Produced and directed by filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, the film and its two sequels, Paradise Lost 2: Revelations and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, gave audiences a unique and detailed look into the case, the accused, and the families of victims. Classmates at Weaver Elementary School, the three were active in their Cub Scout troop and responsible enough to be trusted to roam their neighborhood without supervision. You still dont really know what happened to these kids. Who Killed The Forgotten West Memphis Three? Then youd try to find it, and it didnt exist, because when we went out to discussion groups, no one knew about the case yet., After learning that the teens were still in prison, Bakken, Sauls, and Pashley decided to make full use of the budding technological revolution. In 2004, Vicki Hutcheson recanted her trial testimony, stating that she had lied on the stand. Damien Echols (@damienechols) July 7, 2021 Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of Branch who was under suspicion but never charged, said he welcomes new DNA testing. Funeral Home Services for Terry are being provi. Armchair detectives of today, I think a lot of them dabble in conspiracy theory, Berlinger says. Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of Branch who was under suspicion but never charged, said he welcomes new DNA testing. Its affected a lot of lives, but for some reason it keeps being brought up, said Hobbs. Quickly, however, he realized Berlinger and Sinofsky were taking a different approach. 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. Under order of the Arkansas Supreme Court, there were to be new evidentiary hearings in the case. Attorneys for Echols have submitted a formal request to inspect the records that are available, involving cataloguing of the evidence as well as information on the loss of the evidence. He was 56. 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. During the final year of the two-year span, from July 2021 to July 2022, California lost about 211,000 people, according to data from the state Department of Finance. He was handed the phone. How do you measure the legacy of Paradise Lost, which is one of the best reviewed documentaries of all time and considered among the most influential, but whose mission is only partly complete? She has since expressed her belief that her ex-husband was involved in the murders, citing the discovery of her son's favorite pocket knife in Terry Hobbs' belongings. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. In 1994, the FBI said there was scant evidence that violent satanic crimes had ever occurred in America outside of a few isolated incidents, but that was long after TV hosts like Geraldo, Sally Jessy Raphael, and Oprah had spread moral hysteria about musicians weaving supposedly anti-Christian and occult messages into their songs, and long after wrongful convictions were handed down in the infamous McMartin Preschool sexual assault trials. Websleuths, an online forum for discussions about unsolved homicides and missing-person cases, has more than 100,000 members, and internet vigilantes have used social media and other online breadcrumbs to help track down actual criminals, such as the Canadian murderer and subject of the documentary Dont F*ck With Cats, Luka Magnotta. Once there got to be this global pressure, and there was a big concert here with really big-name musicians within a mile of our Supreme Court building, things started suddenly to change, she says. Few celebrities at the time did as much as Henry Rollins, however. Explore. We were mainly in it for the aesthetics of filmmaking, but the last scene of Paradise Lost, when Damien is chained up and sent away to death row, that was just heartbreaking and devastating for us, Berlinger says. (WMC) - Its a case that has captured the nation and certainly the Mid-South. And the seemingly endless stream of threats against them and the frequent clashes with Mark Byers did nothing to dissuade them. Except this was 1996, and home internet was still in its infancy. Three teenage boys were arrested for the crimes Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. and prosecutors argued they killed the boys as part of a Satanic ritual. Mike Allen arrived on the scene. Sheriff's deputies in Calhoun County say Terry Hobbs was reported missing on Saturday, April 20, 2019. The Latest CD: 92 YEARS YOUNG: JAMMIN' AT THE GIBBS HOUSE. Among them was a disoriented, muddy, and bleeding African-American man who stumbled into a West Memphis Bojangles restaurant men's room less than a mile from the crime scene. This article was updated after publication to add more context about the honorariums paid to the families of the victims and the West Memphis Three and also to correct the time frame in which Berlinger and Sinofsky informed HBO about the changing scope of the documentary. 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. To this day, it is still unclear who is responsible for the killings. Baldwin remembers the dire circumstances laid out during the call. Although the bodies were discovered at 1:30 p.m., investigators didn't call the coroner until 3:58 p.m. By the time the coroner arrived, fly larvae were already present in the nostrils and eyes of the victims. All of those factors combined to create a tipping point, says Leveritt. 