses. 2012 West of Memphis (Documentary) Self - Steven Branch's Stepfather. 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 CNN. As the movement to free the West Memphis Three gained traction, a number of celebrities joined the cause, bringing the case under more scrutiny. Their bikes were found by a pipe nearby. In 2013, Jackson and Damien Echols produced a fourth documentary about the case. Theres no smoking gun. Inconsistencies in Terry Hobbs' alibi, as well as revelations about subsequent violent acts, have also led many to believe that he may be the actual killer. I had a big box. None of the early interviews with the parents were recorded. I didn't even comprehend that the situation could get this serious that it can go this far. Murders In West Memphis::: They procured the domain WM3.org and made a website, updating it with whatever information they could track down. That didn't make sense to me. Mojo was right. At the suggestion of the police, Hutcheson hid microphones in her home and borrowed occult books from the library to inspire Echols' interest. Update: I was totally wrong. 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 The New York Times. eyewitness evidence surfaced 16 years later. The idea of the average citizen becoming embroiled in a criminal investigation isn't far-fetched in 2021, . Terry Hobbs Obituary (2021) - Nampa, ID - Idaho Press Tribune - Legacy.com That came partially through the exposure they got through this film., But perhaps the best measure of Paradise Losts impact is the work being done by Baldwin today. In 1994, Dr. Dale W. Griffis was a retired police officer who had embarked on a second career as a self-styled consultant on occult and cult-related crime. There have also been several high-profile incidents of laypeople reinvestigating decades-old cold cases in more rigorous, journalistic ways and helping bring them to a resolution. They formed the organization Proclaim Justice, a nonprofit that reinvestigates crimes with the hopes of freeing innocent people. Although she was unable to recall the exact location or anyone who attended the alleged meeting, she claimed a drunken Echols confessed to the murders. They saw the same thing you did. The Latest CD: 92 YEARS YOUNG: JAMMIN' AT THE GIBBS HOUSE. By 2005, Rollins himself had raised $100,000 for the cause. By the time she got done watching it, her life was forever changed. (At one point, Sauls says, it landed on Yahoos list of the top 100 websites.) Robin Lynn Jones. But on the subject of Paradise Lost, he speaks emphatically: He understands how important the movies were in helping him, Echols, and Misskelley walk free 10 years ago this August. The state of Arkansas continues to attempt to prevent this testing from happening. Now a judgewho coincidentally works part time in the courtroom where Misskelley was convictedStidham spends time speaking to law students about the judicial system. 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. But inside, he was just another prisonerBaldwin didnt know who he could trust. 24 to Jun. That story line would make up the bulk of 2000s Paradise Lost 2: Revelations, a rare sequel for a documentary, especially before the streaming era proved that true crime series like Making a Murderer and The Staircase could maintain audience interest for years. The arrest, trial, and conviction of the three young men known as the West Memphis Three came under national scrutiny as details of the case became public. Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelly and Jason Baldwin were originally convicted of the killings and released from prison in 2011 after making a deal with prosecutors. Social media didnt fully exist yet, but the group managed to harness the potential of the nascent information superhighway to bring attention to their cause. Titled West of Memphis, the film, directed by Amy J. Berg, presents an overview of the West Memphis Three's 18 years in prison, the revelation of new evidence, and explores the possibility of an alternate suspect. One person who has come up in the investigation is Terry Hobbs, although police have never named him a suspect or charged him in connection with the case. Now, evidence from the case of the West Memphis Three is either missing or destroyed. Also part of the plea was the provision that the three could not sue the state. 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 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. (Despite Misskelleys statement, the coroners examination found no injuries on the victims consistent with sexual assault.) Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. . "I'd like to see this put to rest. Terry Hobbs Obituary Bray asked her if she knew about rumored cult activity in the community. Creator Payne Lindsey, a filmmaker with no previous experience investigating crimes, had no connection to the victim before he discovered her while Googling cold cases in hopes of finding his own version of runaway successes like Serial and Making a Murderer. New evidence points to new suspects in West Memphis 3 case - Action News 5 The governor of the state of Arkansas who will one day pardon the West Memphis Three is probably in junior high right now, he says. Echols attorneys got a letter from the custodian of records for the West Memphis police department saying some of the evidence ended up lost, or misplaced, and some destroyed by fire. Baldwin remembers the dire circumstances laid out during the call. They began attending appeal hearings and visiting Baldwin, Echols, and Misskelley in prison. Im seeing the things I experienced, but not through my own point of view. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. On Aug. 11, 2011, the West Memphis Three entered the courtroom for the final time. Terry Hobbs was born in 1958 and grew up in Northern Arkansas. "Everyone has a story and this just happens to be mine," said Hobbs. Bakken and Sauls say they tried to avoid offering theories about the case publicly, opting instead to try to work through official channels. Hobbs said he wrote the book so people, especially other victims of crime, could understand the tragedy he has gone through and how it impacted his life. Terry Lee Hobbs (1964-2021) - Find a Grave Memorial Terry Hobbs Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family He was 56. Show more Show more What's next for West. "The reason I made the West Memphis boogeyman comment during the first film was because I was making light of the situation," Echols says in Paradise Lost 2: Revelations. 