Devil's Knot - The true story of the west memphis three
By Mara Leveritt
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In 1993, West Memphis, three 8yr olds were found murdered in a drainage ditch in a forest. They were naked with with there hands and feet tied behind there backs by shoestrings. The left hand would be tied to the right foot, and the right hand tied to the left foot. One of the boys scrotum was cut off and his penis was skinned. The police said that it was possibly 'gang or cult' activity. A local woman said that Satan worshiping took place in the woods. The man in charge of the investigation said that the case number was, coincidently, 93-05-0666. Years later, it was discovered that the case number was actually 93-05-0555. It just got worst from there.
Police made 3 arrests after ignoring important leads, and focusing on biased stories with MANY MANY MANY conflicting details.
Michael Damien Echos - 19,Pegan, practiced white witchcraft. Had mental problems, wore all black, extremely arrogent to the police because he knew he was innocent. He was known to drink blood, and had E-V-I-L tatooed on his knuckles. Everyone believed he worshipped satan. Was accused of threatening to kill someone a year prior.
Jason Baldwin - 17,Average to good student, won awards for perfect attendance. Listened to metal music. Thought to be the leader of the murders. In an essay he wrote for school just a month prior to the murders, he wrote. "If I could be anyone, I would want to be myself. I know I have my flaws but doesn't everybody. My greatest gift is art. When I graduate I want to do CD covers for bands, maybe get my own tattoo shop someday"
Jessie Misskelly - 17, Mildly retarded, has in IQ of a 3rd grader. Grew up in a rough family, his dad was a drunk. Got into lots of fights.
They were supposedly part of a 'Satanic Cult', it was discovered months after the arrests that Jessie didn't even know who satan was. While talking to his lawer he asked "Who is Satin", like the fabric.
The Police had NO evidence connecting any of them to the crime. They just listened to rumers about Damien.
After months of questioning finally they got an eye witness to the account, Jessie.
He didn't know anything about the murders. They questioned him for 7 hours, and whenever he got something wrong they would yell at him and tell him what actually happened, then they would question him again, and Jessie would just say what the investigators told him. After that interogation, they decided it was time to record the questioning.
1. Jessie claimed that the murders happened early that morning, they met at the woods at about 9:30 AM and he left at around 12:00. The victims were in school until 4:00 that afternoon.
2. Jessie claimed that he got to the forest and Damien hit one of the boys. The boy began to run towards the houses (North), Jessie ran after the boy and brought him back. Later in the questioning Jessie said the the boy ran towards the large pipes (South).
3. They asked which boy Damian had hit, Jessie pointed to a boy in a picture and said "Micheal Moore", but it wasn't Michael Moore he was pointing at, it was Chris Byers.
4. "So you saw Damien strike Chris in the head?" Jessie had not said that Damien striked him in the head, but Jessie said "yeah."
5. "They then began beating the other boys, so I left"
"So you came back a little later and all three boys are tied?"
Jessie never said anything about returning to the scene, but replied "Ya"
6. "Where the boys naked?"
"Yes"
"When where the clothes removed?"
"After they beat them up real badly. Then they tied them up. They started cutting them and stuff so I went home. They called later asking why I left early. I said I couldn't watch them do it anymore"
"What time did they call?"
"About 9:00 PM"
And now Jessie never left the scene until after they were tied up.
7. "What time were you in the park? When did this all happen"
"About 12:00"
The police knew this still didn't fit
"So, was it after school let out?"
"I didn't go to school"
"The little boys?"
"They skipped school"
NO THEY DIDN'T
8. "Where the boys alive when you left."
"Yeah"
9. Jessie kept on saying that only the hands were tied, he never mentioned the feet being tied up as well.
"Where there hands tied in a fashion that they could run?"
"They could run."
9. "Now answer truthfully, did you hit any of the boys"
"No"
"Did you rape any of the boys"
"no"
"did you kill any of the boys"
"no"
"did you see any of the boys get killed?"
"yes"
"Which one was killed?"
Jessie pointed to Chris Byers again.
"how was the boy killed?"
"he choked him real bad and all"
"with what did he choke him?"
"with a stick, holding it over his throat"
None of the boys had any sign of abuse to the neck, only a few scratches. Chris Byers actually sustained a major injury that killed him, but Jessie never mentioned it. Now Jessie witnessed only one of the murders and went home.
10. "So you witnessed the boys being murdered and then went home."
Jessie never said he witnessed the other 2 boy's murder
"So you got home, when did they call you? 30 minutes later, an Hour?"
"an hour"
Previously (#6) Jessie said they didn't call until 9 pm.
11.They took a 20 minute break, the recorder was turned off. They came back and continued on to 'clear up' some discrepansies.
"When you were at the woods and the little boys came up, what time was it?"
"5 or 6"
"You told me earlier that it was around 7 or 8. Which time was it" (Jessie never said that)
"7 or 8. It was starting to get dark"
So now, the murders happened at night, rather than that morning.
12. "what were the boys tied up with"
"a rope"
"what color was the rope"
"brown"
The boys were tied up with shoestrings.
12 hours after Jessie got to the police station the questioning was over. He was arrested immediatly afterwards.
This interogation lead to the questioning of the neighbor boy who also now claimed to have been there. He gives a completely different story about what happened. They question him again, his story doesn't match his first story, they question him again, and again there were major discrepancies between his stories and what really happened, but police were able to use these 2 conflicting eye witness accounts to get arrest warrents on Damien and Jason.
This is just barely touching extent that the police went to get these people arrested. I'm not done with the book yet, but from what I here it gets far far worse. I know that they are found guilty.
THIS IS A MUST READ!!!!!!
