He had, in fact, passed it, but it was after that that Misskelley gave his damning confession.z. (At one point, Sauls says, it landed on Yahoos list of the top 100 websites.) In general, who is most likelyto commit a crime against a child: A family member or A devil worshipingcult? A longer trail of violence followed the lives of Melissa and Mark Byers, the mother and stepfather of Christopher Byers, another of the young victims of that crime, who, besides being murdered, was also found castrated. [23] James was asked point blank if he knew that Byers murdered his wife. The answer seems obvious. Theyve had several victories, including the case of Daniel Villegas, who was acquitted of capital murder in 2018 after a 25-year legal saga. The sheer mountain moving amount of money it cost to prove the obvious innocence of Jessie, Jason, and Damien still staggers me. <>/Metadata 79 0 R/ViewerPreferences 80 0 R>> As the first in a trilogy of Paradise Lost films about the case, the 1996 movie was a stunning example of cinma vrit, as directors Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky embedded themselves with the prosecution, the defense, and the families of both the slain and the accused to put human faces on a heart-wrenching tragedy, as well as highlight the overblown worries of satanic rituals and murderous cults that proliferated throughout the 1980s and 90s. I went to a Baptist school and I got accused of being a devil worshiper because I was trying to learn how to write hieroglyphics, says Sauls, today a screenwriter and VFX designer. 3 0 obj This is before considering the 2013 dramatized movie based on the events (and Leveritts book), Stidhams plans to release the book Harvest of Innocence, and how elements of the case made their way into True Detectives third season. He had always maintained he didnt commit the crimes, and outside the Varner Units walls, a growing chorus of activists and legal observers were arguing that same thing on his behalf. Only her urine was abnormal. Family (1) Spouse John Mark Byers (c. 1986 - 29 March 1996) (her death) See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites By collecting seeds from your own garden or buying them in bulk, you can save money on future purchases. She died on March 29, 1996 in Arkansas, USA. The second time he requested a towel. Like Misskelley in the first trial, Baldwin received a life sentence. [17] A later interview with a woman identified as "Fern" revealed that Mandy was Byers' girlfriend. Sinofsky family connection aside, Berlinger says this was an important part of the film: The prosecutors had put heavy metal lyrics and Baldwins and Echolss Metallica fandom on trial as much as the teens themselves. Our monthly magazine is free at over 500 locations in Central Arkansas. It's . [18], Efforts to locate Ryan Clark were unsuccessful that evening. Waser advised that it was unusual for a 40-year-old woman to pass away and an autopsy would be recommended to determine the cause. The legal troubles of Terry Hobbs and John Mark Byers. Witt, stymied until he knew the cause of death, waitedand waited. Gitchell said, Thats our problem. Lacking a coherent explanation from its owner, the question of how human blood got on that knife a 9-inch long, serrated Kershaw has never been cleared up. All of those factors combined to create a tipping point, says Leveritt. Disintegrated by the Prototype Gate Explosion. Byers mentioned two people in Memphis whom he put in that category, and he referred to helping authorities at Marion on their investigation into an illegal methamphetamine lab. Maines won the lawsuit; police have never named Hobbs a suspect or charged him in connection with the killings.). The murders shocked West Memphis, but weeks passed without an assailant or assailants being found. In fear of her life, court records said, the child didnt speak of what she saw until the next day at school. He was just taking in the enormity of the defining event of his life to that point, which had been committed to film and was now playing for him inside the cavernous, auditorium-style visitation room. He says that while he was in the supermax prison in Varner, he would write letters trying to drum up support for not just himself, but also for other inmates he believed were wrongfully convicted. The neighbor quoted Melissa Byers as having screamed, You cant watch your family 24 hours, and you are going down.. And there were some signs of deteriorating health, such as obesity, narrowing of some arteries, and a gallstone. The 33 Unnamed Hawkins Lab Employees are seen through the lab's security cameras and throughout the hallways. Sauls says that the former Black Flag frontman was one of the few big names who dug deep into the evidence, wanting to learn as many details as he could about the case. The two boys who had exchanged words, reportedly over a girl, now found themselves in a vicious fight, with Byers companion using the folded knife in his hand as what the boys called a fist pack. West Memphis is in the heart of the Bible Belt: just a two-hour drive from where, legend has it, the devil tuned Robert Johnsons guitar, in a state thats 46 percent evangelical Protestant. The great irony of the 18-year quest to free the West Memphis Three is that it didnt begin as a crusade. I grabbed his arm and shoulder and guided his body to the floor. Nor was the Dilaudid mentioned on the page listing the medical examiners findings. Metz had been one of the last people to see Melissa Byers alive. Hobbs then reportedly pointed the gun at some of the other relatives, threatening that he would shoot them too. Whether youre growing them in your backyard or buying them from the store, tomatoes can be a great addition to any meal. According to Houston. She was in the bedroom on the floor. But officials at the Marshal s Service say Byers was released, and no record apparently exists showing to whom he was released or why. "He ask [sic] John Mark if Melissa was dead. Melissa Byers (mother of Chris Byers) died believing they were guilty. He advised that when the EMTs got to the residence, Mark kept telling them, Theyve got to bring her back. Metz advised that Ryan kept mumbling