Woman over radio:
Okay.
Woman: Where were
these found, guys?
( mumbling )
Green one
on the left side there,
red one
on the right side.
Man over radio:
Two thirty-one.
Man #2 over radio:
Two thirty-one.
( mechanical whirring )
Don't let nobody
come up here.
Don't... nobody in here.
( music playing )
( mumbling )
- ( helicopter whirring )
- ( police siren )
Male reporter: The police
in West Memphis, Arkansas,
confirmed today
that three young boys
were brutally m*rder*d.
The bodies of Weaver
Elementary School
second graders,
Steven Branch,
Christopher Byers,
and Michael Moore,
were pulled
from a shallow creek
earlier today.
There are rumors
that the boys may have been
sexually mutilated.
The police say
that they do not yet
have any suspects
in the case.
The missing
8-year-old boys
were discovered in an area
known as Robin Hood Hills,
a secluded patch of woods
behind the Blue Beacon
Truck Wash
along Interstate 40
in West Memphis.
Moon is full,
never seems to change
Just labeled
mentally deranged...
Woman:
Imagine all the evil
that you could think of,
to how someone
could be m*rder*d.
And that's how
these three children died.
Man:
No family should have
to go through this.
Unfortunately,
it's gonna happen
again somewhere.
Another town.
It's gonna happen again,
I'm sure.
Lot of bad people
out there in the world.
Man #2:
I don't know why
these three little boys
were m*rder*d.
Did they see something
they were not supposed
to see?
Did they hear things
they were not supposed
to hear?
I... I do not know that.
I see no reason.
I... I see no motive
for why these three little boys
were m*rder*d.
Man:
Live from KAIT-8 TV,
good neighbors
you can turn to
for news, weather,
and sports.
Tony Brooks, Diana Davis, Terry Wood,
and d*ck Clay.
This is KAIT-8 News.
Good evening,
I'm Diana Davis.
And I'm Tony Brooks.
In a statement
given to the police
and obtained
by a Memphis newspaper,
17-year-old
Jessie Misskelley
allegedly confesses
to watching two other suspects
choke, r*pe,
and sexually mutilate
three West Memphis
second-graders.
Jenna Newton reports.
Jenna Newton: According
to the published report,
Misskelley told police
he watched
18-year-old Damien Echols
and 16-year-old Jason Baldwin
brutalize the children
with a club and a knife.
The report says
Misskelley told police
Echols and Baldwin
r*ped one of the boys
and sexually mutilated
another as part
of a cult ritual.
Misskelley is quoted
as saying
he did not take part
in the r*pe and mutilation,
but that he helped subdue
one victim
who tried to escape.
At a press conference,
Inspector Gary Gitchell said
the case against the accused
teens is very strong.
Man:
Scale of one to 10, how solid
do you think the case is?
Eleven.
( all clamoring,
applauding )
Newton:
It appears satanic worship
may have played
a role in the murders.
Since the very beginning
of the investigation
people all around
West Memphis
have come forward with
stories of satanic cults.
Reverend Tommy Stacy's church
is down the street
from where
the bodies were found.
One year ago,
Damien Echols told
the church's youth minister
he had a pact
with the devil,
and he was
going to hell.
( church bell rings )
Tommy Stacy:
I do know that
my youth director
talked to Damien extensively
at the revival
that we had,
and he told him
that he could not be saved,
that he could not
give his heart
to Jesus.
And my youth director
then tried to get him
to take a Bible.
And he made the statement
that he could not take a Bible
because if he did,
the rest of them
would get him.
In West Memphis, Jenna Newton,
KAIT-8 Night News.
Christopher never
hurt anybody.
He had a gentle,
loving, and giving heart.
And they crucified him
in those woods.
And they humiliated
his little body.
They took his little manhood
before he even knew
what it was.
And I hate them for it.
I've never hated
anybody in my life.
And I hate these three.
- And the mothers
that bore them.
- ( tapping table )
I can't imagine...
what was going through
Michael's mind.
You know, was he...
calling for me?
How long did they
leave him there tied up
on that ditch bank
before they decided
to k*ll him?
I mean, what were
they doing to him?
Was his...
was he conscious
or unconscious?
Did he watch
the other two boys...
get cut?
Moore:
He was really being k*lled
by real monsters.
( kids shouting )
( laughs )
God. On TV!
- Man: Now.
- Pam, first of all,
what is...
what are you holding
in your hand there...
In my hand,
it's Stevie's Boy Scout.
I got it back yesterday.
And I been wearing it
around my head like this.
( chuckles )
Did he...
did he like scouting?
Oh, he loved it.
He loved it, yeah.
He loved it.
Man #2:
Do you blame yourself
for this?
I have. I have.
I've been, uh... I've...
I have been on
a guilt trip about it.
But... it wasn't my fault.
I was at work.
Have you contemplated
joining Stevie, um...
- Have I thought...
- ...before your natural...
- Would I ever...
- Have you thought
about suicide?
Have I? Oh.
Uh... suicide?
I've... I've felt
like dying,
but not suicide,
you know.
No, not suicide.
Do you feel
that the people
that did this
- were worshipping, uh...
- Satan? Yes, I do.
Why?
Just look
at the freaks.
I mean,
just look at them.
They look
like punks.
( music playing )
Well, Jessie told me
he didn't do it.
Didn't have
anything to do with it.
He wasn't there.
- And I believe him.
- ( camera clicks )
I think the cops just
can't find who done it...
and they gotta put it
on somebody.
I wanna tell the whole world
my son is innocent
- because I know
he is innocent.
- ( camera clicks )
- I know where he was...
- ( camera clicks )
and I know he's innocent,
and I wanna tell the world,
and I want the world to know.
This boy is not capable
of the crime that he has,
uh, been arrested for.
I've seen him take
a little kitten,
and... and love it just like
you'd love a little baby.
- ( camera clicks )
- It's like a nightmare,
a nightmare that you
can't wake up from.
Our son's innocent.
We intend to prove it.
John Mark Byers:
"Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow
of death,
I shall fear no evil."
And I'm not scared
of the devil.
I gotta know
who my comforter is.
"Thy rod and Thy staff
comfort me."
And I thank you, Lord,
for letting me
be able to believe
in that
with all my heart.
I hope y'all really believe
in your master the Satan,
Sleuthfoot, devil himself,
'cause he's not
gonna help you.
He's gonna laugh at you,
mock at you, and t*rture you.
He didn't need your help,
the devil's got
all the devils he needs.
The good Lord said Lucifer
and a third of the angels
were cast from Heaven.
He didn't need them,
but he took their mind,
and he manipulated them.
And they prayed to Satan,
and they prayed to the devil.
And they had their satanic
worship services out here,
and they had all types
of wild h*m* orgies,
I've been told.
Crazy things.
To me, this place as I stand
is like hell on Earth.
Because I know
that three babies were k*lled
right out here
where I stand.
I know my son was castrated,
and possibly
laid there on that bank
and bled to death.
I know he was choked.
I know one boy's head was
beat in beyond recognition.
I know one
little boy was skinned
almost like a animal.
Cut, had to shave his head,
had all types
of injuries to the head
where they just
kept beating,
and pounding on them,
and k*lling them,
and k*lling them.
It's like they enjoyed it.
They k*lled them
two or three times.
Jessie Misskelley Jr.,
Jason Baldwin,
Damien Echols,
I hope your master the devil
does take you soon.
I want you
to meet him real soon.
And the day you die,
I'm gonna praise God.
And I make you a promise,
the day you die,
every year on May 5th
I'm gonna come
to your graveside,
I'm gonna spit on you,
I'm gonna curse
the day you were born,
and I'm sure
while I'm standing there,
I'm gonna have to have
other bodily functions
let go
upon your grave.
I promise you
as God is my witness,
I'll visit
all three of your graves.
The statement Jessie made
to the police is... is a lie.
It's not true, you know.
I don't see why he would do
something like that
to another person.
I can see where they might
think I was in a cult
'cause I wear
Metallica T-shirts
and stuff like that, but...
I know I didn't do
nothing like that.
I couldn't k*ll
an animal or a person.
I don't worship the devil
or anything like that.
I worship God,
you know, like everybody...
every normal person in this...
around here does.
I got a favorite pet.
A pet iguana.
I've had it
for a little over a year now.
I usually
go fishing by myself,
right in my backyard.
Just go out there
and my pet cat would be
out there.
His name's Charlie.
Whenever I catch a fish
I just give it to him.
I didn't k*ll
these three little boys.
I didn't k*ll
those three little boys.
They were, like,
under a lot of pressure.
They had to find somebody
to lay this off on
before people started
losing their jobs.
And the public
was getting real upset,
saying the cops
were incompetent,
couldn't do their jobs,
so they had to do
something fast.
And we were, like,
we were the obvious choice
because we stood out
from everybody else.
So it worked out
to their advantage.
( metal locks slamming )
Daniel Stidham:
No one's gonna be
saying that
you're stupid
or that you're dumb...
( stutters )
or making fun of you,
but the court's
gonna be very interested
in determining
exactly at what level
you are functioning.
How well you're able to read.
How well you're able
to write.
- Things of that nature.
- Uh-huh.
- That make sense?
- Mm-hmm.
Okay. So, if the court
determines that... that
you are operating,
below average,
then there's a possibility
that the court
will not be allowed
or the state
will not be allowed
to impose
the death penalty
against you.
- Do you understand
what that means?
- Yeah.
We've got about 10 weeks
before the trial
comes up in January.
- Yeah.
- Are you looking forward
to just having the trial?
- ( phone ringing )
- A little bit,
but not much.
( continues ringing )
( receiver clicks )
- Hello.
- Woman: Operator,
I have a collect call.
- Your name, please?
- Misskelley: Jessie.
- Will you pay?
- Yes, ma'am.
Thank you.
- Hey, son.
- Misskelley: Hey.
- How you doing?
- All right.
You doing all right?
That's good.
I been doing all right.
- But my hand still hurts.
- Your hand still hurts?
- Yeah.
- Did you ever find out
if it was broke or not?
No, I ain't found out.
It... I can move it.
- But...
- Well, if you can
move it, it's not broke.
( stutters )
It just... it hurts.
Well, if you can move it,
it's not broke.
It's gonna hurt for a while
'cause you bruised it
pretty good.
You just gotta learn not
to hit them walls.
Hit somebody else.
- Jack his jaw.
- Yeah.
There wasn't nobody
in my room to hit.
- Oh, okay. ( chuckles )
- So I just hit the...
- Well...
- I didn't hit the wall,
I hit the commode.
- Hit the commode?
- Yeah, I hit it on the side.
- Well, you can sure...
- Didn't even put a dent
in it, either.
- ( laughs )
- That must be
a hard commode, man.
I heard that.
What time
y'all gonna come up?
- I don't know.
- Y'all can come up anytime
'cause y'all be
in here with me.
Jessie Sr.:
Well, uh, we'll see
you Saturday.
( clock ticking )
( car approaching )
David Burnett:
They're gonna have to go
through the metal detector
when you come
through the front door.
Every... I want everybody
to do that.
They've got
that portable thing
that they can bring
from Little Rock,
if you need it.
Like the airport deal.
But we couldn't afford
no $3,000 metal detector,
so what I planned on doing
was using two portables
at this door.
That's why I want all...
everybody outside of lawyers,
and I want them
to come through this door.
Yeah, there's
a potential problem area
with the... the...
the strong feelings
of the family,
and that's
to be understood,
so security, not only coming
in and out of the courtroom
( stutters ) is a problem,
but, uh, keeping
the onlookers and the family,
( stutters ) and people
segregated from...
from the... the accused
is another problem
that you'll...
you'll have, Darwin.
My intention was to bring
this boy in before...
long before court,
and have him inside.
Stidham:
Obviously, I'm very
concerned about security,
simply because
the death threats
and other things
that have happened,
but I don't wanna give
the jury the impression,
if we have 20 state troopers
and 50 county deputies,
and... and it's gonna give
the impression to the jury
that my client
is a very dangerous person,
which he's not.
And I don't want
the jury to... to get
the wrong impression,
I don't want there to be
such a circus
in the courtroom
with reporters and cameras,
that the jury forgets
about what they're here for,
and that is
to administer justice.
John Fogelman:
We expect the proof's
going to show that
this defendant confessed,
that he was not
coerced, um...
The... we do not contend
that the proof's going to show
that every word that came out
of his mouth was the truth.
Ladies and gentlemen
of the jury,
this statement
that Mr. Misskelley gave
the West Memphis
Police Department
is a false story.
The interrogation techniques
that were deployed against
Mr. Misskelley
at the time of his statement
on June the 3rd
rendered him
completely incapable.
It... it broke his will.
They scared him
beyond all measures.
The proof is going to show
that this defendant
was an accomplice
to Damien Echols
and Jason Baldwin
in the commission of these
horrifying murders,
and we will ask you
to return
your verdict of guilty
on three counts
of capital m*rder.
( children yelling,
dog barking )
Lee Rush:
We don't know
what the truth is,
but when it really
gets down to brass tacks...
his daddy and I are gonna look
him square in the eyes
and say, "Son, did you do this?
