Exonerate the WM3 Official Blog

48 Hours: A Cry For Innocence - Watch Here

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In Full:� Johnny Depp, Others Push to Prove the Innocence of Trio of Convicted Killers Known as the West Memphis Three. Read the full story online here. Especially welcome, but not included in the episode, is a short video of retired FBI agent Kenneth Lanning, who still says there's no evidence there were ever murderous Satanic cults and they certainly weren't a factor in the Robin Hood Hills murders.

Moriarty of 48 Hours Discusses WM3 on The Early Show

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Watch CBS News Videos Online

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Damien Echols Speaks: From Death Row To Freedom

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Damien Echols Speaks: From Death Row To Freedom
New evidence, court delays and growing support for West Memphis 3

By Stephanie Scurlock

Memphis, TN - WREG

FAST FACTS:
Damien Echols counting on federal court for new trial
Echols explains how new DNA evidence points finger to step-father of victim
Wife of Echols and actor Johnny Depp grant rare interviews in support of Echols

There is a fight for freedom for what a growing number of people believe is an innocent man on death row. It's been almost 17 years since the West Memphis 3 was convicted in one of the most brutal crimes ever in the Mid-South.

The bodies of 3 little boys, Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers were found naked, hog tied and mutilated. Three teenagers were convicted. Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin are serving life sentences. The alleged ring leader, Damien Echols, is sentenced to die by lethal injection.

The number of people who believe the three are innocent has not diminished but has grown over the years. We go to Arkansas' death row to find out why.

A lot has changed since Damien Echols was sentenced to die. What has not changed is his claim of innocence. Now, more people than ever before people are speaking out in his defense. Echols tells us why.

Its our first look at Damien Echols in years. He's 60 pounds lighter, pale, losing his hair and at age 35 he's now spent half of his life on death row.

"I wake up every single day in a cell so small that I can only really take two steps. I'm forced to wear chains everyday of my life and the worst part of it is knowing I was never supposed to be here in the first place," said Echols.

Echols along with Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin were teenagers when they were convicted.

The conviction was won on forensic evidence that some leading pathologists now say was false and not consistent with wounds on the bodies of 8 year old Christopher Byers, Michael Moore and Stevie Branch. The prosecution built its case on the crime being part of a satanic ritual.

"Most of that stuff came from scare tactics by the prosecution and if you notice they don't even make those claims anymore. They stopped saying that because they realize how silly it sounds in hind sight. At the time you have to remember the entire town was in a frenzy of fear and paranoia because you just had three children turn up brutally murdered and no one could understand why," said Echols.

"I saw the documentary "Paradise Lost" at a film festival at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and was so struck by the story and what seemed like an injustice to me," said Lorri Davis, wife of Damien Echols.

The story affected Davis, a New York architect, so much she left the big city and her job behind and moved to Arkansas to help Echols win his freedom. The two eventually married.

Davis said, "Yes, I'm dedicated to Damien, to being his wife and I'm also dedicated to working on this case and making sure that we do everything possible to free them."

Echols is relying on tips called in to their Arkansas tipline and new DNA evidence to win his freedom. The tests show the absence of DNA from himself, Misskelley and Baldwin at the crime scene and the presence of DNA from someone else, Terry Hobbs, the step-father of victim, Stevie Branch.

Echols said, "It was found in one of the ligatures used to bind the children. It was actually inside one of the knots so it had to have gotten there by whoever tied the knot. That's where Terry Hobbs DNA was found."

The new evidence has yet to win Echols a new day in court. The case has bounced around for years. This last time it landed back in front of the original judge. He denied the appeal and is now running for state senate. One of the lead investigators is in a race for sheriff and the prosecutor is running for a seat on the Arkansas Supreme Court. That's where the case is headed next. Echols believes politics is getting in the way of justice.

"The problem with the lower court systems is that they're more politically motivated. The thing they worry about most is getting elected. You don't have that in federal court. A federal judge is appointed for life," said Echols.

He's counting on the federal courts to give him a new trial. He's getting lots of support from a growing list of ordinary people even celebrities, the latest, actor Johnny Depp. Depp interviewed with " CBS 48 Hours Mystery" about the West Memphis 3 case.

Depp said, "The most courageous action that the state could now take is to admit that they made mistakes and correct these errors."

Echol's wife said, "Johnny has been a very good friend for many years. He's just remarkable. He's got this incredible career and one of the biggest movie stars in the world but will always take the time to sit down and answer an email or make a phone call."

Davis is thankful for all the support. She's in the fight with her husband until the end.

"We've really trained ourselves to live where we are right now. Not to say that sometimes I don't have some kind of a fantasy of where we could live or what it would be like but it usually doesn't get very far," she said.