something and he did not seem coherent. Her body showed no visible signs of trauma. Byers surfaced periodically in the extensive coverage of the case, once supplying a knife to makers of an HBO documentary that was found to have blood from his adopted son on it. Sheriff Powell is keeping his open. Cruz Captain lucky/v, This website uses cookies for functionality, analytics and advertising purposes as described in our, Ark. No, he said, according to a transcript of that interview. Byers asked Metz to come over to the house. By getting to the story quickly, the directors were able to document the post-arrest period and two trials that followed in painstaking detail. A heavy metal test was conducted and none were found. It even predicted that Eddie would die in Volume 2, and that's exactly what happened. Melissa was worried about an upcoming trial involving a robbery of $20,000 worth of goods and property. The footage included raw jailhouse interviews with the defendants, strategy sessions held by legal teams on both sides, and extended monologues from Mark Byers, the tall, goateed stepfather of one of the victims, who spoke as though he were reciting the Book of Revelation and who, at one point in Paradise Lost, fired a handgun at a pumpkin while reciting the names of the accused. The problem is we have sent this knife off and had it examined and it has the blood type of Christophers on it., Byers responded, Well, Gary, I dont have any idea how it could be on there.. In February, Netflix released Berlingers Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, a docuseries that looked at the 2013 death of Elisa Lam, a Canadian student who died while vacationing in Los Angeles. None of the three believed that, but Echolss healthand the possibility that even if he survived, he would still be on death row should the fight for retrials failmade it an imperative. She died on March 29, 1996 in Arkansas, USA. [SNIP] >, > This announcement really makes me wonder about Byers and the deaths of > his step-family. Furthermore, if you're growing heirloom varieties or rare species that may not, 2021 Tomato Varieties to Try in Your Garden this Year | Varieties for Storage & Other Tomatoes Available, Tomatoes are a popular and versatile vegetable that can be used in a variety of dishes. I dont know if they were questioning it, but they werent mistreating me and telling me that what I was telling them wasnt true., While Berlinger admits that he and Sinofsky may have tilted pro-prosecution in the early days of filming, that quickly changed after witnessing how the cases came together and spending time with the three teens during pretrial jailhouse interviewsparticularly Baldwin, who Berlinger describes as sweet and studious.. The level of corruption in the American justice system is glaring and sickening.. One of those shows, Truth & Justice With Bob Ruff, became the basis for an Oxygen docuseries last year titled The Forgotten West Memphis Three, which took a closer look at the three victims and tried to shine new light on the evidence. It can slow breathing, heart rate, and brain activity. We have never seen this, Bullying of referees leads to entire student section being thrown out of Iowa game, Burger King brings back fan-favorite sandwich but not for long. In 1992 he petitioned to have the charge dismissed and the record of his conviction expunged a petition that was granted. Supporting the Arkansas Times' independent journalism is more vital than ever. Even without a smoking gun, the circumstantial evidence was enough for a conviction in a place like Crittenden County, Arkansas. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Melissa Byers. He was a . "), Also, the guy I think was Byers said that the last time he saw his son, he was giving him a beating because the son had been riding his bicycle in the street or something like that. The medical examiner's office said Melissa Byers, 47, died as a result of multiple. If the state of Arkansas has a deep and abiding belief that the West Memphis Three are child murderers and did these terrible crimes, then shame on them for letting them out after 18 and a half years because a bunch of celebrities are whining about it, Berlinger says. "[3], On March 29th, 1996, at 3:30pm, Ryan and his girlfriend, Amanda, were dropped off from school at the Byers' residence. I had a friend who was working on 20/20, and they had done a film about exorcism in one of the magazine pieces, Nevins says. At that point. He returned to the Byers' home on March 31st, 1996 to interview Ryan. Stranger Things: Halloween Sounds From the Upside Down, Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down, Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town, Back broken after being telekinetically thrown against a wall, Accidentally killed during experimentation, Injuries sustained after their van was telekinetically flipped. Houston said it appeared that Hicks passed the first lick, and a fight ensued. "She was a beautiful woman. Melissa gurgled up some fluid and Metz called for an ambulance. Byers himself was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a Class A misdemeanor. The problem facing Sheriff Powell was that no one at the hospital could figure out why. We were finally winning, he says. But for every Your Own Backyard or Ill Be Gone in the Dark that has applied journalistic rigor to their research in the past two decades, theres an Up and Vanished, which has been at the center of ethical debates since the podcast debuted in 2016. Byers stated that Melissa preferred to take Dilaudid. But most notably, his initial timeline of events didnt match what was known about the crimes, and every time he offered a detail that diverged from the accepted chronology, the interrogating officers seemed to steer him back in the direction of the official version. The medical examiners findings breathing, heart rate, and that & # ;! In our, Ark he had, in fact, passed it, but passed... He ask [ sic ] John Mark if Melissa was worried about an trial. The murders shocked West Memphis, but weeks passed without an assailant or assailants being found said Byers... 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