Did... was you even there?"
That's when
we will believe.
Well, if he told me
he did it...
which I don't believe he did,
but if he told me he did it...
he'd have
to do his time.
Suffer the consequences.
If he admits to this,
he would be strictly
on his own.
We wouldn't even
send him a dollar
for a pack of cigarettes.
- No. No, you're wrong there.
- Yes, we would.
- No, I would.
- No.
He's my son!
I'll send him money.
But he will have
to do his time.
This is...
I wouldn't give him
a nickel.
- He's my son.
- Now, we could be
talking about...
- He's my flesh and blood.
- We could be talking
about my son.
Well?
If my son did something
that horrible, that...
no, I wouldn't give him
a nickel.
- Let him suffer.
- You can't turn
your blood away.
I don't know how
you say you could,
and we're gonna have
a problem over this.
But I know how it is
being up there in jail
without anything.
( chuckles )
Well, that's beside
the point.
If he... if he's guilty...
if he's guilty
of doing this
to these little boys...
- No.
- Well, he's not.
Well, I'm saying
he's not, too, but...
if he happens to be...
if it's proven... no.
Forget it, no.
No.
But I don't
believe he did it.
I'll never
believe he did it.
This is to Jessie Jr.,
today's his 18th birthday,
and I haven't seen him,
I don't know
where to go see him at,
and we'll sing
"Happy Birthday" to him.
All:
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday,
dear Jessie
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday,
dear Jessie
Happy birthday to you.
- And don't smoke too much.
- ( laughing )
Woman:
Now he's legal
to get them, ain't he?
Jessie Sr.:
Yeah, he's legal
to smoke now.
( laughing )
Shelby Misskelley:
I may not be
his biological mother,
but giving birth
don't make a parent.
And I've had him
since he was four.
And... it took me
about a year
to assure that little boy
I was gonna be here for him.
He wouldn't wanna go
to school.
He wouldn't wanna go
outside and play
because he afraid
I wouldn't be here when...
when he come in.
And when he was in kindergarten
if he happened to come in
and I happened to not be
where he could see me
when he first come in,
he'd be hysterical
when I got to him.
And... I've always
known that...
he was...
he had a problem.
And I... I've always been
real protective of him.
Mom sent me this one.
"There are
all sorts of sons.
Sons can be slouchy,
sons can be sweet.
Sons can be grouchy."
It says, "Sons can be neat.
Sons can be broke,
sons can be well-to-do.
But no son could ever be loved
more than you."
And it says,
"Happy Birthday."
I cry a lot
when I'm in here
'cause I miss my family
and everything and...
and I just cry a lot,
you know?
After that I go to bed,
try to sleep.
Alice Sanders:
My name is Alice Sanders,
my son
was Antonio Sanders,
and he got k*lled
Halloween night 1990.
Brenda McLean:
My name is Brenda McLean,
and my brother
was stabbed to death.
I'm Brenda East,
and my son Robert,
23 at the time,
was m*rder*d in 1990.
My name's Ann Marlin.
My daughter was
Sheila Elron Dixon.
She was m*rder*d
January the 12th of '91.
I'm Wanda Raymond.
My daughter was
m*rder*d June the 27th,
we think,
we're not sure.
They're calling it
a crime of passion.
He not only
throwed her out
and let her
lay two weeks,
he poured acid on her
to deteriorate her body.
I didn't have
the pleasure of...
telling my daughter good-bye.
Funeral was
a closed casket.
This is what
I had on the casket,
and it's still
very unreal to me.
When the telephone rings
I expect it to be her.
My name's Todd Moore.
My son was Michael Moore.
He was m*rder*d along with...
Christopher Byers
and Steven Branch,
May 5th, 1993.
I cannot describe
the pain...
that my family
has went through.
You know, they didn't just
k*ll my son, they k*lled
part of me.
They k*lled
a part of my wife,
our daughter.
I'm so frustrated
because it seems like
they have
so much rights.
We have no rights.
Like, it had
in the paper
the other day,
now taxpayers
of Crittenden County
are gonna have
to buy them a suit,
because they don't want
them to go into court
looking like
what they are, criminals.
They're in jail.
They should wear
jail clothes.
Why do they
need to have
a nice suit
bought by the county
so they look presentable?
They don't want them
in shackles and chains.
You know, these are not
boys that m*rder*d our kids.
You know,
they stopped being boys,
you know,
when they planned this.
And, I hear...
I sit there and watch
their parents and stuff
coming out
of court crying,
talking about
their son's rights.
What about
our son's rights?
Where in the hell
was his rights out
on that ditch bank?
He had no rights.
He had the rights
to be brutally m*rder*d.
Be beat to death,
a 8-year-old little boy.
Where was his rights?
Diane:
I'm Diane Moore,
Michael Moore's mother.
Last week
in... in Flash Market,
the Echols man was
in there, staring me down.
Like it was my fault
that I had a child
that his child
could m*rder.
We set in that big store,
we seen the people
that are supporting
these people,
that look at us
like we're scum,
and these other people
are just...
the greatest thing
that they've ever known.
And now they wanna to have
them all just dressed up,
and act like
little choirboys
in court and...
Here you go,
he didn't do
anything wrong.
My son didn't
do anything wrong,
he's just a boy.
Fogelman:
Now on June the 3rd,
did you have
a... an assignment to locate
a particular person?
My assignment was to contact
Jessie Misskelley, Jr.
At that time was
the defendant a suspect?
- No, sir.
- If he was not a suspect
why were you assigned
to contact him?
He was a...
a friend with...
friends with Damien Echols
and Jason Baldwin.
What if anything
did he tell you, uh...
during this conversation
before the tape recording?
Okay, he had told us that
he had attended some
satanic-cult-type meetings,
that boys
along with girls
would attend.
There would be
sessions of sex,
orgies as he called them.
Uh, that dogs
and animals had
been k*lled,
and in fact
those animals...
portions of them had
been eaten by the members.
John:
I believe as there's
angels on Earth,
I believe there's
demons on Earth.
And I believe as angels
try to help people,
I believe demons
try to possess
and hurt people
to do the devil's will.
Just how angels try
to help people to do
God's will.
( organ playing )
Man:
O, worship the king
Of glorious above
And gratefully sing
His wonderful love
Our children...
Man #2:
At this time Mark
is gonna sing a song
entitled
"Whatever It Takes,"
a beautiful song.
Y'all listen to him
as he comes and shares.
Mark?
John:
I believe the Lord's
gonna direct me,
guide me, and lead me.
And we're gonna give
the glory to Him.
( music playing )
There's a voice
Calling me
From an old rugged tree
And it whispers
"Draw closer
To Me
Leave this world
Far behind
There are no lights
To blind
And a new place
That may you
Will find"
For whatever
It takes
To draw closer
To You, Lord
That's what
I'll be willing
To do
For whatever
It takes
To be more
Like You
That's what
I'll be willing
To do
I'll take sunshine...
There's no doubt
in your mind
that at about 5:30 pm,
Jessie was sitting...
He was sitting
right down here.
I had seen the police
over there twice.
I'd also seen
little Jessie over there,
and they had talked to him,
and he was talking to me.
- Police officer
talked to him?
- Yes, sir.
They had to find
somebody to pin this on.
This publicity
was getting out of hand.
Stidham:
Could you ask
those folks inside
to step out
for just a second?
Um, I know that
I've talked to...
to each of you,
if not directly,
indirectly.
We need to be very,
very careful about
who we talk to
with regard to the media
involved in this case.
There are several members
of the media
who apparently
have no ethics,
and have decided that
they're gonna do everything
they can to dig up
mud and sling mud.
It's not gonna do
anything but hurt Jessie
and his chances
of receiving a fair trial.
You as... as friends
of Jessie and relatives
of Jessie,
are prime targets
for these members
of the press,
and if we just remember
the one rule is,
don't talk to anybody
and then we won't have
to worry about it.
Does that make sense?
So, again I caution you
not to talk to anybody
in the press,
'cause it's just
gonna hurt us. Thanks.
Grace
For my will
To break
That's what
I'll be willing
To do
That's what
I'll be willing
To do.
Man:
Amen.
John:
Eat it up.
You know, one thing I like
about this right here
black powder g*n...
is they can't pull any type
of ballistics on it.
If by some chance you was
to sh**t something with it,
every b*llet r*fles
through the chamber
just a little bit different.
So, they just can't pull
no ballistics off this.
There's a few people
I wouldn't mind going on
sh**ting with it, but...
hopefully the courts
and the justice system
take care of them, but...
they reach prison,
they gonna get took care of.
I told Todd I could save
the state a lot of money.
If they'd just let me line
them three son of a g*ns up.
I'd say,
"This one here's
for you, Jessie."
We gonna go
for the jug of water.
( g*nsh*t )
Oh, Jessie, I done blowed
- you half in two, son.
- ( Todd chuckles )
( g*n clicking )
Now this one here's
for you, Damien.
You that black circle
right in the middle.
( g*nsh*t )
- Oh, you've got hurt.
- ( Todd chuckles )
Damn. That sure
looked painful, didn't it?
Yeah, hey, Jason?
I want you to smile
and blow me a kiss
for this one.
Now let's go
back to Jessie.
I just wounded him,
I want him to bleed a little bit
like he made my baby bleed.
Oh, Jessie.
You know, that breaks my heart
thinking about that scum.
'Cause this right here's
all that needs to be done
to him,
just shot slowly.
With a real nice firearm,
and it ain't got
no consideration
or no feeling
of who it's aiming at,
just like they didn't care
about k*lling my baby.
I'd be happy
lining them up.
I wouldn't have had
no problem with it.
I think old Jessie's
still kicking a little.
Y'all go ahead
and put him out
of his misery.
What kind of...
what kind of range
we got in the courtroom?
Ah, probably about
10-foot right here.
Go ahead and waste
old Jessie.
I don't see that
to being much
of a problem.
No.
'Cause I can
just see the scum.
That's good.
Go ahead,
he's wiggling.
All right.
Oh, I could live with that.
( g*nshots )
( thuds )
Fogelman: During the course
of these conversations,
was anything shown
to the defendant?
- Yes, sir.
- All right, and what
was shown to him?
Okay, there was a picture
that Inspector Gitchell
showed him.
Okay. And what was
that picture of?
One of the victims.
When I showed Jessie
this photograph,
he... he took it into his hand,
and he just...
he just went back
in his chair like this.
And... and he just
locked in on it,
fixed in
on the photograph
and just kept
staring at it
and staring at it.
Initially, Mr. Misskelley
denied any involvement
- whatsoever in this,
didn't he?
- Yes, sir, he did.
Officer Ridge,
the photograph that was
just introduced into evidence
depicting one
of the boys' bodies,
- that was shown to Jessie?
- Yes, sir.
And this was
immediately prior
to him admitting
and telling you
this story about
being present
when the boys
were k*lled?
Shortly before, yes, sir.
Why did you guys do that?
There had to be
a reason to do that.
There are times
when Jessie would not
be talking,
he's... he's getting slower
with information, he's...
he's telling us
things that are just...
it's over and over
the same thing.
Those techniques are used
to evoke a response.
You and Inspector Gitchell
did these things
to invoke a response.
- Yes, sir.
- Invoke a confession.
Invoke a response
to keep him talking.
Did it ever
occur to you
that Mr. Misskelley
has a mental handicap?
No, sir, it didn't to me
on that day.
Do you have any
special training
- dealing with people
with mental handicaps?
- No, sir.
Did it ever occur
to you that...
that this was
gonna scare him,
showing a picture
of a body?
( sighs )
That it would scare him?
I don't know,
I... I guess he's scared
into making a statement,
yes, sir.
Misskelley:
I... I'm getting
nervous every day.
- Why?
- Why?
- Oh.
- Why?
- Okay.
- That's a stupid question.
- Okay.
- Boy, I can barely
hold this phone.
Boy, it's...
it's getting closer
and closer and closer.
- I know.
- I ju... I don't wanna even
think about it.
I can imagine what
they gonna go to me.
I can imagine.
But I'm not gonna think
that, though.
Think good thoughts, okay,
while I'm on the phone.
Huh?
Talk... talk about
something good
while I'm on the phone.
- Hey!
- Yeah?
You're supposed
to be talking to me,
not your friends.
Well, he's talking about
something else.
These people
make me mad.
- You know it?
- Uh-huh.
They... they get to go out
and screw people,
and I can't.
Oh.
( chuckles )
Well, y'all do.
But I can't do that.
- Well, you will later.
- I will later?
- Mm-hmm.
- How do you know?
- I mean, if I can get out
we will...
- I know that.
...but if I don't get out,
we won't.
What I was gonna ask you,
that last... that Sunday.
- Uh-huh.
- That I had...
- I dreamed about you.
- Uh-huh.
You won't believe
what I was dreaming.
( stutters )
It freaked me out.
Wanna hear it? Huh?
- Yeah.
- We was...
- we was having sex,
all right?
- Okay.
We went to...
we went to a bathroom,
we had sex.
We... when I was going
somewhere going...
going out the front door,
we had sex right there.