Echols says he is also focused on the here and now.

"I don't believe this is just a random tragic thing. I have to hold on to the faith, the belief that this is for a reason and that something good will come out of this somehow," said Echols.

It's not just famous people like Johnny Depp saying Echols deserves a new trial based on evidence. Other legal minds do also. Echols has received stacks of letters from law schools and those in the criminal justice system who are calling for a new trial. Pathologists have also come forward who say forensic evidence from the original trial does not point to the so-called West Memphis 3.

The West Memphis 3 case is the topic of a special "CBS 48 Hours Mystery" Saturday night at 9 p.m.

A tip line for the West Memphis 3 has been set up and is on a billboard in the town where the crimes were committed. The number is 501-256-1775.

Father Of A Murdered Boy Says West Memphis Three Are Innocent

Part 1:

Part 2:

Father Of A Murdered Boy Says West Memphis Three Are Innocent
Mark Byers Says He's Fighting To Free Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin

Memphis, TN - WREG

FAST FACTS:

Mark Byers Says The West Memphis Three Are Innocent
Father of Murdered Boy Says Police Botched The Investigation
Byers Hopes There Will Be A New Trial For The Accused

(Memphis 2/26/2010) In what could be considered a 180 degree reversal, Mark Byers says he's now fighting to free Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin.

Byers said, "I am convinced that three teenagers couldn't brutally kill three children and not leave a speck of DNA."

Echols, Misskelley and Baldwin are better known as the West Memphis Three.

"I had made the comment if it were ever proven the three were innocent. I'd be the first to lead the charge for their freedom."

Echols, Misskelley and Baldwin were convicted in 1994 for the brutal murders of Byer's son, Cristopher, and two other boys.

In an exclusive interview on News Channel 3 Live At 9, Byers says police botched the investigation with poor evidence and confessions.

"None of the crime scene matched any of Jessie Misskelley's confessions. The crime scene didn't match up what he said happened."

Byers also says he was also wrongly accused in this case.

"I know what it feels like to be blamed when you're innocent. I know what the West Memphis 3 feel like. I know what they go through each day in prison."

In fact, Byers has visited the three in prison.

"I spoke with Jessie and Jason. The first day I met with them and shook hands. All they could say was thank you Mr. Byers. That's all they could say."

For now, Byers says he will be fighting to free the West Memphis Three.

"Every opportunity that I have to voice that the West Memphis Three are innocent and the evidence and proof prove they're innocent."

Byers said he's hopeful Echols, Misskelley and Baldwin will get a new trial to prove their innocence.

Wife of Damien Echols Speaks Out in Rare Interview

Memphis, TN - WREG

By Stephanie Scurlock

Wife Of Damien Echols Speaks Out In Rare Interview
The woman behind West Memphis 3's Damien Echols

FAST FACTS:

Wife of Damien Echols speaks out in rare interview
News Channel visits Arkansas' Death Row for Echols Interview
Echols' wife is speaking out now for a reason

(Memphis 02/24/2010) Some people find love in the most unusual places even on death row.

For almost 17 years Damien Echols of the West Memphis 3 has been in prison.

He's convicted of the brutal murders of 3 little boys. All this time Echols has contended he is innocent. In a rare interview, we hear from the woman who has dedicated her life to helping him get his freedom and to being his wife.

Both admit this is by no means the traditional marriage.

The husband and wife are allowed to see each other only once a week. They may never live with each other or share an unsupervised moment together.

However, the woman who met and married Damien Echols is willing to go to almost any lengths to clear his name, even marrying him while he's on death row.

When News Channel 3 arrives on Arkansas' Death Row, Damien Echols is waiting on us. A prison guard is by his side. He's chained with handcuffs and shackles. That is the way of life for death row inmates.

"I haven't had direct sunlight on my skin in almost 8 years now. I haven't touched grass or tree or earth in almost 17 years," said Echols.

He adds, "There are times, I can honestly say, I would be dead now if not for her in my life."

Echols is talking about his wife of 10 years, Lorri Davis.

"I just felt a connection to Damien because he reminded me a lot of myself when I was that age and so I just felt I needed to reach out to him to see if I could help him in anyway and then one thing lead to another," said Davis.

Davis was at a film festival in New York when she saw the documentary on the West Memphis 3, "Paradise Lost". It affected her so much, the well traveled, career oriented, young woman decided she would write Damien. One letter lead to another, which eventually led to her leaving her job as an architect in New York City and moving to Little Rock, Arkansas to be close to him.

She said, "That was it. That was what my life was going to be."

Her family at first was upset but she convinced them to get to know Damien the person not Damien the persona.

"He's a very intelligent fascinating person and he is in prison but he's also an innocent person in prison," said Davis.