24 to Jun. But they never had any physical evidence that connected us to this crime, Echols said in 2012. Baldwin, the youngest member of the trio that had come to be known as the West Memphis Three, was serving a life sentence after being convicted on charges connected to the 1993 killings of three 8-year-old boys. As the movement to free the West Memphis Three gained traction, a number of celebrities joined the cause, bringing the case under more scrutiny. . According to Dan Stidham, the attorney for Misskelley, that money became essential for the cash-strapped defense teams, who needed to pay for expert witnesses and other expenses. Case Number : 2:21-BK-21177. Like everyone else who was familiar with the case, they wanted to know who committed the crimes, but their main goal was advocacy, not using the opportunity to play investigators. But none of that support has been able to fully exonerate the trio, something theyre still fighting for. Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were best friends. One of the keys to understanding the West Memphis Three murders is the phenomenon known as the Satanic Panic. Terry Hobbs passed away in Nampa, Idaho. The bodies had been removed from the water and placed on the adjacent embankment, possibly disturbing physical evidence or otherwise contaminating the scene. Mojo, however, was considerably more fired up, believing the same thing many of Paradise Losts viewers did: that the movie showed an incredible miscarriage of justice, one that would surely be fixed. Misskelley and Echols were 36; Baldwin was 34. 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.. Terry Castleman is a data . Evidence in West Memphis Three case missing or destroyed, Judge sets bond for 76-year-old woman accused of killing terminally ill husband, Woman accused of driving into home, killing former pro basketball player Galen Young granted diversion, DA Mulroy says he doubts any drag shows will violate Tennessees new drag bill, MPD finds alleged chop shop operating in plain sight, Congressman Cohen announces $1 million grant for Memphis YMCA, Red hot Memphis womens basketball ready to make a run in AAC Tournament. Although the appeals were repeatedly denied, a new batch of DNA testing done in 2007 reignited the investigation. And that makes him hopeful that exoneration is on the horizon. But Echolss situation changed Baldwins thinking. They werent telling me I was lying, even if they may have been saying that in their minds. Griffis also knew how to spot a Satanist. 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. On the evening of May 5, 1993, 8-year-olds Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore went missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. He says his dad and Berlinger werent seeking notorietydocumentaries certainly werent a means to get rich or famous in those days. The story felt personal for all of them, but especially Sauls: He had grown up in Florida and Georgia as an outcast obsessed with art and reading some of the same books Damien Echols had. I couldnt not watch it at this point. He retired from the US Air Force, and he was the Deputy Supervisor for Polk County Supervisor of Elections. eyewitness evidence surfaced 16 years later. A source said the evidence was transferred to shipping containers where there was a fire, and some of the evidence was destroyed. The districts current prosecuting attorney, Keith Chrestman, did not respond to requests for comment for this article, but his predecessor Scott Ellington, whose office negotiated the deals, told The New York Times in 2011 that while new trials would have likely resulted in acquittals, We dont think that there is anybody else. The Moore family has been outspoken about the end result, vehemently protesting the 2012 Oscar nomination for the third Paradise Lost installment. of Auburndale, FL passed away Monday, August 16, 2021. Iwould journal something and put it in the box, said Hobbs. Titled West of Memphis, the film, directed by Amy J. Berg, presents an overview of the West Memphis Three's 18 years in prison, the revelation of new evidence, and explores the possibility of an alternate suspect. And then there was the public pressure: In August 2010, Vedder and Maines headlined yet another benefit concert, this one in Little Rock. Two of the West Memphis Three's most ardent supporters were director Peter Jackson, best known for The Lord of the Rings films, and his partner Fran Walsh. As the West Memphis Three languished behind bars for 18 years, thousands of supporters called out for their freedom while others vehemently declared their guilt. McCaughey says her sister is very upset. Jason Baldwin had no idea what was happening when a fellow inmate at the supermax prison in Varner, Arkansas, woke him up early one morning in 1997. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Terry Hobbs to show support. Echols, who prosecutors argued was the ringleader, was sentenced to death. Its gone from a controversial legal theory to an accepted phenomenon. You need corroborating evidence.. The news was devastating beyond just word of his friends suffering. But its closing moments point to how the filmmakers felt: that a horrific tragedy had just been compounded by a monumental miscarriage of justice. Berlinger says that he counts Errol Morriss The Thin Blue Line as one of his greatest influences, not just for the innovations Morris brought to the documentary genre, but also because it helped free Randall Dale Adams from a sentence for the murder of a Texas police officer that he did not commit. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Main Page; Terry. The second is by looking at it as an act of passion and perseverance. 2012 West of Memphis (Documentary) Self - Steven Branch's Stepfather. In 2013, Jackson and Damien Echols produced a fourth documentary about the case. La Mirada, California. Critics were effusive in their praise and stunned by the footageparticularly Roger Ebert, who wrote in a four-star review that at the end of the film I was unconvinced of their guilt. The film won Emmy and Peabody awards to go with more than a dozen other nominations. Today, Berlinger calls Revelations the weakest of the three films in the trilogyadvocacy in search of a story as opposed to the in-the-moment, on-the-ground approach of the first Paradise Lost and the in-depth exploration of new evidence in 2011s Purgatory. With a large population of fundamentalist Christians, the American South was particularly subject to occult paranoia. It was clear that Paradise Lost was resonating. Polygraph tests revealed deception in the answers of both men in regard to the crimes. I didnt want to stop with us being that close. Terry Roland Hobbs September 11, 1959 ~ September 11, 2021 (age 62) Terry Roland Hobbs, 62, of Sweetwater, passed away on Saturday, September 11, 2021. People would drive by and yell at us, Theyre going to burn in hell, Sauls says. The only possible culprits were 18-year-old Damien Echols, a poor teen with an interest in the occult and a record of mental illness, his friend Jason Baldwin, a quiet kid whose talent for art tended toward dark subjects, and Jessie Misskelley, a 17-year-old misfit with an IQ of 73. So the minute youre done, you just want to know more. Its something that Baldwin couldnt envision when he first agreed to let the documentarians interview him in jail in exchange for an honorarium, or even when Mojo played that VHS tape for him in 1997. They didnt even think he would physically survive through December, Baldwin says. 21, 2021 at 1:51 PM PDT CALHOUN COUNTY, Fla.. Misskelley, who had entered the West Memphis police station that morning with hopes of reward money he might use to purchase a new truck for his father found himself instead charged with murder and facing life plus 40 years in prison. To send flowers or plant a tree in memory of Terry Hobbs, visit the Tribute Store. Updated: 9:42 AM CDT June 11, 2019. He died on April 4, 2019 in Panama City Beach, Florida, USA. In 2007, new DNA and physical evidence arose that seemed to further distance the West Memphis Three from the murders. The second postulated that they had been slain by one or more strangers. Hobbs, with the help of an author, put all that journaling intoa book about the 1993 murders of his stepson Stevie Branch, and Branchs friends Michael Moore and Chris Byers. He could have been me, he told Rolling Stone in 2011. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as: names, dates, place of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships. At the suggestion of the police, Hutcheson hid microphones in her home and borrowed occult books from the library to inspire Echols' interest. A year after the DNA results were released, Hobbs sued Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines for defamation, claiming she implied he was a murderer on the bands website and at a 2007 rally, according to The New York Times. Hobbs says his book is 25 years in the making, adding it is called Boxful of Nightmares for a reason. It was so emotionally taxing to watch and go through it again, he says. Metallica had never licensed a song for a film before, but when they learned about the case, Berlinger says, they made an exception. Terry Hobbs, Todd Moore, and Dana Moore still maintain that Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley murdered their sons. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Now a judgewho coincidentally works part time in the courtroom where Misskelley was convictedStidham spends time speaking to law students about the judicial system. He was an actor, known for Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988), Fast Food (1989) and In the Heat of the Night (1988). By 2005, Rollins himself had raised $100,000 for the cause. It was born out of genuine admiration for the fact that these guys took the time out of their lives to dedicate, to go down to Arkansas, to build a website, to really step out of their lives, Berlinger says. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. But then the verdicts arrived: Both Baldwin and Echols were found guilty on all counts, just like Misskelley had been six weeks before them. June 29 Terry Hobbs, 34, 1718 Spyglass Lane, Mishawaka, booked on a warrant from Elkhart County. October 14, 2017: #26 on the JazzWeek chart! They asked to see a cut, and they immediately said, Not only are we going to let you use all that music, but were not going to charge you anything for it., Metallica would be the first celebrities to throw their support behind the West Memphis Three, but they were far from the last.