We done it out in the yard,
in front of everybody,
and it freaked me out.
I woke up, boy,
I was sweating bad.
Man, I hope that dream
come true quick.
What are you gonna do
when you get off the phone?
- Sneak back home.
- Go back home?
- Uh-huh.
- I'm gonna go back home, too,
when I get off the phone.
- I wish you could.
- Huh?
- I wish you could.
- Yeah.
- Well, my time's up, okay?
- Okay.
- I gotta go, okay?
- Okay.
- Love you.
- I love you, too.
- Bye-bye.
- ( phone clicks )
( Christmas music playing )
Can you get it
in there all?
Yeah.
( clicks )
( sniffling )
( clicks )
I think those two
oughta do fine.
Yeah, I'm sure
they will, babe.
Yeah, this one's good,
this one came out.
Okay.
( sighs )
John:
Big difference
from any other Christmas.
Be one we'll never forget.
Byers:
Yeah, I know,
it's the first one
without him.
( sighs )
Wish you could've been here
to hear me sing lately.
He liked
to hear me sing.
( sniffles )
Well, I think
his little Christmas tree,
it'll stay there real well.
It's in there
tight enough.
I don't think
the wind will blow it
over or anything.
Come here and kneel
down here by me.
Oh, God, why did
you let this happen?
Please help us through it.
God, please
help us through this.
Ridge:
This is a enlarged photograph
of the crime scene.
This is the ditch where
the bodies were found.
Michael Moore was found
in this area right here
at the bottom
of the screen.
Steve Branch
was found just...
just behind where these trees
are in the stream.
And Christopher Byers
was found just below
that body right here.
This is Exhibit 22,
- which is the body
of Michael Moore...
- ( woman gasps )
...after removing him
from the water,
the way he was found.
This is the body
of Steve Branch.
Steve Branch is the young man
that had the...
the injuries
to his face.
Fogelman:
Is it a particular part
of his face?
Ridge:
On the left side
and down here.
State's Exhibit 24,
the body
of Christopher Byers.
And what kind of injuries
did Chris Byers have,
that you observed?
It looked as though
his p*nis had been removed.
( crying )
( cameras snapping )
Could you see the pictures
from where you were sitting?
Yeah, that's why
I had to leave.
- Why?
- Because al...
always along with
seeing my little boy
the way he was,
I'll always have
that picture of what
he looked like...
in my mind.
But you never
knew until now.
You were worried
early on that, that...
and you said
early on, that you really
didn't wanna know,
but now
you're hearing it.
Is it a lot harder
than what you thought
it was going to be,
to hear this?
It's a whole lot harder
than I thought it would be.
It's like going back
to May 5th
and reliving it
all over again.
( tape recorder clicks )
Stidham:
Inspector Gitchell,
let's talk about
the things that...
that Jessie told you
that are just
absolutely incorrect.
Now, on page nine
of his statement,
Inspector Gitchell,
Jessie says
that the murders
took place around noon.
How did you know
that was incorrect?
Because the boys were...
the young boys were
still in school.
Did at any time
when he was telling you
these things that
you knew were incorrect,
did it ever occur
to you that what he was
telling you was false?
His entire story was false?
In Jessie's case,
I feel like he did tell us
a good bit of the truth,
but then they also lessen
their activity in a statement.
That's just common.
At least
in my 20 years' career...
Is it common for the police
to simply ignore
these big obvious problems
and just assume that if
everything else that
he's telling you
has gotta be correct?
Jessie simply got confused.
Stidham:
You and I can
tell the cops
that we know what
our rights are and, uh,
basically go to hell.
We're not gonna sit here
and take this and walk out.
Jessie Misskelley has
no concept of being able
to leave a police station.
I mean, the only thing that
the prosecution has...
has put on against
Jessie is this
wild story
that he told the police.
And I hope that
the fact that there's
no physical evidence
linking him
to the crime scene
is... is gonna have
a lot of impact
on the jury.
And we're talking about
reasonable doubt, uh...
But... but I think you need
to deal with the lack
of physical evidence.
Not just... not... not
to just let them get away
with the fact
that they were in the water
and it all washed away.
A crime scene that clean
has to be
purposefully planned...
done that way, okay?
( stutters ) The fact
that it looked washed down
was not just happenstance.
- Right, okay.
- Okay? ( stuttering )
That is probably something
like you said we can, maybe...
( stutters )
Somebody intentionally,
purposefully...
with great cunning
and intelligence...
tried to get a...
get rid of...
every spot of blood,
semen, mud, footprint...
anything that may
have been there,
they purposefully tried
to get rid of all that.
An 18, a 17,
and a 16-year-old kid
don't pull
this off, no.
Lot of... I think
there's a lot of
professional K*llers who
don't leave it this clean,
you know?
I really do believe
that if
the jury hears
what lust
serial K*llers are like,
and what they do,
and how they leave
crime scenes...
with the missing evidence,
the souvenirs.
I have no doubt where
there's a serial k*ller
running around that...
that did these murders.
I have no doubt, hell,
he may be in Idaho
now but, I mean,
I'm... I don't have
any doubt about it,
you know?
You know, it is somebody
who knew what they were doing,
had done it before,
and probably has done it
since then or...
or will definitely
do it again.
Are you aware
of any personality traits
of people who are likely
to possibly confess?
Low IQ.
Highly suggestible.
Always attempting to solve
the immediate stress factor.
Get the interrogators
off my back
and just
let me go home.
Naively assumes that
they can all straighten it
out later on.
It's extremely difficult
for the average person
to believe...
that someone would confess
to a crime they didn't do.
And what I didn't like
about this confession
is that
most of it emanated from
questions right off the bat,
without... without
any narrative of any...
any length at all.
Without any descriptions
about feelings,
or conversations or anything.
I... I just don't understand
if he was in fact
involved in this crime,
how he made a mistake
on the time factor.
And the thing that really
bothers me is the ligature...
what was used
to tie up the... the victims.
Now, he certainly knows
the difference between, uh,
shoelaces and a rope.
That should have been a...
a signal that something
was radically wrong.
That's when the questions
should have been more probing
to determine whether or not
he was making it up
or giving
a valid confession.
Fogelman:
Out of the hundred or more
people that y'all talked to,
are you aware of anybody
other than the defendant
who told you
one of the victims
that had
their genitals removed,
and one of them had cuts
to the side of the face,
and there'd been some
grabbing of the ears?
Uh, there was
no one else
that mentioned
those particular injuries,
and you yourself,
Mr. Fogelman,
you're pointing
to the wrong side
of the cheek.
- Oh.
- ( all laughing )
Was there any kind
of emotional response?
He had tears
coming down his eyes.
Right. Had y'all
yelled at him,
or been mean
to him or...
- No, sir.
- ...threatened him,
or promised him anything?
Done any of those things?
None of those things
happened whatsoever.
All right.
( squawking )
( signal crossing honking,
clanging )
Dr. Ofshe,
could you give us
some examples of...
of the police being coercive,
leading or suggestive
during the course
- of the interrogation?
- Ofshe: Yes, I can.
Perhaps the most
powerful example,
in my opinion,
is the example
of the eight revisiting
of the question
of the time at which
the killings occurred.
The first example
occurs on page three.
Detective Ridge says,
"All right, when did you
go with them?"
Mr. Misskelley says,
"That morning."
Detective Ridge asks,
"I'm not saying
when they called you,
I'm saying what time
was it that you were
actually there
in the park."
Mr. Misskelley says,
"About noon."
Detective Ridge now says,
"Okay, was it after school
had let out?"
This is immediately after
Jessie saying it's at noon.
He's now suggesting
it must be later
by saying is it
after school let out.
Jessie says, "Yes."
Detective Ridge follows up
with his victory
on page 24.
And this time
Detective Ridge says,
and I quote,
"Okay, the night
you were in the woods,
had you all been
in the water?"
Jessie replies,
"Yeah, we've been
in the water.
We were in it
that night playing
around in it."
This is the first time
in the record
that it is directly
suggested to Jessie
that the correct answer
is this happened at night.
Immediately upon
that being suggested,
Jessie is...
responds by accepting,
and now he starts
to use the word at night,
where he had
never used it before.
That is
an influence tactic.
It is a way
of getting someone
to accept something
out of pressure
and out of suggestion.
But that's one example.
There are
many other examples
of manipulation
on important points
throughout this record.
Brent Davis:
Mr. Ofshe,
is your going rate
approximately $300 an hour?
- No, that's not.
- What is it?
My rate is $150 an hour
for consultation,
and $300 an hour
for time spent
in court
or in deposition.
So, if you're
initially asked
to evaluate a case,
you don't get
the... the $300 an hour
unless you
give an opinion
that's consistent
with what the person
asked you wants to hear.
If they don't call
you as a witness,
you don't get
your $300 an hour, correct?
Incorrect.
I don't know what
the terminology
is in Berkeley, California,
but when the defendant
identified who it was
who was castrated,
when he indicated
that one of the boys
was cut in the face,
you don't know,
and you can't
give an opinion
that any of those questions
were coercive
in nature, can you?
No, I can't,
because the record
that we are dealing with
is very incomplete
because this part
of the record is preceded,
as everyone agrees,
by over two hours
of interrogation
in which many subjects
were discussed,
for which
we have no record.
( music playing )
( music continues )
Welcome to where
time stands still
No one leaves
and no one will
Moon is full,
never seems to change
Just
labeled mentally...
( police siren )
( radio chatter )
...freedom
in my sight
No locked doors,
no windows to find
No things to make
my brain seemed scarred
Sleep, my friend,
and you will see
The dream
is my reality
They keep me locked up
in this cage
Can't they see it's why
my brain says rage?
Sanitarium.
Stidham:
Jessie Misskelley
didn't tell
the police anything
that they didn't
already know.
They led him through
this entire taped statement,
and ladies and gentlemen
of the jury,
we don't know
what happened
before they turned
the tape recorder on.
They didn't videotape it.
The officers didn't take notes
on all the questions,
they testified to that.
They even testified
they couldn't remember some
of the things they asked him.
How do we know
what really happened?
The defense,
through bringing in
so-called experts
such as Mr. Ofshe,
have tried through
smoke and mirrors
to make it sound like
a person that confesses
to such a heinous crime
and admits
their involvement
and gives you specific details
in the involvement,
that's indicative
of someone who was forced
or coerced to confess.
Ladies and gentlemen
of the jury,
my client,
little Jessie Misskelley,
is an innocent man.
He's innocent.
And I would ask you
to go back to that jury room
and bring back a verdict
that rings of justice.
Truth and justice.
And I would ask you
to bring back a verdict
that you can live with
for the rest of your life.
Davis:
See this picture?
This is...
this is
the Moore boy.
This defendant
won't look up,
he won't look at you.
But this
defendant's actions,
and you just
think about it.
If this defendant
does not chase down
Michael Moore...
if he does not
run through the woods,
and chase him down,
and bring him back...
Michael Moore lives.
Michael Moore
gets to go home at night,
his parents get
to be with him.
But because of this
defendant's actions,
because of what
Jessie Misskelley. Jr. did,
Michael Moore's dead,
Stevie Branch is dead,
Chris Byers is dead,
and there's no
getting around it.
I think when
you go back,
and you apply
your common sense,
and you do
what's right,
and you think about
the evidence in this case,
you're gonna know
that what the evidence shows
is that this defendant
ran down
Michael Moore.
That this defendant
was there.
He was involved,
and he's guilty
of three counts
of capital m*rder.
Three, two, one.
The jury went out
at 4:20 this afternoon.
They'll decide
if Jessie Misskelley is guilty
in the deaths
of Christopher Byers,
Michael Moore,
and Steven Branch.
Misskelley is charged
with capital m*rder,
and if guilty, could get
the death penalty.
Two other teenagers
charged in the crime
will be tried later
this month in Jonesboro.
In Corning,
Wade Hoffman, ARN News.
Short, but sweet.
Shelby:
I'm gonna go
get you something
to twitch your nose,
and make them come back
with a not-guilty verdict,
can't you?
If I could twitch my nose
and do that,
- I'd have been gone
a long time ago.
- We've been praying to God.
Just bow your head.
- There's still hope.
- That's right.
Misskelley:
I'm not giving up, though.
All:
No, no, no, no, no.
Don't ever.
Don't give up...
and don't get in there
and get mad and go off.
There's always hope.
They tell me,
"How come he always
keeps his head down?"
Because I was told
to keep my head down.
- That's right.
- That's right.
Shelby:
If you'd raised up
and looked around,
then they would be saying
something else,
- so it really don't matter.
- Don't let it bother you.
- They're gonna...
they're gonna...
- ( coughs )
That's like
they're saying about Damien.
- On which station?
- They making remarks...
- Damien's a good kid.
- That's what it was...
- I guess, I don't know...
- Shelby: I don't know Damien.
I didn't realize how much
I loved him until this.
- I always loved him,
but this is just...
- Well, thanks a lot!
I mean, no,
I always loved you,
I'm just saying
I didn't realize how much.
You're coming home.
Gotta get out of here.
Just say a prayer
when the jury comes out.
You're fine.
Oh, I will.