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. She has since expressed her belief that her ex-husband was involved in the murders,citing the discovery of her son's favorite pocket knife in Terry Hobbs' belongings. The bodies of Branch, Byers, and Moore were found in a drainage ditch in West Memphis May 6 . One of Kathy Bakkens earliest jobs in Los Angeles allowed her a certain kind of cultural currency: She designed movie posters for an entertainment-advertising company, which meant she got to see films months before they were released. The three have always maintained their innocence. Terry Hobbs Obituary (1988 - 2021) - Memphis, TN - Legacy.com This is a story of justice delayed and justice denied. The story felt personal for all of them, but especially Sauls: He had grown up in Florida and Georgia as an outcast obsessed with art and reading some of the same books Damien Echols had. Terry L. Hobbs, 63, of Caldwell, HOBBS, Terry L., passed on March 7,2021 at the age of 63. They were releasedfrom prison in 2011 on whats called an Alford plea, after new forensic evidence was presented as part of the case. So much progress had been made in the fight for new trials, most notably a November 2010 Arkansas Supreme Court ruling that ordered a hearing on new DNA analysis and other evidence not considered in 1994. Berlinger and Sinofsky, the latter of whom died in 2015 at age 58, were able to gain incredible and immediate access to seemingly everyone the case had touched: the families of the victims and the accused, the judge, the lead investigator, members of the community. To this day, it is still unclear who is responsible for the killings. 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Hes since parlayed the popularity of the show into a booming podcast network and documentary deal with Oxygen. Jason Baldwin had no idea what was happening when a fellow inmate at the supermax prison in Varner, Arkansas, woke him up early one morning in 1997. That there were three victims was a link to the biblical number of the beast. This is a brand new website dedicated to the internationally famous musician, Terry Gibbs. He died on April 4, 2019 in Panama City Beach, Florida, USA. He was handed the phone. The idea, Berlinger says, was to tell a story of disaffected youthabout kids killing kids., There was no reason not to believe the press, Berlinger says. A benefit album was released in 2000, and the phrase made it into a Dawsons Creek episode when Pacey shouted Free the West Memphis Three over an airport intercom. Hobbs said, I still believe in my heart that Jessie, Jason, and Damion, 'Feels Like Home:' electrical failure from a light fixture caused December fire that killed 1, Shelby County reporting an increase in drug-related overdoses, largely due to fentanyl, Severe weather threat is over | Prepare for a sunny weekend, Daylight saving time starts soon. " Every crime, no matter what it is, gets blamed on Satanism.". By the end of Paradise Lost, you cant believe they were found guilty, Bakken says. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) - More than 25 years after the murders of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, a new book gives a first-person account of . And yet Hobbs was not interviewed at all in the months after the crimes. After 18 years in prison, the West Memphis Three were finally free, but not exonerated. When he was released in 2011, he met John Hardin, who worked with the West Memphis Three support group Arkansas Take Action, and the two bonded over a desire to do for others what had just been done for Baldwin. March 8, 2021, Terry Hobbs passed away on March 8, 2021 in Boise, Idaho. So when I saw this tiny little article in the Times, I wasnt about to free anybody that was guilty. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Terry Hobbs | Cinemorgue Wiki | Fandom Berlinger contrasts this with the approach taken by Bakken, Sauls, and Co., who considered the truth sacrosanct and avoided rumor and innuendo in part because similar speculation helped convict the West Memphis Three. A later confession during the trial phase would prove equally problematic. Baldwins attorneys even avoided putting him on the witness stand or mounting much of a defense, believing the burden was on the state. Baldwin, who had been coached by his lawyers to avoid speaking to the press, says money was the only reason he agreed to the added pressure of appearing in the documentary, especially when everyone else in a position of authority seemed adversarial toward him. Paradise Lost is a narration-free documentary filmed with a journalistic remove. Much of Cecil Hotel focuses on the amateur investigators who turned coincidences into conspiracy theories, ultimately accusing an innocent person of her death. The Messed Up Truth About The West Memphis Three Murders, citing the discovery of her son's favorite pocket knife, One of the prosecution's key pieces of evidence linking Jason Baldwin, With their 2007 request for a new trial rejected, Baldwin is the co-founder of the legal advocacy organization Proclaim Justice. October 14, 2017: #26 on the JazzWeek chart! In the joint trial of Baldwin and Echols, which took place separately from Misskelleys, Berlinger and Sinofsky filmed the surreal moments that juries were actually present for: a rundown of the books Echols checked out of the library, a parade of band T-shirts worn by the pair, a copy of a Blue Oyster Cult record found in Damiens girlfriends house that became evidence because of the word cult and song titles like Dont Fear the Reaper. What the cameras couldnt capture, however, was the introduction of physical evidencethe prosecution didnt offer much of that aside from a knife that was never directly linked to the crimes and fabric threads deemed microscopically similar to items found in Baldwins and Echolss homes, an assertion that has been questioned in the years since the trials. William Holford Griffiths. By getting to the story quickly, the directors were able to document the post-arrest period and two trials that followed in painstaking detail. (WJHG) By Nikki Sheaks Published: Jul. As more people learned about the case from Paradise Lost and the work of people like Bakken and Sauls, the phrase Free the West Memphis Three caught on as a slogan for progressive musicians and actors in the 1990s, up there with Save the Rainforest and Free Tibet. Eddie Vedder became an early leading voice, soon followed by the likes of Peter Jackson, Johnny Depp, and Natalie Maines from the band then known as the Dixie Chicks. June 29 Terry Hobbs, 34, 1718 Spyglass Lane, Mishawaka, booked on a warrant from Elkhart County. Even though they said they didnt murder the three boys, they are technically convicted killers. Peter Jackson, who would produce a separate documentary about the case titled West of Memphis in 2012, and his partner, Fran Walsh, funded an extensive private investigation and helped hire forensic experts to comb through evidence.