All language subtitles for Paradise.Lost.The.Child.Murders.at.Robin.Hood.Hills.1996.DVDRip.XviD-MiDiJUNKiE-CD1

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 murdered.

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.

d Moon is full,
never seems to change d

d Just labeled
mentally deranged... d

Woman:
Imagine all the evil
that you could think of,

to how someone
could be murdered.

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 murdered.

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 murdered.

Man:
Live from KAIT-8 TV,

good neighbors
you can turn to

for news, weather,
and sports.

Tony Brooks,

Diana Davis,

Terry Wood,

and Dick 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, rape,
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
raped 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 rape 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 kill 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 killed
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 torture 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 homosexual 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 killed

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 killing them,
and killing them.

It's like they enjoyed it.

They killed 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 kill
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 kill
these three little boys.

I didn't kill
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 murder.

( 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:
d Happy birthday to you d

d Happy birthday to you d

d Happy birthday,
dear Jessie d

d Happy birthday to you d

d Happy birthday to you d

d Happy birthday to you d

d Happy birthday,
dear Jessie d

d Happy birthday to you. d

- 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 killed
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 murdered in 1990.

My name's Ann Marlin.

My daughter was
Sheila Elron Dixon.

She was murdered
January the 12th of '91.

I'm Wanda Raymond.

My daughter was
murdered 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 murdered 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
kill my son, they killed
part of me.

They killed
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 murdered 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 murdered.

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 murder.

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 killed,

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:
d O, worship the king d

d Of glorious above d

d And gratefully sing d

d His wonderful love d

d Our children... d

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 )

d There's a voice d

d Calling me d

d From an old rugged tree d

d And it whispers d

d "Draw closer d

d To Me d

d Leave this world d

d Far behind d

d There are no lights d

d To blind d

d And a new place d

d That may you d

d Will find" d

d For whatever d

d It takes d

d To draw closer d

d To You, Lord d

d That's what d

d I'll be willing d

d To do d

d For whatever d

d It takes d

d To be more d

d Like You d

d That's what d

d I'll be willing d

d To do d

d I'll take sunshine... d

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.

d Grace d

d For my will d

d To break d

d That's what d

d I'll be willing d

d To do d

d That's what d

d I'll be willing d

d To do. d

Man:
Amen.

John:
Eat it up.

You know, one thing I like

about this right here
black powder gun...

is they can't pull any type
of ballistics on it.

If by some chance you was
to shoot something with it,

every bullet rifles
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
shooting 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 guns up.

I'd say,
"This one here's
for you, Jessie."

We gonna go
for the jug of water.

( gunshot )

Oh, Jessie, I done blowed

- you half in two, son.
- ( Todd chuckles )

( gun clicking )

Now this one here's
for you, Damien.

You that black circle
right in the middle.

( gunshot )

- 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 killing 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.

( gunshots )

( 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 killed?

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 penis 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 killers who
don't leave it this clean,
you know?

I really do believe

that if
the jury hears

what lust
serial killers 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 killer

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 )

d Welcome to where
time stands still d

d No one leaves
and no one will d

d Moon is full,
never seems to change d

d Just
labeled mentally... d

( police siren )

( radio chatter )

d ...freedom
in my sight d

d No locked doors,
no windows to find d

d No things to make
my brain seemed scarred d

d Sleep, my friend,
and you will see d

d The dream
is my reality d

d They keep me locked up
in this cage d

d Can't they see it's why
my brain says rage? d

d Sanitarium. d

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 murder.

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 murder,

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 murder

in the death
of Michael Moore.

We the jury find
Jesse Lloyd Misskelley, Jr.

guilty
of second-degree murder

in the death
of Stevie Branch.

We the jury find
Jessie Lloyd Misskelley, Jr.

guilty
of second-degree murder

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 murder

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 murder,

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 murder,

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 murdered--
- Christopher's dead.

- Our son is still dead.
- And he was tortured
to death

by three
murdering bastards
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 ass
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 killed
the three boys,

and that he was gonna kill

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 kill Michael Moore?

No, I did not.

On May the 5th,

did you kill Stevie Branch?

No, I did not.

On May the 5th,
did you kill 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 killer.

( 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 kill 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 shoot 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 penis
and the scrotum,

and put the balls
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 killing 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.