I'll say one right now.
'Cause we'll be sitting there
saying one for you.
Hopefully
I'm going home tonight.
We sure hope so.
We hope we can carry you home.
( chatter )
It's getting
kind of hard with you guys...
( both chattering )
- ( mumbles )
- But you got it?
You wanted the controller.
Burnett:
All right, ladies
and gentlemen, I... I...
in the audience,
I am acutely aware
that your feelings
are on edge,
that there's a great deal
of emotion involved,
but the court
cannot tolerate,
and will not tolerate
any verbal outburst,
any display
of emotion whatsoever.
And I... I recognize that
that's difficult,
and that's why
I'm warning you in advance.
The verdicts
read as follows.
"We the jury find
Jessie Lloyd Misskelley, Jr.
guilty of first-degree m*rder
in the death
of Michael Moore.
We the jury find
Jesse Lloyd Misskelley, Jr.
guilty
of second-degree m*rder
in the death
of Stevie Branch.
We the jury find
Jessie Lloyd Misskelley, Jr.
guilty
of second-degree m*rder
in the death of Chris Byers.
Signed by
T.J. Williams, foreman.
All right, Mr. Misskelley,
if you could
come around
to the front here,
and Dan, and...
All right,
Mr. Misskelley,
did you hear the...
the jury's finding,
and the reading
of the verdict
in your case?
Misskelley:
Yes, sir.
Do you have
any legal reason
or cause
to tell the court
why sentence should not
be imposed at this time?
( mumbles )
You'll have to an...
I heard you,
but you need to answer out
a little bit louder.
- No, sir.
- All right.
Um, is there
anything you wanna say
before sentence is imposed?
You have a right
to... to make any statement
that you care to
at this time.
No, sir.
Are you satisfied with
the service and advice
of your attorneys
through this trial?
- Yes, sir.
- All right.
All right, based upon
the jury's verdict
finding you guilty
of first-degree m*rder
in the death
of Michael Moore,
you'll be sentenced
to the Arkansas Department
of Corrections
for a term of life.
In the count
involving the death
of Steven Branch,
the jury having
found you guilty
of second-degree m*rder,
you'll be sentenced
to an additional term
of 20 years.
And in regard to the death
of Christopher Byers,
the jury having
found you guilty
of second-degree m*rder,
you'll be sentenced
to an additional term
of 20 years
in the Arkansas Department
of Corrections.
That is
you will receive
a life sentence
plus 40 years.
It's hard
to think of if how...
it would have gone
any other way
but you never
can tell with
a jury of 12,
and they could have
found a verdict
of not guilty,
and, uh, we had to sit there
and tell ourselves,
"God, grant us the serenity
to accept the things
we cannot change,
the courage to change
the things we can,
and the wisdom
to know the difference."
So, we had
to be willing to accept
what happened,
and thankfully
the verdict went our way.
Well, listen, there must
be mixed emotions
because you have
the guilty verdict,
but you...
you still have
the loss to deal with.
This doesn't
change anything.
- John: Our son was
still m*rder*d...
- Christopher's dead.
- Our son is still dead.
- And he was tortured
to death
by three
murdering b*stards
on a ditch bank.
He was
eight years old.
And guilty is guilty,
and I hope
the little sucker,
when he hits Cummins,
they get his a*s
right off the bat!
Because he deserves
to be tortured
and punished
for the rest of his life
for murdering three
eight-year-old children!
Man:
Jessie, how come you kept
your head down
the whole time?
Woman:
Jessie, you held
your head down
through most of the trial.
Anything you wanna say now?
Man:
Did you do it, Jessie?
( indistinct questions )
Say, get that back,
get a hold of him.
Woman #2:
Did you do it, Jessie?
Woman:
Jessie, do you have
anything to say?
- No.
- How are you feeling
right now?
Man:
Jessie, what did you say?
Nope.
( engine starting )
Prison's not
a safe place.
Jessie, sweetie.
I'm gonna mail him
a skirt.
One down,
two to go.
Hopefully the same thing
will happen to the next two,
and we'll get
the same verdict.
They found my son's testicles
in a jar of alcohol
in Damien Echols' house
with his fingerprints
on the jar.
Now, how do you
dispute that?
Some idiot started
a rumor saying that
they found, um...
children's sexual parts
under my bed
or in my house, and...
There was no body parts
in my house or...
It's just... I think maybe
the police had something
to do with it, just...
'cause how... if they can
make us look bad in front
of the public
then people
are gonna kind of have
their minds made up
before anything
ever comes out.
What we want to talk to you
about is all the stuff
in the paper
about a deal with Jessie.
We... right now
we don't know
what his situation is,
although we think that
he is more inclined
to testify
right now than
he has been at any point
up to now.
The Friday that
Jessie was convicted,
they questioned him.
The officers
who took him down
inquired of him
what had really happened,
and apparently Jessie,
contrary to somebody that
was innocent that would say
things like,
"Gee, I've just been
convicted
and I didn't do it
and what
a terrible injustice."
Jessie talked
all the way down there
about how
he committed the crime
in specific details.
Unfortunately,
we need his testimony
real bad.
If it was
a perfect world,
you know, we would take
what we have on Jessie
and leave it,
and we'd go
and get the other two.
And get them and be happy,
but it's not.
And, uh... we need
his testimony to be sure
we get convictions
on the other two.
I think we're gonna negotiate
his sentence down some
in order to get him
to testify.
He's not gonna,
you know, testify
just out of the goodness
of his heart.
The only way
that I think that
he will be
willing to testify
is if the life sentence
is removed.
Now, I do wanna say
all is not lost
if he doesn't testify,
but the odds
are reduced significantly.
Uh, we've still got
some evidence.
What we've got,
besides Jessie...
( clears throat )
is we've got a...
a fiber that was
found on, um...
it was found
on Stevie's shirt,
that matched a fiber
from Jason Baldwin's mother,
which is called
secondary transfer.
We've got a fiber
from a... a shirt...
or a couple of fibers
from a shirt
found at Echols' house,
found, um...
one of them was on,
like, the Cub Scout...
Michael's Cub Scout cap,
another one
maybe on the shirt,
that matched Damien's.
Fiber evidence it's...
it's... in my opinion,
it's better than
hair evidence,
but they can't say
that it came from that
particular garment
to the exclusion
of all others.
We've got
the Hollingsworth clan
that says
they saw Damien
and Domini out
on the service road.
We've got some, um...
kids that say
that Damien at a...
they heard him
at a girls' softball game,
overheard him say
that he k*lled
the three boys,
and that he was gonna k*ll
two more before
he turned himself in.
- And...
- Man: They haven't
scared them off yet
like they did
the other ones?
- Well, no, not yet.
- ( Davis mumbles )
- ( woman coughs )
- And we've got
a guy that was
in jail with Jason,
who says that Jason made
some incriminating statements
to him.
Now, there are some things
that they will...
are gonna try
to do to attack
this kid's credibility,
but, um... oh, and then
we got the knife
that was found
in a lake
behind Jason's house.
So, that's what we've got
but that's all,
basically
that we've got.
And you asked what
the odds were
of convicting
them without Jessie,
and it's, you know,
50-50 might be...
might be good.
Paul Ford:
The only way
he'll come up there,
and sit down
in that witness chair
and testify is if they
cut him a sweet deal.
You take
all the things
that are wrong
with his statement,
and then add to the...
add to that recipe mix,
that, "I'm talking now
because I got a sweet deal,
and I'm not gonna...
I'm gonna get out
in 10 years."
Hypothetical. "I may get out
in 10 years."
Well, heck yeah,
who wouldn't sing?
You know what I'm saying?
So he... then he...
then his evidence,
his statement,
his whole thing looks bad,
and that's... if that's
their best evidence,
and trust me it is,
if they can't use
that statement against you,
they got nothing.
And this dog
and pony show is over.
Good morning.
How you doing?
- Man: Morning.
- Good morning.
Man #2:
Are the rumors false
about Jessie
- turning state's evidence?
- Yes.
- Good morning.
- Is it true that Jessie's
going to testify
against Damien and Jason?
It's false.
I just left
Jessie at the jail,
and he told me
that he was not
gonna testify.
He didn't wanna
get up there and lie,
uh, that the officers
have been working on him
real hard, but, uh,
but he wasn't gonna listen
to them and this was...
his decision was final.
But he can always
change his mind again.
I... you know, he has.
He's a very confused
and scared kid, and...
and the officers
have scared him to death.
Shelby:
Yeah, they have.
Well, I told him
last night, I said,
"Jessie, if you
get up there and lie,
I'm gonna be
in that courtroom.
And you're gonna have
to sit there and tell that lie
when you know that
I'm sitting there
listening to you,
when you know
I know the truth
that you are lying."
( cameras clicking )
Woman:
Damien, are you in a cult?
Are you in a cult, Damien?
Man:
Damien, are you worried about
Jessie testifying
against you?
- Not in the least.
- ( clamoring )
Fogelman:
In looking at young people
involved in the occult,
do you see
any particular type of dress?
I have personally
observed people wearing,
black fingernails,
having their hair
painted black,
wearing black T-shirts.
Sometimes
they will tattoo themselves.
Fogelman:
Do you have an opinion
as to whether or not
there are
occult overtones
or evidence
of occult involvement
in these particular murders?
Well, the date
being close to Beltane...
- What is that? All right.
- ...a holiday, May 1st.
Also, the day before
that is Walpurgisnacht.
Then you go into
the fact that some groups
of occult...
cult groups or... or...
will use a full moon.
In several occult books,
they will talk about
the life force of the blood.
Usually
the younger the individual,
the more pure it is,
the more power
or the force it has.
A lot of times
they will take blood,
and store it
for other services
and other use,
as well as consume it
or bathe in it.
Now, the... the items
drawn on the front,
what is that?
That is a... that is
a pentagram.
That happens
to be a Wiccan,
or... or white
witchcraft pentagram.
All right,
now if you would open,
the book to the front page.
- Yes, sir.
- All right.
Now... explain
what that is.
- That's confusion to me.
- All right.
And the reason why we got
a... a white witchcraft...
Wiccan pentagram,
then we have
upside down crosses,
which comes from another type
of occultism.
What type of occultism
- do the upside down
crosses...
- That's black witchcraft.
Is it Wicca,
Satanism, or both?
- Both.
- Okay.
And did you notice
anything in particular,
about the book?
There's a chapter in here
called "Rise of the Devil,"
and, uh...
it is underlined in red,
and there... there's
a couple sentences in there,
reference to, uh, blood,
and its life force.
How... how were you
accepted into enrollment
at Columbia
Pacific University?
I had to fill out a...
and several series of papers
including all my education,
background, experience.
Did you ever fill out
a little flier like this?
- No, sir.
- That says,
"Call toll-free
for information
on how to become a doctor."
This is a mail order college,
isn't it?
What classes
did you take between 1980
and 1982 to obtain
your master's degree?
- What cl...
- What classes?
- I testified...
- I'm asking what classes.
What classes
did you take?
I told you... I answered
that before, none.
You did not take
any classes.
Between 1982
and 1984 when
you became a Ph.D.,
what classes
did you take?
- None.
- None. Okay.
Is it your opinion,
and do you want
to tell this jury...
that these crimes were
motivated by occult beliefs?
Yes.
Hutchison:
We're not trash,
by no means.
My son was born
in West Memphis,
he was raised
in West Memphis,
and for the life of me
I cannot understand
why people has got
this bad image of him.
So what if he wore
a black trench coat.
He's not
the only one that does.
You know, so what
if he wore black T-shirts,
black pants.
Johnny Cash wears black,
doesn't he?
Pam Echols:
Well, I wear black.
Michelle wears black.
- Domini wears black...
- Michelle:...wears black.
( laughs )
It's... we're all just
partial to black, I guess.
I like black myself.
And I'm by no means
no devil worshipper,
nor is he.
He was going to school,
he wanted to go to school
to be a priest.
He was faithful
in the church,
and he looked into
a little bit of Wicca,
but he... he never
went to it,
and I think if people
looked into what...
to what Wicca is,
they would understand it
a little better.
The only thing Wiccans do
is worship the earth.
Echols:
People probably think
that I'm in Satanism because
usually what
people don't understand
they try to destroy.
Or ridicule.
Try to make it
look bad or wrong.
West Memphis
is pretty much like
second Salem, right now.
Because everything
that happens there,
every crime
no matter what it is,
it's blamed on Satanism.
Burnett:
He's been previously sworn.
Val Price:
Yes, sir, that's correct.
Please state your name
for the court.
Damien Wayne Echols.
Why did you
change your name?
I was very involved
in the Catholic church,
and we were going over
different names of the saints.
St. Michael's was where
I went to church in,
and we heard about this guy
from the Hawaiian Is...
Hawaiian Islands,
Father Damien,
that took care of lepers,
until he finally caught
the disease himself and died.
All right, was that
the reason you chose
Damien as
your first name?
- Yes, it is.
- Okay.
Did the choosing
of the name Damien
have anything to do with
any type of horror movies,
Satanism, cultism,
any of that nature?
- Nothing whatsoever.
- Okay.
