e also studied Wicca, which incorporates elements of paganism and witchcraft. You have no idea how hard it really is to write, proofread, edit, revise, proofread, re-write, scrap, re-write, edit, proofread, revise and proofread . Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. 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 . of 72 and that his mental capacity rendered his confession involuntary, according to court documents obtained by Oxygen.com. Then the filmmakers highlight Hobbs's history of abuse. In 1993, he was married to Pamela Hobbs and was the step father of Stevie Branch. Located across from Memphis, on the west bank of the Mississippi River, West Memphis shares many problems with its more famous neighbor. He then picked Pam back up Following a series of documentaries that cast doubt on the investigation and law enforcements conclusion, high-profile supporters began to rally behind the imprisoned teens, later dubbed the West Memphis Three.. Prosecutors then offered the West Memphis Three a plea deal. 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In their quest to clear the names of the "West Memphis Three"Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. who were teenagers when they were convicted for the 1993 killingsthe filmmakers decide that they have found the actual murderer: Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of one of the murdered boys. Both Terry and Vicky will be in attendance. Christopher had a fractured skull, and his genitals had been mutilated, which authorities believed was done by his killer. Instead, hes decided to be surprised like the rest of us. In aid of their cause, they supplement their version of the facts with evocative music, close-ups of Hobbs's shifty eyes, excerpts of his evasive responses to tough questions about his past, and smears from people who have reason to dislike him independent of any suspicion about the murders. The boys were fans of the cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. eventAction: 'click_ads' Sadler is then allowed to claim that Hobbs would make Stevie watch him masturbate, and that he also molested Stevie's sister, Amanda. Officer: "Uh No sir I have not, where did you see that picture?" As CrimeOnline previously reported, Damien Echols, along with friends Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelly, were convicted of murder in 1994, in connection with the murders of Chris Byers, Michael Moore, and Steven. The child was near a fence on . He was one of four children and came from a strict and religious family. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' That was you know, help calling, I believe that with everything inside of me.. "I can't understand why exactly people are glossing over the obvious when it comes to Byers and the death of Melissa Byers and all the things that Byers has said and done since this trial," says Echols from jail. In an interview for the film, Echols supported the notion. we didn't know Damien Echols or none of them boys. Echols was subsequently sentenced to death, Misskelley was sentenced to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Baldwin was sentenced to life imprisonment. If youd like a chance to receive a free copy, signed by both Terry and Vicky, please go Like/Share or Love/Re-tweet the photo below on Facebook on Vicky Edwards, Author page or @svedwards on Twitter. scrapings from inside of door to Read Terry Hobbs' story about the West Memphis Three murders. . A new documentary about the murders, West of Memphis, also homed in on Terry Hobbs, claiming that his DNA was found on rope used to tie the boys' feet. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), }); He wants us to believe that a kid and some people were going to check it out but he used the word "think" which means he is not certain if they were going to look for the boys in the manholes. Officer: "Did you go into the woods before you picked up Pam?" In the meantime, the Three's cause picked up celebrity support. Two private investigators looking into the case on their behalf eventually turned their sights on Terry Hobbs, Steve's stepfather, because his story did not add up -- he had claimed that he had begun searching for the boys at 6 pm on the day they had disappeared when in reality, they had only been reported missing at 9 pm. The theory is that the boys were killed and their bodies were placed or left in a storm drain. But is that actually responsible? Morgan had a lengthy history of alcohol and drug abuse and was presumed to be familiar with all three boys as he used to drive an ice cream truck in their neighborhood, and in a polygraph exam, detectives in California determined he was showing deception when he denied involvement in the murders. I think uhh, that little Byers boy. But, it is finished! let gads_event; Officer: "You heard it from who?" (This story was originally published on March 19, 2020 and has been updated with new information.). The new documents. Another hair found at the crime scene matched David Jacoby. He was held for 12 hours and interrogated without his parents present. One of the 8-year-olds is Hobbs' stepson, Stevie Branch. A clue lay in a seemingly unrelated, but conspicuous phone call made to the authorities the night of the boys' disappearance. In the articles I read back in December 2021, all the evidence