Davis married Echols four years after they met. He was 25. She was 35. So far, they've had the only Buddhist wedding ceremony in Arkansas prison history. Each week like clock work they visit on the only day allowed, Friday.

"I get there for three hours and we don't stop talking the whole time that we're together and that's always been the case," said Davis.

Echols told us, "You're allowed to hug and kiss hello. We're allowed to do things like practice mediation together. Touch hands, things like that."

However, every moment is supervised.

"This is the world in which I live. I'm grateful for everything I have and I think that Damien and I have a very strong relationship. It has to be strong to be able to endure this," said Davis.

Davis says her death row visits are sometimes the most peaceful moments of her entire week.

She said, "I don't think of myself as someone that's married to someone on death row. I'm married to a person that's in a difficult situation. I know that the reality of this is yes, he's on death row and he's in prison. He's been convicted of a crime but I know that he's innocent."

That is why Davis agreed to talk to us. In the 10 years she and Echols have been married she's rarely agreed to interviews. She's speaking out now because she wants the world to know the Damien she knows.

"I'm to the point now that if people say, Oh I believe they're guilty. They're still guilty. I'll either say you know what, either you have some vested interest that they stay in prison or you don't know the story," she said.

She loves her husband but warns others who might consider a relationship like hers that is not easy.

Davis said, "When I first started this fight, which it is, I thought it would take five years and that was 12 years ago."

She continued, "I'm completely dedicated. This is my life's work and I'm dedicated on every level. I have to be. If I would let up, I just can't imagine. I'm going to just keep doing this until we're done."

Echols told us what her support means to him.

"Over the past 14 or 15 years there have been times when I've literally not been able to get up anymore. Times when I said I can't do it. I can't keep fighting. I can't get up. She is what has made me get back up and keep fighting," said Echols.

Davis has hope Echols will one day be free.

Tomorrow on News Channel 3 at five o'clock, we talk to Echols exclusively about where his fight for freedom stands now, about new DNA that could lead to his freedom and who besides his wife is now supporting him.

The support ranges from Hollywood celebrities to law schools around the country.

Johnny Depp's TV pitch for 'innocent' teens

By LINDA STASI
New York Post

Last Updated: 12:01 PM, February 25, 2010
Posted: 1:32 AM, February 25, 2010

If it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes one to convict one.

Now and then, it requires a movie star to save one.

Think back 17 long years. Do you remember how every talk show was
obsessed with the same hot topic -- teenage Satanism? Heavy metal, it
was suggested, led to Satanism which naturally led to ritualistic
murder.

Even though the FBI never had evidence of even one so-called Satanic
murder, the national TV talk show atmosphere became very 17th-century
Salem witch trials.

Ritual homicide was a theory just looking for a reality.

That "proof" came in 1993 with the brutal murders of three little boys
at a creek in Arkansas and the hasty conviction of three teenage boys
for the killings.

Why? Because one of the boys wore black, had crazy "metal" hair and
looked like what the juvenile officer in their town thought a teen
Satanist would look like.

Now Dixie Chick Natalie Maines, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and Johnny
Depp, among thousands of less-famous people around the country, are
standing up for the three convicts -- Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and
Jessie Misskelley -- whom they believe were railroaded.

Depp is so passionate about the case that he makes a rare TV
appearance on "48 Hours" in a story called "A Cry for Innocence." He
tells reporter Erin Moriarty: "They were easy targets."

No blood, no mud, no murder weapon, no DNA were ever found.

"There was need for swift justice . . . to placate the understandably
angry and frightened community," the star says.

Depp, from a small town in Kentucky, says he can relate to the three young men.

"I didn't dress like everybody else," he says. "I can remember kind of
being looked upon as a freak."

The boys, now 35 years old, have spent their entire adult lives in
prison, with one of them, Echols, on death row.

Among those who were not questioned at the time is the stepfather of
one of the murdered children who was seen with the three boys right
before they were murdered.

But, hey, the expert witness at the trial -- a guy with a mail order
Ph.D -- said that the murderers probably drank the children's blood.

Shocking that the jury didn't just take the suspects out and burn them
at the stake.

48 Hours Mystery on WM3 Case

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Watch CBS News Videos Online

Don't miss this one: 48 Hours Mystery will air a one-hour special dedicated to the WM3 case on Saturday, Feb. 27, 10PM ET/PT. It will feature an extensive interview with Damien Echols, JM Byers, Johnny Depp, Lorri Davis and a legal update on the case. Tell everyone you know in USA to watch it LIVE!