All right,
after the time period
that you were
really into
the Catholic religion,
did you start
focusing on another
particular religion?
- Wicca.
- Wicca. All right.
Could you explain
to the ladies and gentlemen
of the jury
what... some principles
about the Wicca religion?
Um... it acknowledges
a goddess
in a higher regard
as a god,
because people
have always said
we're all God's children,
and men cannot have children.
Um... it's basically like
a close involvement
with nature.
Is there
a difference between
the Wicca religion
and witchcraft?
Wicca is also
called witchcraft.
The word Wicca
was bastardized,
it originally
meant "wise one."
Did the fact that
you like to wear
all black all the time...
were you different
in... in other ways
as well?
Yes, I've never had
a lot of the same interests
that other people have,
like sports,
things like that.
I've never been
into anything like that.
Okay.
Did it...
did it help you
deal with other people,
to have people kind of
standoffish and sort of
back away from you?
Yeah,
it would make...
It was like
a defense mechanism.
It would make
people think, like,
"Well, he's weird,
I'm not gonna go
around him."
So, it kept people away.
The state had
introduced a book,
Never On
A Broomstick.
Are you familiar
with that particular book?
- Yes, I am.
- All right, were did
you get that book, Damien?
At the library
in Crittenden County.
All the books
that they were
getting tired of
or had for a long time,
I guess,
they all had them
sitting on a rack
out front
that they were selling
for 10 cents each,
so I got it.
All right,
did you underline
any of those portions
in the book?
No, that was done
when I got it.
I think it was
because somebody had
a report to do
or something,
because all during the book
there's, like, little notes,
certain dates and stuff,
like, from the 1600s
in the outside margin.
So, was that book
kind of like a history of...
- of witchcraft,
and how it's developed...
- Yes.
- ...over the ages? Okay.
- Yes.
Are you familiar with
the contents of that notebook?
Yes, I am.
I noticed on the inside
of the front cover there,
- there appears to be a couple
of quotes there...
- Yes.
Could you, uh,
read each of those
to the jury
and then tell them
where that came from?
"Life is but
a walking shadow.
It is a tale
told by an idiot,
full of sound, and fury,
signifying nothing."
That's from
A Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare.
Um, "Pure black
looking clear,
my work is soon done here.
Try getting back from me,
that which used to be."
That is off
a Metallica tape
called Injustice for All.
Talks about how warped
the court systems are
and stuff like that.
On May the 5th,
did you k*ll Michael Moore?
No, I did not.
On May the 5th,
did you k*ll Stevie Branch?
No, I did not.
On May the 5th,
did you k*ll Chris Byers?
No, I did not.
Have you ever
participated in any type
of human sacrifice?
No, I have not.
19-year-old
Damien Echols admits
he stands out in a crowd.
He says he loves
heavy metal music, likes...
( chuckles )
Shorten it a bit.
"Practices
the Wicca religion."
Three, two... one.
19-year-old
Damien Echols says he's...
Three, two... one.
19-year-old
Damien Echols admits
he stands out in a crowd.
He says he likes to wear
black most of the time,
practices
the Wicca religion,
and loves heavy metal music,
but he says he's definitely
not a k*ller.
( car horn blares )
Hobbs:
I believe they did it,
and if they were
to be set free on the street,
then they would have to look
behind their back...
watch behind their back
to see if Pam Hobbs went
and followed them.
Because I'm just saying this
as a human, you know...
I... I would, I believe
I'd try and k*ll them, too,
if they ever walk the street
and I'm still alive.
I believe
I'd be stalking them.
To do to them...
Probably sh**t them
and then cut them up.
Marie Hicks:
When I was down
at the courtroom,
and Damien walked past me,
I wanted to just go over there
and take my hand
and just claw down his face,
inflict any kind of pain
that I can inflict on him.
I know eventually we're going
to have to forgive him,
I know that
and I understand that,
but when it happens
in your home,
and you watch your wife
lose her mind...
you know,
whatever happened to her.
Your home is tore apart,
busted up.
I don't feel
it's fair right now
for someone to ask me
to forgive the ones
that caused it.
( stutters )
It'd take some time,
a long time
before I could forgive them.
Jackie Hicks:
You... you say that
it's gonna take time.
We don't know
how much time we got.
Pam, we wouldn't be able
to see Stevie again.
We have to forgive
in our heart because
the Lord... forgave us.
He forgave us,
He shedded His blood for us.
He shedded
his blood for them.
And... he just...
just asked us to have a...
a... a forgiving spirit.
And I refuse to serve sin
and Satan.
Because I'm gonna see
Stevie again.
I'm gonna be
with Stevie again.
I'm gonna be
with my mother again.
I'm gonna be with her mother,
your grandmother,
both of them.
I'm gonna be
with all of my loved ones
that have passed on
and went to Heaven.
( sobbing )
Man:
If you could speak
to the families
of these... these kids,
who think you did it,
you know,
what would you say to them?
I don't know.
Echols:
Jason was my best friend.
We did
about everything together.
It was kind of like
we even lived together
most of the time,
stayed at each other's houses,
wore each other's clothes.
It was more like
we were brothers.
We used to go out
and snake hunt all the time.
Snakes and music were, like,
about our whole life, really.
We lis...
we were, like, all the time,
looking for new groups
that we would like
or something.
Our favorite kinds of music
were, like,
Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth.
U2.
We'd do just about
everything together.
Davis:
Now I want to draw
your attention
back to August
of last year.
Were you in the Cricket County
Juvenile Detention Facility?
- Yes, I was.
- Okay, and what were you
in there for at the time?
- Burglary.
- Okay.
And when you were there,
was there a Jason Baldwin
in the juvenile
detention facility
at the same time?
- Yes.
- Now, while
you were in contact
with this Jason Baldwin,
was there anything mentioned
about his involvement
in the murders
of three 8-year-olds?
Yes, well,
we was sitting there
playing Spades
and I wanted to get to know
everybody off in there,
'cause I don't know
what you call it,
but I just wanted
to get to know him.
And I just straight out
asked him if he did it.
And he denied it,
the first time.
Okay, did you have
an occasion again
while you were
in the detention facility
to ask him was he involved
in the murders
of the three 8-year-olds?
Yes, I think it was,
like, the next day.
I believe it was
the next day.
And can you tell us
what the scenar...
what was going on,
what was happening
at the time
that occurred?
Well, me and Jason Baldwin
were scraping up the cards,
going ourselves for lunch.
I said, "Just between me
and you, I won't say a word.
Did you do it?"
And he said yes and he went
into detail about it.
You said he went
into more detail.
What did he tell you?
He told me
how he dismembered the kid
or I don't know exactly
how many kids,
so he just said
he dismembered them.
He sucked the blood
from the p*nis
and the scrotum,
and put the ba*ls
in his mouth.
Now, Michael,
when was it
that you came forward
with this information?
I'm not really sure.
I believe it was like
a couple of months later.
Davis:
What caused you
to come forward
at that point in time?
Why... why did
Michael Carson
no longer wanted
to stay uninvolved?
Why didn't you come forward
in February this year?
'Cause I saw
the family on TV,
and saw how brokenhearted
they were about their children
being missing,
and I got a soft heart,
I couldn't take it.
( coughing )
Now, he tells you this
and then you're silent
from August
until February.
- Is that right?
- Yes, sir.
And then
in the second conversation
you've ever had
with this young man
in his entire life,
he tells you all this stuff.
Yes, sir.
After he's had
one conversation with you.
Yes, sir.
Ford:
One day when I was up here
in Jonesboro working
and phone rings,
secretary says,
"You won't know who he is,
but he needs to talk to you."
I pick up the phone, he says,
"I'm Danny Williams,
I'm embarrassed to tell you
what I need to tell you."
He said, "But I work with
the juvenile department here
and I do drug
and alcohol counseling.
And there's a guy
named Michael Carson
who's gonna testify that Jason
confessed to him in the jail,
and I know he's lying."
I said,
"What are you talking about?"
He said, "Well,"
he said, "Several months ago,
Michael Carson
was one of the kids
that I worked with,
and he and I
had a conversation
where I told him
that this Jason Baldwin
had been accused
of k*lling three boys
and sexually mutilating them."
And basically, he gave
Michael Carson the details
that he testified
to at the trial.
At the time,
Carson says nothing.
And then, he later...
Carson later tells him,
he said, "Hey,
by the way, Danny, I've...
I've... telling
the police that, you know,
Jason confessed to me."
And so he calls me up
and says, "Hey, no, no, no."
He said, "This kid's a liar,
he's no good,
I know he's lying.
And the only reason he's got
this information is because
I gave it to him."
The counselor of this kid
called the prosecution
and told them
what a liar he was,
and the prosecution
still used the kid...
- That's right.
- And now they're trying
to keep out the fact...
the background of the kid.
Obviously, we want to get
that information out,
but the judge acts like
he may not let us use him
at all.
We should absolutely
be able to let
that jury know
that he is LSD-dependent
because it does affect
his ability to recall.
You know,
the judge takes us...
takes all that away from us,
yeah, the kid looks
pretty believable.
Not only are they... are they
keeping out the background
of the kid when he testifies
so the jury doesn't have
all the eggs,
but now they're keeping out
the counselor who even knows
about this kid
who told them the story
in the first place
prior to him ever telling
the police.
All that goes
to the credibility.
Wadley:
I think that
would have shown the jury
that he didn't have
quite that kind heart,
that soft heart that
he tried to tell them.
That's right.
Fogelman:
Detective Allen, I want
to direct your attention
to November the 17th, 1993.
Were you asked to, uh,
make contact
with some property owners
at the Lakeshore
Trailer Park
and also get
with the Arkansas
State Police dive team?
Allen:
Yes, sir, I was.
And after a period of time...
( stuttering )
of searching,
do you know whether
any items were recovered?
- Uh, yes, sir.
- All right.
Marked
for identification purposes
is state's exhibit 77,
and I ask
if you can identify that.
Yes, I can identify this
by my, uh...
11/17 of '93, M. Allen,
that I put here.
- Where did you get
the knife?
- I got this knife
from a diver with the...
with the state police.
How long did
this search take place?
- How long?
- Yes, sir.
From memory,
I'm thinking maybe
10:30 am is about the time
they got suited up
and started...
started to look.
And you quit...
you quit at when?
They located the... knife at 11:35 am.
- So, what...
- Or 11:30-11:35.
- So, about an hour.
- About an hour
and a half, yeah.
Are you telling
this jury that this knife
is the m*rder weapon?
Is that what
you're telling this jury?
No, sir, I'm not
telling the jury that.
Okay, now that we're good.
Understand that.
What day were
these individuals charged?
What day did you all
charge Damien Echols
with this crime?
- Was it June the 3rd?
- Yes, sir.
And what day was it
that you were out there
searching this lake?
This was on 11/17 of '93.
November 17 of 1993.
- Yes, sir.
- That's all.
( chatter )
( mumbles )
The damn system stinks.
They're playing
with our lives,
and there's nothing
right about it.
It's kind of like the Nazis,
you know.
They can just
take somebody's word
and come in your house
and take you away.
And basically,
that's what they did
because of what
Jessie told them,
even though it had all
those inconsistencies in it.
If we'd had money,
do you think these three boys
would've been picked up?
They found people that
they knew that didn't
have money,
some boys that been
in a little bit of trouble.
They thought
we didn't care,
but they were wrong.
They're bad wrong.
I don't believe
that chil... that children
could be that cold-blooded
as what happened
to those boys.
Frank J. Peretti:
And state's exhibit 67A
shows the, um...
the hog-tying fashion
on the... the hands
were hog-tied to the feet
behind the back,
and this is the photograph,
um, showing that
the shoelaces.
And that injury, um...
you say is... is typical
of a belt injury.
You know,
the belt has a little buckle,
and that's what
the... the buckle,
that's that little one
that goes back and forth,
left and right,
that's the... the base
of the latch.
( clears throat )
Here, this red area here,
this is the, uh,
the shaft of the p*nis.
And here is where
the scrotal sac
and testes should be,
and they're missing.
So what we have is that
the-the skin overlying the p*nis
and the head of the p*nis
has been carved off,
it's gone,
its not there.
In layman's language
that I-I understand...
with respect... his p*nis
has not been cut off, has it?
No, the-the skin has been
taken off the p*nis, yeah.
And basically it would take
some skill and precision
to do that, wouldn't it?
- I would think so.
- Okay.
It was to be done,
this dissection,
where the skin
is cut off,
that would take a very sharp
instrument, would it not?
Um, I-I think it would.
Such as a razor.
- Or a sharp knife.
- A very sharp knife.
Doctor,
if you were to do this,
with the skill
and the precision
and the knowledge
that you take,
how long would
it take you to do that?
Frank Peretti:
It would take me some time.
Paul Ford:
It'd take you longer than
five to ten minutes.
I would think so.
And that's at...
in your lab.
- I would think so.
- With a scalpel.
- Is that correct?
- That's correct.
Now, Doctor, if we added
to the equation
that you were
in the dark,
could you... could you
do this in the dark?
You, Doctor, could you
do it in the dark?
Peretti:
It'd be difficult.