was intact after being believed to have been lost in a fire and Echols was pushing for the hair and shoelaces to be submitted for testing because the shoelaces were used as ligatures. Both Michael and Steve had bruises across their bodies, while Christopher had bruises as well as lacerations to various parts of his body, and mutilation to his scrotum and penis. Exhibited violent temperment evening of murders. When asked whom he heard it from he starts out answering "I don't" as if he was going to say "I don't know." But says the rest of the accusations in the documentary are false. ), The tale of three metal-loving misfits who may have been scapegoated for being different resonated with many, including several prominent musicians, celebrities and activists, including Johnny Depp and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. The creators of West of Memphis decide not only what evidence the audience gets to see, but also how it should be interpreted. was our couch, that, that picture got tooken. Beat up someone who kissed his wife. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Perhaps this is why he used the word "just" which is not needed. https://www.localmemphis.com/news/web-extras/web-extra-more-from-terry-hobbs-on-his-book-music, Read Terry Hobbs story about the West Memphis Three murders. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ A different neighbor recalled seeing Hobbs with the three boys soon before they disappeared on the night of the murders, even though Hobbs denies it. New Possible Suspects In 1993 West Memphis Murders. Lisa Waddell The Commercial Appeal, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics, What We Learn From the Descendants of Murderers. Four new possible suspects in the brutal killings of three boy scouts in Arkansas in 1993 have been named by attorneys in the case - and the stepfather of one of the boys is among them. Another hair found on a tree stump near the crime scene was found to be consistent with the DNA of David Jacoby, a friend of Hobbs, according to court documents. Residents Jamie Clark Ballard and Carlos Seals were reportedly the last two people to see the boys alive, as reported in Oxygen's "The Forgotten West Memphis Three.". } from North Wall inside women's Read: Emotions run high among parents of slain Arkansas boys (2011) The hair found in the ligature was consistent with Branch's stepfather, Terry Hobbs, while the hair found on the tree. They were not reported missing until later that evening. Jo Lynn McAughey, Stevie's aunt, said she saw Hobbs doing laundry that nightperhaps, the filmmakers suggest, to clean the mud off his clothes after killing the boys in the woods. "I'd have to laugh at that and say there's something wrong with someone who would think that," he said. To this day, it inspires fierce debate and accusations of guilt, while the facts and evidence remain contested. The second-graders' bodies were found bruised and mutilated in a West Memphis, Arkansas, ditch; . This is the extended web version of Terrys interview about his memoirs. Hobbs says he is a victim in the story and has even tried to file lawsuits against those whove said otherwise but says, because hes seen as a public figure, lawyers tell him that he doesnt have a case. Baldwin was given life without parole, while Echols was sentenced to death by lethal injection. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! at 9:00 p.m. Lucas has been described as mentally 'slow', WREG reported. Hobbs says he is not bothered by the . } Hobbs was 24 and married to his first wife at the time. He was held for 12 hours and interrogated without his parents present. The filmmakers then call into question Hobbs's alibi, getting his friend, David Jacoby, to express doubt about how much time he spent with Hobbs on the night of the murders. TO JUNE 21, 2007 WEST MEMPHIS POLICE Misskelley even confessed to the crime, a confession Hobbs says he heard because he sat through every day of their trials. Attorneys also said Hobbs' nephew, Michael Hobbs Jr, told friends his uncle murdered the three boys, but the elder Hobbs has denied any involvement with the murders. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. Moreover, he also studied Wicca, which incorporates elements of paganism and witchcraft. Terry Hobbs's Interview. Hobbs, now divorced from Stevie Branch's, mother said he's not worried, because he knows he has done nothing wrong. Several neighbors named him as a suspect. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { This reminds me of Jeffrey MacDonald's statement "I saw that the back door was open, but that's immaterial I guess." Jackson and friends argue that the West Memphis Three were the victims of a witch hunt in bible-belt Arkansas, convicted in throes of "Satanic Panic." Instead, defense attorneys say, the tests found DNA from Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of one of the murdered boys. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); Misskelley still lives in West Memphis and has kept a low profile since his release. The appeal also stated that he was scared of officers and thought he might be given reward money. Alibi unsupported or contradicted by some of those he claims to have been with, including Ryan Clark and the Garners. Many have theories, including one where Terry Hobbs, the step-father of one of the boys, is the killer. WM3 Main Page How much wouldn't even be admitted in the first place? ga('ads.send', { There is a good chance that Hobbs did not hear about the manholes the night the boys disappeared but this was information he already possessed. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), pg.acq.push(function() { Testing had previously revealed that the DNA linked to Terry Hobbs, stepfather of one of the murdered children, was found in the ligatures on the sneaker of one of the boys. Jason Baldwin and Damien Echels of "West of Memphis" arrive on the red carpet at the Cinema Vanguard Award Tribute to Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo held at the Arlington Theater on February 4, 2012 in Santa Barbara, California. Its one thats sparked documentaries, a handful of books, even a movie that is about to be released. manhole theory. Based on the flimsiest of evidence, including a confession from Misskelley that the filmmakers say was coerced, Misskelley and Baldwin got life sentences while Echols, the supposed ringleader, was sentenced to death. hitType: 'event', Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Have you seen that?" Until recently, Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were the ones who got the bad rap in this complicated and confounding case. The boys were known to have played in the storm-drains around their neighborhood. Some believe that Jacoby's hair was transferred to Hobbs who then left it at the crime scene. However, it also could have been the work of wild animals. Daily Mail Reporter, Christopher Byers, James Michael Moore and Steven Branch were found dead, and their bodies tied up and mutilated in 1993 Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin, were convicted of the murders in 1994 and sentenced to death, They were released in 2011 after agreeing to an Alford plea, The West Memphis Three were supported by celebrities like Johnny Depp and Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder, 1,400 rounds of ammo, three Samurai swords and photos of dead people: Warrants reveal the chilling haul found in Adam Lanza's home - and how he shot 155 bullets in less than five minutes, 'It felt like the right thing to do': How reporter meticulously planned to kill the man who brutally raped him when he was 7, FIRST PICTURE: Foxy Knoxy's ex Raffaele Sollecito breaks cover after being ordered to stand retrial over the death of British student Meredith Kercher, 'We're not your enemies!' Multiple instances of contradictory statements. Book News! Hobbs returned later and at that time Jacoby went with Hobbs to search for the three boys. hitType: 'event', As Depp told 48 Hours, "I can empathize with being judged on how you look, as opposed to who you are.". Hobbs claimed a private investigator from the defense team told him one of his hairs was discovered in a knot in one of the shoe laces used to tie up the three eight-year-olds. The gruesome nature of their murders led investigators to theorize there was a satanic element to it -- something that wasn't too farfetched in the Bible Belt considering 'Satanic Panic' was still making the rounds back then -- and zero in on Echols, Misskelley Jr., and Baldwin, mischief-makers with an unruly reputation that preceded them. Hobbs was the stepfather of Steven Branch, one of the boys found murdered in 1993, in West Memphis, Arkansas. Why does he hesitate when denying that he does not know what happened to the three boys? if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ }); Officer: "You did?" However, it was ruled that since the boys all played together often at one another's homes, it was within reason that Hobbs' hair could have gotten on any of their shoes. He said that someone's got this picture and it's of my couch, Just this March, lawyers for Hobbs ex-wife, Pam Hicks, and the father of another victim, Mark Byers, paint a more detailed picture: that Hobbs killed the boys with three other men after a day of drinking and smoking pot. The debate rages to this day, and no one has a definitive answer. So you didn`t even see them that day at all? asked Hall. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ He's like some wacko cult member," high school teacher Jim Ferguson told The New York Times at the time of the murders. However, it also could have been the. Two were sentenced to life in prison, and the third received the death penalty. gads_event = event; it on, and not, not let somebody rest from this.". Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. } Later in this portion of his interview he would estimate there were "20 to 40" people searching. Claimed to have said people couldn't handle the truth about the crimes. The TMNT dwelled in the sewers (manholes). We are one of the worlds fastest growing He then tells the officer that in viewing the wooded area he determined this is not a place that he would hang out at. },false) After ending his first marriage, he wed Pamela Hicks Branch in 1986, when her son Stevie was almost 2 years old. might forward to the prosecuting attorney if, if necessary, ummm," Echols and Baldwin went on trial a month later, and the prosecution argued they had murdered the boys in a Satanic ritual. somewhere out here.". Some business clients accused him of guilt.
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