AN attorney for one of the West Memphis Three has blamed “satanic panic” for the wrongful conviction of the three teenagers.
The West Memphis Three were believed to be in a satanic cult due to their choice in music, clothing and books – but this was far from the truth.
When the mutilated bodies of three eight-year-old Cub Scouts were found in a ditch in West Memphis, Arkansas, locals were convinced it was a satanic ritual killing.
But the manhunt that followed ruined three more young boys lives, as a local teen was placed on death row and two others were handed life sentences – despite apparent lack of evidence or motives.
Damien Echols, 18, Jason Baldwin, 16, and Jessie Misskelley Jr, 17 became known as the West Memphis Three.
They were convicted of murdering Steve Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers, all eight, in a satanic ritual on May 5, 1993.
Their only crime, according to their legal team, was not fitting in to how teens should dress, act or behave in the bible belt.
Since then, they and have consistently proclaimed their innocence.
Judge Dan Stidham represented 17-year-old Misskelley Jr in the case.
He told The Sun that the belief in satanic rituals “gripped the Mid South and the nation” – and it will be sure to happen again.
Judge Dan said: “The one opponent I couldn’t beat was Satanic Panic.
“This literally had frightened the Mid South here in the United States and, and affected the entire nation.
“Back then, our culture was a lot different than it is today, and of course there’ll be a repeat of this, it seems like it’s on a 300-year cycle.
“As the world has become a bit more sophisticated and less superstitious, and the advent of the internet, back then we were in the midst of a moral panic, at least here in America.
“The FBI stepped in and actually conducted a survey and were not ever able to find or connect any homicide in the United States to a satanic ritualistic homicide.”
One of the teens, Jason Baldwin, was arrested wearing a Metallica t-shirt which was even introduced into the case “as Exhibit 99,” Stidham said.
This is the only piece of “evidence” that was used against him as Metallica music was associated with Satan in the bible belt at that time.
Meanwhile Damien Echols had checked out books from the library that the prosecution linked to the devil.
The case captivated the world as celebrities – including Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, Johnny Depp, and Winona Ryder – joined calls for the conviction to be overturned.
Many believed that there had been a serious miscarriage of justice.
While the three teenagers were blamed for the murders and horrific injuries inflicted on the boys, Judge Dan claims that animals had actually caused the mutilations to the bodies.
In the ditch, it was most likely to have been an Alligator Snapping Turtle.
Stidham explained that a forensics expert saw a picture of one of the boys who had been “horribly mutilated” and labelled them as the “worst pictures [he’d] ever seen” – but added that the three convicted teenagers couldn’t “pull this off.”
Stidham said: “There’s some new DNA technology that wasn’t available back in 2007 when we finally broke the case open and proved that it wasn’t a satanic ritual homicide.
“The injuries to the boy’s bodies were caused by animal predation, most likely, turtles and raccoons, things of that nature, which was misinterpreted by the police, along with the initial autopsy report that made them think that’s what happened.”
But Stidham argues that this wasn’t the only thing that police misinterpreted or got wrong in the case.
Cops even interrogated an eight-year-old boy named Aaron who claimed he had witnessed the murders which he said were committed by satanists who spoke Spanish.
Stidham said: “You can’t interrogate children with leading questions and expect to get a truthful answer.
“When a kid tells you that they went to day school and got on an airplane with a pink elephant, flew to Australia, and got back before time to be picked up from school – it’s completely outrageous.
“It just couldn’t happen. But just like in our case, in that case, the police simply overlooked it and just kept on going.”
Dan was called to defend Misskelley Jr after he had made a confession to the police about the killings – which was later said to have been coerced.
The then 17-year-old had spent 12 hours being interrogated by police without a guardian or a legal representative present.
The teen had such a low IQ he didn’t understand the case and was coerced by cops into confessing to a crime he didn’t commit, according to Judge Dan.
He said Misskelley didn’t “understand the role of a lawyer, he didn’t know what a lawyer was, he didn’t understand the jury’s role, the judge’s role, the prosecutor’s role.”
So Misskelley, in Stidham’s eyes, “wasn’t competend to even stand trial.”
The two other teens were also coerced into confessions, according to Stidham, with one of them having a similar IQ to Misskelley’s.
Misskelley was tried separately to Echols and Baldwin due to the “Bruton rule” meaning that his confession could be not used to try his co-conspirators in a joint trial.
He received a life sentence and lost a subsequent appeal but Dan says witnesses were coerced to lie or stay away.
In 2011, the three teens were released from prison as part of a plea deal – meaning the teens were incarcerated for 18 years for crimes they hadn’t committed.
Stidham reflected on the case and the justice system, and claims the state of Arkansas didn’t own up to their “mistakes” with the case.
He said: “All they would add to say is, you know, we made a mistake and we’re gonna dismiss the charges and send them home and pay reparations for the best years of their lives that they lost while they were incarcerated for 18 years and 78 days.
“They didn’t do that. What they did instead was, a deal was struck, the Alford plea, and that’s based on North Carolina versus Alford.
“And essentially, you plead guilty while maintaining your innocence – that’s like a football game.
“That seems a waste of time and not logical for them not to finish the game and let there be a winner declared.
“But this wasn’t about winning, it was about doing the right thing, and the state of Arkansas didn’t do the right thing.”
In April, The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled in favour of using new DNA testing methods on evidence from the crime scene that was not available when it was originally tested.
But until their innocence can be proved without a doubt, the West Memphis Three remain hobbled by their convictions.
May 5, 1983 – Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers, all eight-years-old, are reported as missing.
May 6, 1983 – the bodies of all three boys are found in a muddy creek in Robin Hood Hills.
May 7, 1983 – Damien Echols was interviewed about the murders.
June 3, 1983 – Jessie Misskelley Jr was interviewed by police about the murders. He was questioned for 12 hours without a legal representative or a guardian.
February 5, 1994 – Misskelley is convicted of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. He was handed a life sentence in prison with a minimum term of 40 years.
March 19, 1994 – Damian Echolls and Jason Baldwin are found guilty on three counts of murder. Damian is given the death penalty and Baldwin life in prison.
May 1994 – The three defendants launched an appeal but their convictions are upheld.
October 2003 – Witness Vicki Hutchenson recounted all of her evidence and said everything she told them was a fabrication. She claimed cops had threatened to take away her child if she didn’t cooperate.
2007 – The DNA taken from the crime scene was tested against Echols, Baldwin, or Misskelley. None were found to be a match. Terry Hobbs, the step father of Stevie Branch, was found to have a partial match to DNA found in the ligatures on one of the victims.
October 29th 2007 – Echols’s lawyers file for a retrial or immediate release. They cited the new DNA evidence and testimony from Terry Hobb’s ex-wife.
July 2008 – It came to light that the jury foreman in the original trial had discussed the case with an attorney prior to jury deliberations.
September 2008 – Dan Stidham testified at a post conviction hearing that Judge David Burnett had made improper communication with the jury during their deliberations.
September 10 2008 – Circuit Court Judge David Burnett denied the request for a retrial. It was appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court.
November 4 2010 – The Arknasas Supreme Court ordered a judge to consider if the new DNA evidence might exonerate the three.
August 19, 2011 – Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley are released from prison after taking Alford Pleas. It meant they accepted lesser charges of first- and second-degree murder while verbally stating their innocence.
2022 – First attempt launched to test DNA from the original crime scene, which had thought to be lost. It was denied.
April 19, 2024 – Arkansas Supreme Court clears the way for evidence from the crime to be tested using new methods.