Could you do this
in the water?
You, Doctor, could you
do this in the water?
I think it would be
very difficult to do.
If you were doing it
in the dark,
in the water,
with mosquitos
all around you,
would that make it
even much more difficult?
I would think so.
I would take you... it would be
a very tedious task for you.
- It wou...
- A skilled pathologist.
It would.
Now, isn't it true,
Doctor,
that people have five...
about five pints of blood?
A little more
than that, yes.
Okay, um...
now, if I poured out
five pints of blood
out here
on the floor,
it'd make a big mess,
wouldn't it?
Yes.
And it would be almost
impossible to clean up.
Well, you could do it,
but... not very easily.
It'd be very,
very difficult,
wouldn't it?
It's not easy
to clean blood.
Okay, does blood
soak into the ground?
- Um, yes it does.
- Okay.
Doctor,
with this homicide
we're talking about
here today,
would you agree with me that
this could have happened
in one of three ways.
These injuries could have
happened in the water,
these injuries could have
happened on the bank
there by the side
of the ditch,
or it could've happened
somewhere else.
Would you agree with me those
are the three possibilities
of how this could've happened?
- Yes.
- Okay, now,
with your knowledge
of the amount of blood
that was lost
from not only Chris Byers
but these other boys,
who've had some pretty...
they're gonna bleed
as well, won't they?
- Oh, yes.
- Okay.
Do you have an opinion
as to whether or not
you could clean up
that amount of blood
at a scene in the dark?
Do you have an opinion
as to that?
I think it'll be
quite difficult to do,
to have, um,
injuries of this nature
without having any blood.
I mean, that's...
I-I would question that,
about the blood.
Okay.
Unless it happened in the water
or it happened some other place.
Okay, and you again, Doctor,
stated that you couldn't...
you couldn't do this
in the water.
- Personally, I-I don't
think I could.
- Okay.
I don't get off
on hurting people or...
inflicting pain on the rest
of the human race or just...
causing destruction
for the purpose of destruction.
I probably been in one
or two fights my entire life.
Mmm.
And especially a child.
It just... because they didn't
do anything to deserve
what they got.
Mmm.
And I believe whatever you do
to someone else,
whether it's good or bad,
is eventually gonna
come back around to you.
Hmm.
Even the person who did this,
if they're not caught
and punished, then something
will happen in their life
where they will
be punished.
( dogs barking )
Domini Teer:
People kept telling me not
to go out with him
because he was, like...
some kind of devil worshipper
and stuff
and I met him in Wal-Mart.
( chuckles )
And-and he followed me around
like a puppy dog.
And we just started talking,
you know, he's real sweet.
Not like everybody else
was making him out to be.
That night,
we started going out,
and... it was like, a month,
and he called me up
on the telephone
at my dad's girlfriend's house,
and he goes,
"Will you me marry me?"
I'm like, "What?"
And he goes,
"Will you marry me?"
I was like, "Could you repeat
that one more time?"
And he goes,
"Will you marry me?",
and I said...
"Yeah."
When I got pregnant,
I had this big picture
painted in my mind.
You know,
Damien's gonna be there
and I get to yell at him
when I have the baby.
And instead,
I was yelling at her.
( sobbing )
I miss him so much.
I mean, and he isn't
gonna see the baby,
they won't let him
touch the baby.
It makes me so,
well, pissed off.
I just felt different
when he was born.
It was...
It made me feel, like, I guess
just real good inside.
Just...
to think that I gave life
to another human being.
Something completely
separate from me,
but still part of me.
I just hope that I'll be there
when he grows up,
to watch him.
Brent Davis:
You're familiar with a fellow
named Aleister Crowley?
- I know who he is.
- You've heard of him?
- I know who he is.
- Okay.
Uh, and...
He's the guy
who kind of professes...
he's... he's a noted author
in the field
of Satanic worship, right?
I've never...
I know who he is
but I never saw any
of his books, personally.
Okay, not really much
of a follower of his?
I would've read him
if I would've saw him,
- but, I just never..
- Okay, okay.
But Aleister Crowley
is a guy that,
based on his writings,
believes in human sacrifice,
doesn't he?
He also believed
he was God, though, so...
Okay, and he also
had writings
that indicated that children
were the best type
of human sacrifice,
correct?
- Yes, sir.
- Okay.
Davis:
But Aleister Crowley
doesn't have
any particular significance
to you?
I know who he is, I've read
a little bit about him,
but I've never
read anything by him.
Okay. Let me show you
a copy of some documents.
Do you recognize that?
- Yes.
- Okay. What is that?
Um, it was this paper I had on,
uh, different alphabets
for, like, translations
where you could write things
that nobody can read,
and this was one
of the forms.
Oh, okay. Well,
where'd you have that at?
Where did it...
when did you do that,
write those things out?
Sometime before
I was arrested, I guess.
Okay, are you sure that
you hadn't done those
since you were arrested,
while you've
been staying in jail?
I don't know,
I might have.
Davis:
Well, what... whose names
are written on that document?
Mine, Jason's, my son's,
uh, one that says
Aleister Crowley and...
Just wait, wait.
Who?
Aleister Crowley.
This is a document
that you've written
while you've been waiting
in jail for trial, right?
If you say so.
Well, you wrote it,
correct?
- That's your writing?
- Mm-hmm.
Okay.
You recall
when you wrote it?
Not really.
Well, what I'm gonna
ask you is that this
Damien Seth Ezeriah Echols,
your son,
he wasn't born until after you
were placed in jail, correct?
- Yes.
- Okay.
So if you got his name
listed on this document,
then this document
had to be generated
after he was born, right?
Yes.
Okay, so this is something
you've written
since you've been sitting
in here in jail waiting
for trial.
Yes.
And what you were doing
was writing out various names
in different-type alphabets,
correct?
From the way it looks here,
I was practicing,
trying to memorize 'em.
Okay, and one of the names
that you picked out
to write about
was this fellow named
Aleister Crowley, correct?
- Mm-hmm.
- Is that just...
just a total coincidence
you just pulled his name
out of the air?
No, it's just the same book
that I had with this,
the different alphabets
in it, it also had stuff
about him in it.
Well, did you have the book
out there at the time
you were doing this?
Mm-mmm, this is was just from
what I remembered myself
where I was practicing,
trying to memorize,
get it all in my head or...
So-so you were
going over it,
and working on it
in your head,
and at that point
in time...
you write all this down
from memory?
Mm-hmm.
Davis:
The people that
are listed on here,
you've got your name
on here, right?
- Damien: Mm-hmm.
- And then Jason Baldwin, which
is your best friend, right?
And then you got
Damien Seth Ezeriah Echols.
- That's your son?
- Damien: Yes, it is.
Davis: Okay, and then
the only other name
on this document
besides yourself,
your best friend,
and your son,
is Aleister Crowley, correct?
Yes, sir.
I believe this witness
has requested not
to be photographed.
That's correct,
Your Honor.
( coughing )
Would you state your name
for the jury?
Christie:
Christie Ann Bickle.
Okay, and do like you
just did and speak up
as best you can.
Okay, Christie?
- Okay.
- Are you nervous?
- Christie: Yes.
- John Fogelman: All right.
Okay, did you hear
somebody say something
about the m*rder
of the three little boys?
Christie:
Yes, sir. I heard, um,
Damien Echols say that
he'd k*lled the three boys.
Fogelman:
Where were you?
Was he saying that to you
or what were you doing?
Christie: I was walking
by with my friend.
( coughing )
Christie,
I'm Scott Davidson
and I've got a couple of
questions to ask you too, okay?
- Okay.
- Okay.
Um, first of all, uh,
do you remember what day
this was that you heard this?
No, sir.
Davidson:
That's the first time
you'd ever seen him
in your life.
Christie:
Yes, sir.
Davidson:
What did he say before
you say that he said
he k*lled those three boys?
What'd he say before that?
Christie:
I don't know.
Davidson:
What'd he say after that?
I don't know.
Davidson:
And how... how close
were you to him?
I wasn't close.
- Davidson: Did he scream it?
- Christie: I don't know.
- Davidson: Did he yell it?
- Christie: I don't know.
Davidson:
Call your next witness.
Man:
Call Jodie Medford.
Burnett:
All right, again,
this witness has requested
not to be photographed.
Jodie, I want to direct
your attention to May of 1993,
after the murders
of the three little boys.
Did you have occasion to be
at the softball field
and-and, uh, hear a comment
in regard to the murders?
- Jodie Medford: Yes, sir.
- Davidson: All right.
Tell the jury,
uh, first...
tell the jury first
what you heard.
Jodie: He said,
"I k*lled the little boys
and before I turn myself in
that I'm gonna
k*ll two more,
and I already had
one of 'em picked out."
Davidson: You didn't
recognize anybody else
that was with him?
Um, I saw
Jason Baldwin there.
Had you heard people talking
about Damien before this?
Yes, sir.
Did you think...
did you think he was
kind of weird or something?
Yes, sir, 'cause he
was dressed all in black,
and his hair was jet black
and long, and shaved
on the side.
Margaret, two teenage girls
took the stand this morning,
and they said they heard
Damien Echols confess
to the murders
of three eight-year-old boys
last May.
One of the girls said
she overheard Damien Echols
say, "I k*lled the three boys,
and I'm going
to k*ll two more.
I already have one
picked out."
Later in the afternoon,
when the defense began
presenting its witnesses,
Damien Echols himself
took the stand.
He said he thought
the girls were lying
and they were making up
those statements.
He also said he did
not practice Satanism
and denied any involvement
in the murders
of Chris Byers, Michael Moore,
and Stevie Branch.
Were you working
at Bojangles restaurant
on the evening
of May 5th of 1993?
Yes, sir.
Could you tell us
what happened?
King:
Well, it was about 9:30
at night, uh...
I found a black gentleman
sitting in the women's restroom
on the commode,
and there was blood
dripping off of his forearm.
But he had mud
on his feet
and he seemed to be disarrayed
when I talked to him.
I called the police then.
Davidson:
What happened then?
King:
It was a female officer
for the West Memphis
Police Department,
and, uh, she pulled on the light
and I saw her coming
so I went up to the front door,
but she kept coming around.
She went to
the drive-through window.
Davidson:
So you did not
go in the restaurant.
No, sir,
I did not.
Did you ever find this
bleeding black man?
No, sir,
I did not.
You have a report that you made
regarding this incident?
No, sir,
I do not.
Robin Wadley:
And you're out looking
for some boys
and you're out in that area
and you hear about someone
bleeding, did that...
did anything go off
in your mind thinking
that something may be
going on?
Meek:
Okay, first of all,
you got to understand
it was a different area
I went to.
It was a different ward.
I did not connect
the two at all.
Well, patrolman, it may
have been outside your ward,
but distance-wise between
the area where you were looking
and where
this restaurant was,
it's not a long distance,
is it?
No, sir.
It's really not.
Okay.
Davidson:
Did any other officer
come out there that evening?
Not that evening.
Uh, were you working
on the day of May 6th of 1993?
Yes, sir.
Two detectives came out,
and they took a report
as far as what I had seen.
Uh, description
of the gentleman
and then they took
blood scrapings off the wall.
All right, Detective Ridge,
what is the date
that you sent
the blood scrapings off
to the crime lab
to be analyzed?
Detective Bryn Rudge:
They were never sent.
- They were never sent?
- That's correct.
All right, where are
the blood samples
at this time?
I don't know, sir.
They're lost.
They're lost?
Yes, sir, that's my mistake.
I lost a piece of evidence.
( chatter in background )
Most of the time, he came up
with the stupid ideas.
I guess I influenced him
about as much
as he influenced me, I guess.
Most of the time,
we didn't really set out
to do anything in particular.
We just started hanging around,
whatever happened,
just usually happened.
Sometimes good,
sometimes bad.
We were just sitting on
the couch watching TV
the night
we were arrested.
( chuckles )
Pigs busted in,
started running
all over the house.
We tried to hide in the bedroom
when the cops first came,
but they wouldn't leave.
We were in the bedroom,
turned the light off.
Maybe they'll go away.
"I know you're in there.
Open up."
( chuckles )
We saw the lights go out.
And Domini turned them
back on.
- Turned them back...
- No, it was my sister.
Oh.
Robin Wadley: Well,
the interesting thing
about it is,
is that the-the-the one knife
that we know
somebody owns...
is the Byers knife.
We know he owns that knife.
Dr. James Raiscot:
He's got the motive,
his son,
who he's upset with,
his son was the only
one mutilated.
The other two
weren't mutilated.
He's-he's-he's got knowledge
about the area,
he knows when the search
is over with,
he's big enough that he can
carry the boys there
and throw them in.
He's a jeweler,
he's precise enough to have...
to have committed
that mutilation.
All of the pieces
fit together
with somebody
in a different location
k*lling the boys
in a different location.
Because there's
no mosquito bites on them.
So we know that after the boys
were k*lled, and during,
they weren't outside.
They had to be inside
'cause there's
no mosquito bites on them.
So that means they were carried
from a death scene someplace,
unconscious, and brought
down to the river.
And they had to be k*lled
shortly before they were
brought down there
because they all died within
a short period of time.
So after they were
bled to death,
after they were bludgeoned
and unconscious,
somebody had
to take those three,
take them to the scene,
and dump them.
In order to do that, you gotta
be physically strong enough
to carry a fifty-
to sixty-year-old
unconscious kid,
who's hogtied.
Ja... Jason couldn't
have done it.
In his best day, he couldn't
carry a little baby,
with those little
skinny arms of his.
So when we look
at this whole thing,
all the pieces that
they tried to put together,
none of it fits
with Jason,
and just about all of it fits
towards a person like Byers.
Fogelman:
When did you receive
that knife?
On the... I believe
it was on the 8th.
I've got Jan...
It's hard to make this out.
January the 8th, 1994.
All right, and, who did
you receive this knife from?
I received it from, uh...
I mean, how did I actually
receive it?
No, who did you receive
the knife from?
I received it from, uh,
Joe and the people
with HBO productions.
Okay, Bruce and...
- Gitchell: Bruce and Joe.
- The other one, wherever
he is. All right.
Fogelman:
Upon receiving that knife,
what did you do with it?
Gitchell:
I saw what I thought to be
some type of substance
on the knife.
And, actually, I did
not know what it was.
I, in turn, sent this knife
to Genetic Design.
When the knife was received
by your firm,
did you or your lab run tests
on that particular knife?
There was a small amount
of what appeared to be blood,
um, that was dried, or tissue,
in a crevice on the knife
where the knife folds
when it locks.
The results of the tests
showed us
that, um, there was
DNA present on the knife,
and that we were able
to get a type using a test
called HLA BQ Alpha.
And Mr. Byers had
the same type
that was detected from
the specimen from the knife.
Okay, and what was
the BQ Alpha type
for Christopher Byers?
It was also the same type.
So, the blood
on the knife, and...
Christopher Byers' blood
and John Mark Byers' blood
all had the same type.
Correct.
Let me go ahead
and... open it.
Judge, if I can approach
the witness.
Burnett:
All right.
I want you to take a good look
at that knife.
And I will call that
for identification purposes
the John Mark Byers knife.
Doctor, did you
make the comparison
with this knife, E-6,
and... and compared that
with some of the wounds that
you found on Chris Byers?
Uh, yes I did.
All right,
does that knife
appear to be
a serrated knife?
Yes, this is
a serrated knife.
Do you have an opinion
if some of the wounds
that you've found
on Chris Byers
were consistent with wounds
which would have been caused
by that type
of serrated knife?
Well, some of the wounds
that have the smaller
serrated patterns, um,
could have been inflicted
with a knife having
this type of serration.
Man:
How do you think this
has gone over so far
on the Mark Byers aspect?
Obviously we thought long
and hard about mentioning
a father
as a possible suspect.
I hate having to do that,
but the way
the circumstances are...
it's just coming out whether
we really want it to or not.
I mean, um...
You know, we had suspicions
even before the knife showed up.
Do you think anybody
realizes the reason
for the three-day delay
in Jessie's trial
was waiting on that...
the DNA test to come back
on that Byers knife?
Ron Lax:
I doubt it.
And even after
the results came back
and it showed that it
could be Mark's blood
as well as Chris's blood,
that doesn't alleviate
the fact
that he said no one had ever
cut themself on the knife,
and it shouldn't have
had blood on it at all.
Well, do you think
the theory,
or that the argument
at least that,
it wasn't that the blood
was found on the blade,
which could be
easily wiped off,
but it was back in the hinges
that you normally
wouldn't think,
if you were wiping off
the blood you wouldn't think
the blood would be
inside the hinges,
and that's where they found
that particular blood.
How do we get that in,
just ask Gitchell?
Ask Byers. I mean, we could
put Byers up on the stand.
Davidson:
I think the jury
expects to see him now.
They wanna see
him up there,
they wanna see
what he has to say,
don't you think so?
I think so, yes.
Mr. Byers, I need to ask
you about defense
exhibit number E-6,
this particular folding
lock-blade Kershaw knife.
If I could approach
the witness, Your Honor.
Burnett: Yes.
Price:
Take a look
at that knife, please.
( coughing )
Had that knife
ever been used before?
Used for what?
Used for any purpose?
I've had... trim
your toenails with it.
I had attempted to trim
on some venison that I had.
- I...
- You attempted to trim
on some venison.
When was it you attempted
to trim on some venison?
Somewhere time
the Thanksgiving holidays.
Do you recall being asked
on January the 26th,
this is on page three,
by Inspector Gitchell,
had you ever taken that knife
hunting or used it recently.
Do you remember
being asked that question
by Inspector Gitchell?
Specifically, no, sir,
he asked me a lot of questions.
All right, do you remember
giving the answer,
"No, that knife
had not been used at all.
It had just been kept up,
put in my dresser,
and I didn't use it,
and the reason why
was because
of the serrated edges."
Do you recall giving
that answer
to Inspector Gitchell
on the 26th?
No, sir, don't recall
giving him that exact answer.
I'm sure his question
wouldn't have been asked
exactly like
your question was...
All right, did Gitchell
tell you,
"Let me explain
a problem we had,
and you need
to answer this for me.
We have found blood
on this knife."
Did Gitchell ask you
that question?
I don't remember
if he said there was or not.
Price:
Did you tell Gitchell
you had no idea
how Chris's blood
could be on that knife?
Mark:
Yes, sir, I would
not have any idea.
If his blood was
on that knife,
I would not know
how it got there.
Did you have any idea how
human blood was on that knife?
Well, yes,
I would have an idea.
I cut my thumb.
All right.
Is it true that you never
told Inspector Gitchell
on January 26th
that you ever cut your thumb
with that particular knife,
did you?
Yes, sir, it seems like
during the course of the day,
I did tell him that.
Was that during the taped
conversation or was that after?
- I don't remember.
- Okay.
Price:
On the top of page eight,
do you recall being asked
the question,
"I have no idea,
no idea how it could have
any human blood on it."
- You recall
giving that answer?
- Yes, sir.
Then do you recall stating,
"I don't even remember
nicking myself with it,
cutting the dinner meat
or anything."
Is that the answer
you gave?
- Yes, sir.
- And is that the truth?
I... at the time,
when he was questioning me,
I didn't re... I mean,
I might not have remembered.
We were getting ready
to go into a trial, uh...
Did you remember,
on this date,
cutting yourself
with the venison
or not cutting yourself?
The date that
Gary questioned...
The date that Gary
questioned, yes, sir.
I might not have
remembered it at that time
when he was questioning me,
but I could have remembered it
later on in the day
- and talked to him about it.
- Ah, okay.
Earlier that afternoon,
had you given Chris a whipping?
Approximately around 5:30.
This was about 5:30
and was... was this with a belt?
Yes, sir.
Okay, approximately
how many times
did you hit him
with the belt?
I spanked him
two or three times.
And on what part of the body
did you spank him?
It would have been
just on his behind.
Okay, was his, uh,
was he wearing his pants
or did you have
to pull his pants down?
No, he had on blue jeans.
Okay.
( camera shutters clicking )
Reporter:
Byers, the judge back there
during that last recess,
before you were recalled,
says that you have
a brain tumor,
and you're being treated.
Can you... do you want to talk
about that? Is it true?
It's been rumored
since Corning.
Yes, I have a brain tumor.
And you're being treated.
Yes, I'm being treated
for it.
Reporter #2:
I need to ask you
one question,
and-and I hope
you won't get angry
but has this... this...
even the suggestion
that you may have had
something to do
with the murders
of these boys
caused any problems
within your... your family,
or with any of
the other victims' families?
- Melissa Byers: No.
- They all...
They all know
the truth, and no.
Reporter #3:
Do you have anything to do
with these boys' deaths?
No more than you did.
Reporter #4:
Fogelman says you're
buying a new house.
Is that why you're leaving
West Memphis?
- Mark: I didn't say that.
- Fogelman did this morning.
Reporter #5:
Yeah, he said that's why
you were leaving.
You know,
we might try to move.
Reporter #4:
Out of West Memphis?
Well, somewhere. I mean,
you would probably wanna move.
- You know.
- Did you say where
you're going to move?
- Do you want to say?
- No.
Melissa:
Let me ask you a question,
Mr. Sullivan,
would you want to live in
a house that your baby died
in less than three-fourths
of a mile from it?
- Reporter: I wouldn't, no.
- Mike: No? Okay.
That answers
the question.
Come on.
Reporter:
You're talking about your
whole family though, right?
You're not just talking
about you.
Mike:
You wouldn't move
and leave your wife
and children somewhere,
would you?
Reporter:
Not if we were gonna
stay together, no.
Mark:
Okay. ( chuckles )
I mean, some of the questions
you ask are kind of ridiculous.
You know,
I know you're not asking,
but some of them
are kind of...
odd or strange
or different
or, you know, however you'd
like to comment on them.
But some of them
it seems like you'd just use
a little common sense
and think about
what you would do
or how you would feel.
Some of the questions
you fellows
would never have to ask.
- Well the only thing is...
- We have to ask them.
We have to ask them,
so we can't quote ourselves.
We have to...
I know, but then a lot of times
things are printed in the paper
that people did not say,
and the news media,
and I'm not stating
which individual,
says they got it
from a confidential informer,
and you don't have to turn
your confidential informer over
when your confidential informer
is your imagination.
Well...
You know, there's a lot
of things that's printed
in the paper
that people did not say.
But the media has
the rights to print
what they want to print.
You know,
victims don't have any rights.
- ( chatter )
- ( shutters clicking )
( metal detector beeping )
Now that
I've heard him talk,
I don't...
I kinda of had an idea
what he was like
before he talked,
but after he talked,
he wasn't anything like
I thought he would be.
Reporter:
How is he?
I see him now as more like
a human being than I did before.
Now I see him
as having a personality.
From a defense standpoint,
I've never been
a defense attorney,
but to put him
on the witness stand
sure seemed to be
an awful big gamble.
And I can't understand
the mind-set that puts you
in the position
where you're willing
to take that gamble.
Fogelman:
Especially when
you follow it up
with Mr. Bojangles's
accusations,
it didn't make any sense.
'Cause it, to me,
if I were on the jury,
it would look like just some...
something desperate.
You know, they're gonna
cast blame on anybody
and everybody they can.
Of course...
and the defense
didn't have the guts
to actually ask him,
"Did he do it?"
The song that I just
really can relate to
by Metallica,
"The Sanitarium."
'Cause I feel like
all those times
that I was in the hospital,
I didn't need it.
It was just the police,
another way
for them setting me up
when they couldn't send me
to prison or something.
Like, "Well, we'll get him
out of our way
for a little while by...
sending him
somewhere else."
Hmm.
I like Metallica because,
well, all hard music
like that because...
it, like, gives me
an adrenaline rush and...
makes me feel more alive.
( music playing )
( footsteps clomping )
( keys jingling )
( handcuffs jingling )
( door slams loudly )
( door slams loudly )
Now, during the course
of talking to Mr. Echols,
did you ask him who did he
think did it and why?
In one area he says
he had an opinion for who
could've done the murders
as being someone sick
and that it was
some type of thrill k*ll.
He also stated that the p*nis
was a symbol of power
in his religion
known as Wicca.
He also stated that
the number three
has a sacred number
in the belief.
Fogelman:
And did he tell you anything
about demonic forces?
Yes, sir, he said that all
people have a demonic force
in them and that a person
would have no control
over that demonic force.
Price:
Mr. Echols is not
the only person
that told you
that the children,
the kids probably died
of mutilation, was he?
Ridge:
No, sir.
Price:
And with Mr. Echols,
you asked him
something to the effect
of what type of books
did he enjoy reading?
- Ridge: Yes, sir.
- Okay, and...
Price:
Um, and he told you,
I'm thinking,
is it Anton LaVey
and Stephen King?
- Yes, sir.
- Okay.
Now, in your opinion,
is there anything unusual
about those being
the type of books
that Mr. Echols
likes to read?
( sighing )
Anton LaVey is a book
of Satanic rules
and involvement.
Uh, Stephen King seems to be
horror movies, horror books,
and if you're asking
if I felt that was strange,
- yes, sir, I did.
- All right.
Now, let me refer you
back to your statement
that you gave
Officer Ridge.
Did you tell him in that
statement that you had been
a member of a white witch group
for five years?
- No.
- Okay.
Damien:
I have never been a member
of any group.
And so, if he put that
in his report,
you're saying
that's inaccurate.
- Yes, I am.
- He made that up.
Yes, I am.
Davis:
On question number nine,
"How do you think it would...
the person feels
that did this?"
the answer was,
"Probably makes them feel good.
Gives them power."
Now, I guess Officer Ridge
said that, too.
No, I used common sense
on that.
- Okay.
- If someone was doing it,
then they must've wanted to.
And if they were doing
something they wanted to,
it must've made them happy.
I don't think
they were doing it
because someone
forced them to
or because
they didn't want to.
Okay. So in your mind,
the person that k*lled
these three kids,
it's common sense that k*lling
three eight-ear-old kids
would make you feel good.
Whoever did it,
it must have.
Davis:
Okay. Did you also tell him
that each person had
a demonic side to them?
I believe every person has
a good side and a bad side, yes.
Well, did you... were those
your words when you referred...
what he's got
written down here,
he stated that
there was no control
of the demonic portion
of people?
He asked me did I think
there were some people
that they could not
control that side.
I said,
"Yes, I guess there is."
David:
It also states
that Damien stated that
the younger the victim
was made more innocent,
and in turn, more power
would be given the person
doing the k*lling.
- Right.
- Okay. Did you say that?
- Yes. Mm-hmm.
- Okay, those are your words.
Did you pick that up
when you were studying
to be a Catholic?
No, I saw that
on several movies, books.
Davis:
Question number 11,
when he asked you
how do you think they died,
and its answer is
mutilation, cut up all three,
heard they were
in the water drowning,
cut up one more
than the others.
Is that, again,
what Officer Ridge said
and you just agreed?
No, I had saw that on TV,
newspapers, people talking.
And...
you knew it about
the drowning, correct?
I knew they were in the water.
I didn't know that they drowned.
You knew that one was cut up
more than the others.
Damien: He asked me,
"Was it possible..."
he said, "Do you
think one was hurt
worse than the others?"
I said,
"Yeah, I guess."
Davis:
Oh. So again, that particular
area's one of those things
where Officer Ridge told you
and that wasn't your response.
You just responded about
the drowning and mutilation.
If he didn't get
the answer he liked,
he would go back and try
to get me to say something else.
Davis:
And it's your testimony
specifically
that you weren't
the one who said
one was cut up
more than the other.
- No, I did not.
- That it was Officer Ridge
who said that.
I agreed with him
when he said that.
Okay.
And if he says something
different, that'd be...
He'd... he'd be lying
about it, right?
You're the one
telling the truth.
I wouldn't
put it past him.
Lax:
Damien, we're getting
close to the end now.
How do you feel so far?
I feel good so far.
So far, to me it looks like
we've got it beat.
Lax:
What do you think
the worst thing for us
right now has been?
In the three weeks
we've been over here,
what has hurt the most?
I only know of two things
that have really hurt:
that one kid getting up
there with Jason.
- Yeah.
- And, um, those girls.
Lax:
The Thursday's newspaper
which addressed
you testifying
on Wednesday was real good.
It talked about
that you did well,
but Friday's regarding
your Thursday testimony
wasn't as good.
What do you think?
I think I did real good
in the first day,
and the second day
it didn't look as good
because Davis kept trying
to trip me up or something.
Lax:
There was one point in there,
though, where he asked you,
he says it looks like
you're just changing your story
to fit whatever comes up.
And you said, "Yeah."
I was just, like,
halfway listening to him.
After all, I was...
I was real nervous
when I first got up there,
and I have to keep my attention
focused and everything,
but after I was up there
a few minutes,
I started daydreaming.
Lax:
Daydreaming.
( chuckles )
Maybe they'll only halfway
k*ll you when they convict you.
- Halfway?
- Yeah.
- How'll they do that?
- I don't know.
Maybe they'll start daydreaming
and forget what they're doing.
Anything wrong with
wearing black in and of itself?
No.
Anything wrong
with the heavy metal stuff
in and of itself? No.
The Book of Shadows,
anything wrong with that
in and of itself? No.
But when you look at it
together, and you get,
you begin to see inside
Damien Echols,
you see inside that person.
And you look inside there
and there's not a soul in there.
My client is a teenager,
and we certainly didn't hide
that fact from you.
And the fact that my client
did some writings...
take these back,
go back and read 'em,
go read all these.
But this, in and of itself,
is no evidence of m*rder.
And even if you add in
all the other things,
quote, "trappings of occultism,"
according to Dr. Griffiths,
that has nothing
to do with this case
whatsoever.
Is it a coincidence,
this knife is found
behind in the lake,
hidden behind
Jason Baldwin's house?
There are marks
on Christopher Byers,
where you got,
like a dash where it's cut,
a cut, an open space,
a cut and an open space.
And if you take this knife
and do that,
you can see it leaves
a cut and an open space,
cut and an open space.
Now if you take...
this knife, exhibit...
defense exhibit six,
and even with
the slightest pressure...
It makes a straight line.
Crime scene.
It doesn't fit for a kid
to bleed to death
and not leave
a drop behind.
For all the other
injuries to their faces,
these other injuries
are gonna bleed, too.
And there's not
a drop of blood?
Not a drop of blood?
Look at history,
look at hundreds of years
of religious history.
There have been hundreds
of people k*lled in the name
of religion.
It is a motivating force.
It gives people
who want to do evil,
want to commit murders,
a reason to do
what they're doing.
Ford:
Satanic panic.
Yeah, that's a scary thing.
But it's a scarier thing
to convict someone
with no evidence.
If you can't figure it out,
if it doesn't make sense,
let's call it
a cult k*lling,
and find somebody weird!
Find somebody
who wears black!
But they let one thing
go by the wayside:
is that there's nothing that
links Jason to these activities.
Not one witness says,
"That's what he does,
that's his beliefs."
We don't have a writing,
no drawing,
not a picture,
not a person, nothing...
links him to it.
But that doesn't matter.
That didn't matter to them.
Because he's sitting over there
with Damien.
They want you to convict him.
Guilt by association
is a horrible thing.
( camera shutters clicking )
Reporter:
Damien, do you think
he looks like you?
I don't know.
Not really. I think
he's got Domini's ears.
( camera shutters clicking )
Reporter #2:
Can you change
his diapers, Damien?
Hopefully not.
( giggling )
Reporter #2:
So do you think you'll
be spending more time
with your child, Damien?
Hopefully.
I hope.
Man:
Come on, Damien,
it's time.
( indistinct chatter)
( mumbling )
Man:
So what's his first words
gonna be, not guilty?
Um, his first words
will be capital m*rder.
( chuckles )
Ford:
What's it feel like to be...
to go through
a month-long trial,
accused of something
you didn't do?
Horrible.
( bang )
Ford:
Are you nervous now?
- Yeah.
- I mean, there's nothing
we can do right now
but sit around
and wait, but...
um, you... you got anything
you want to ask me?
Where do we go when, um,
the jury comes back out
and says I'm not guilty?
( chuckles )
Well,
where do you wanna go?
- I don't know.
- Where do you want to go?
- Disneyland, maybe.
- Would you?
- Would you like
to go to Disneyland?
- Yeah.
Have you...
have you ever been
anywhere out of...
have you ever been
on a trip at all?
- Haver Springs.
- Haver Springs.
Well, I'll tell you what,
my man, I-I...
It'd be a joy to take you.
Would you like to go?
You would, wouldn't you?
Jason: Yeah.
Ford:
Do you understand now
why we, uh...
why we didn't want you
to testify?
Yeah.
Can you see
how it hurt Damien?
You... I think it did.
And then see how they talked
about his witnesses.
- Mm-hmm.
- See, they don't have anything
to talk about us.
They don't have anything
to talk about,
cause we didn't
give them a chance.
And, uh...
( sighing )
Oh, man.
It's heavy.
Do you think that,
um, this'll change at all?
How you treat your friends?
Yeah.
What do you think
this would do?
What do you think this
is gonna do to you and Damien?
You and your friendship
with Damien?
( bang )
Stop it, I guess.
Would you stop being
his friend?
I wouldn't be his enemy,
but after this,
I probably wouldn't
be around or nothing.
You-you heard
what was said about him.
Do you think
he could have done it?
Isn't that what they said?
Yeah, you think
he could have,
do you thank Damien could have
k*lled those little boys?
They made it
seem like he did.
- What do you think?
- I don't know.
If you were on that jury,
you'd have...
would you have a hard time
letting him go?
Based on what you heard?
Yeah.
I would, too.
Would you let
yourself go?
Yeah. If I was up there,
I'd let myself go, yeah.
That's what
I wanted to hear.
Ford:
'Cause you know you
didn't do it, don't you?
Yeah.
Lax:
Did Paul surprise you
on his closing?
Damien:
I think Paul
should have left out
the guilt
by association part.
- That's not...
- He came down hard
on that, didn't he?
Mm-hmm.
Did you have any idea
he was gonna do that?
Hmm-mm.
I thought he'd be smart
enough to stay away from it.
Hurt your feelings?
I wanted to strangle him.
( chuckles )
Were you watching
the jury?
Mm-hmm.
How do you pick it?
With my finger. No.
( nervous chuckling )
Now I think
it was probably about 60/40.
40 for and 60 against.
Once you get out of here,
you gonna buy the beer?
The whiskey.
I don't know about beer.
And I'll buy
the Bojangles chicken.
( chuckling )
I want to get a cigar,
cut it open and dump
all the tobacco out,
fill it with marijuana,
smoke the whole thing.
I mean, we gotta
get you out of here.
You gotta go to work
where you can pay my bill.
I need to get a job
at a gas station or something.
Change my name
to Bob Smith.
All right,
ladies and gentlemen,
the bailiffs inform me, uh,
that you've arrived at verdicts.
If you... if you have,
pass 'em to the bailiff,
please, or the sheriff
and...
Okay, thank you.
The first verdict
reads as follows.
"We jury find Damien Echols
guilty of capital m*rder
in the death
of Stevie Branch.
We the jury find Damien Echols
guilty of capital m*rder
in the death of Chris Byers.
We the jury find Damien Echols
guilty of capital m*rder
in the death of Michael Moore.
We the jury find Jason Baldwin
guilty of capital m*rder
in the death of Chris Byers.
We the jury find Jason Baldwin
guilty of capital m*rder
in the death of Stevie Branch.
We the jury find Jason Baldwin
guilty of capital m*rder
in the death of Michael Moore."
All of the verdicts
are signed by the foreman.
And ladies and gentlemen,
it's necessary
at this time that the court
poll the jury
as to all six verdicts, so...
- ( screaming )
- ...when your name is called,
if these six verdicts represent
your individual verdict,
then answer yes
as your name is called.
Juror number one.
- Juror #1: Yes.
- Woman: Juror number two.
Juror #2: Yes.
Woman:
Juror number three.
Juror #3: Yes.
Woman:
Juror number four.
( sobbing )
- Woman: Juror number five.
- Juror #5: Yes.
- Woman: Juror number six.
- Juror #6: Yes.
- Woman: Juror number seven.
- Juror #7: Yes.
The prosecution didn't have
any evidence,
but they don't care.
Just because somebody wears
black and has different beliefs,
they're gonna convict them
of something.
Poor, poor, parents.
Yeah, I'm sorry for them.
- But...
- I ain't. I ain't sorry
for them.
I'm sorry for the kids.
I don't give a damn about
the parents,
- but I'm sorry for the kids.
- I ain't even sorry for them.
I'm not sorry for anybody.
There is no reason they...
k*lled three more boys.
It didn't do
a damn thing.
( sobbing )
So right now,
I wish I was a witch.
Talk about a spell
on somebody?
Boy, I'd put
a good one on.
I guess Gitchell
goes out with a big bang.
Didn't know he was
f*ck' gonna retire.
Woman:
He's already said
he was gonna retire.
Now he's probably
gonna run for office.
I got an office for him.
Mayor of hell.
Far as I'm concerned,
West Memphis can go to hell.
Woman:
West Memphis is hell.
I have,
uh, put my 20 years in,
and hopefully
this is the last case
I'll have
of this magnitude.
Hopefully
it's my last case.
And, uh, I'm leaving
on a high note,
so there's
no better way to leave
than with your head up
high and proud.
Well, you know,
I-I don't...
I'm not surprised if that...
that's what you're asking.
You know, I told you earlier
that I thought the evidence was
more than sufficient
to make those findings.
They won't k*ll
no more babies.
No more babies
will they k*ll.
Let's go.
Mmm.
Make sure you put locks...
go ahead, right behind him.
Hand me those gadgets.
Yeah.
Officer:
The black one
and blue... blue.
Man:
Here you go.
Let me put this here.
Here we go.
( indistinct instructions )
- Ready?
- Yup.
( chatter )
- Woman: You gonna get out.
- Woman #2: I know.
Reporter:
Do you have any comment on...
- Woman: You gonna get out.
- Woman #2: I know.
Reporter #2:
What'd you think about
the verdict?
Reporter:
Damien, did you do it?
Man:
You're gonna fry, Damien!
Man #2:
How you feeling now, Damien?
Woman:
You're gonna fry, Damien.
Man:
What do you think, Jason?
Man:
Gonna fry!
Woman:
See you in hell, Damien.
Man:
We know you're innocent, Jason.
( engine revving )
( crowd clamoring )
I knew from when I
was real small
that people were gonna
know who I was.
I always had that feeling.
But I just never knew how
they were gonna learn.
Hmm.
I kind of enjoy it
because now even after I die,
people are going
to remember me forever.
They're gonna talk
about me for years.
People in West Memphis will tell
their kids stories.
It-it-it'll be like,
sort of, like,
I'm the West Memphis boogeyman.
Little kids will be looking
under their bed
before they go to bed.
"Damien might be under there."
( air hissing )
( music playing )
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