Johnny Depp Wants West Memphis Three Case Re-Opened

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Memphis, TN - WREG

FAST FACTS:
Johnny Depp sits down for "48 Hours Mystery" interview
Mother of victim also wants West Memphis 3 case re-opened
Case is in hands of Arkansas Supreme Court

(West Memphis 2/23/2010) The spotlight shines on the West Memphis Three as another big-name celebrity brings attention to the case.

Actor Johnny Depp will appear in Saturday night's brand new "48 Hours Mystery," calling for a new trial for Jessie Misskelley, Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols.

The three were convicted in the satanic-style murder of three boys.

Depp tells "48 Hours Mystery" he can relate to the case. He grew up in a small town in Kentucky and says he was judged by his appearance. He says the trial didn't focus enough on the evidence, and instead on the teens' interest in heavy metal music and Steven King novels.

"I firmly, truly 1000 percent believe that Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are totally innocent," said Depp.

"The most courageous action that the state could now take is to admit that they made mistakes and correct these errors," he added.

Back in 1993, three little boys were found murdered, their bodies lying in a ditch, naked and hogtied with their own shoelaces.

One of the victims was Pam Hobbs' son, Stevie Branch.

"I had a beautiful young little man," she said during an interview with WREG Tuesday. "I'm very proud to say I'm his mother."

But more than 16 years after his murder, even she isn't convinced the police caught the killer.

"Seeing things for what they are today, the three men in prison were convicted of circumstantial evidence, they were weird teenagers," said Hobbs.

Echols remains on death row. Last month, attorneys for Misskelley and Baldwin presented new DNA evidence as well as claims of jury misconduct.

However, a judge denied their request for a new trial.

The case now sits in the hands of the Arkansas Supreme Court.

"If it's in God's will, another trial will happen, some day some how some way," said Hobbs.

She hopes the national spotlight will help re-open the case.

"My biggest fear, I mean its almost unutterable, is that justice is not served, not only for those three innocent men in prison, but also for those three innocent boys who were savagely murdered," said Depp.

WREG has learned that Depp has been communicating with Echols for years.

Stay tuned to WREG, Thursday our Stephanie Scurlock goes to death row for an interview with Echols and a rare interview with the wife he met and married in prison.

Johnny Depp's New Crusade

An attempt to get justice for the West Memphis Three has taken the A-list actor to an unlikely place: "48 Hours"

By Mary Elizabeth Williams

Feb. 23, 2010 | salon.com

Johnny Depp is a blockbusting, Oscar-nominated movie star whose eagerly anticipated new movie, "Alice in Wonderland," opens next week. You might, therefore, expect him to be making the rounds of late-night talk shows and entertainment magazines. Where you probably wouldn't expect to find him is on a tabloid crime show. But that's where he'll be Saturday night, appearing on "48 Hours" to talk about one of the most horrifying crimes of the last several years -- and a controversial investigation that may have put innocent young men behind bars.

On May 5, 1993, three little boys were mutilated and murdered in the West Memphis, Ark., woods, a crime that had the hallmarks not just of unspeakable brutality but also the guise of ritual.

Soon after, three teenage boys were arrested for the killings. The young suspects, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, had the misfortune of being black-clad, Stephen King reading, heavy metal fans. They were convicted, and have now spent almost half their lives behind bars. Echols is currently on death row.

But the case against the West Memphis Three, as they've become known, has always left considerable room for doubt. The boys had alibis for the times of the murders. There was almost no physical evidence to tie the suspects to the victims. Jessie Misskelley, who is mentally disabled and was a minor at the time, confessed to participating in the crime, but then recanted and said he had been coerced.

The story became a cause célèbre, and the basis of Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's haunting 1996 documentary "Paradise Lost," which persuasively argued for a reopening of the murder case.

There was certainly a cinematic precedent; Errol Morris' 1988 documentary about a mishandled murder investigation, "The Thin Blue Line," prompted a reopening of the case and the consequent freeing of Randall Dale Adams from death row.

But new trials didn't happen for the West Memphis Three. So four years later, the filmmakers did a sequel following up on the grim prison lives of Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley, and presenting even more supporting evidence for a new investigation. Again and again, however, the case lay dormant. As recently as last month the judge in the trial, David Burnett, a man who has publicly stated he's "sick and tired" of the the whole thing, rejected a bid for a retrial for Misskelley and Baldwin.

Yet you wouldn't know the seriousness of the cause -- or the compelling argument that the wrong individuals are behind bars -- by the way Johnny Depp's CBS News appearance is being reported today. The New York Post, perpetually short on nuance, declared today that "Johnny Depp promotes kid's movie by discussing satanic murders" while E! Online trumpeted "Johnny Depp Turns Defender of Convicted Murderers."

And Fox News, likewise never eager to let the facts get in the way of a headline, boggled that "Johnny Depp may have fallen through a rabbit hole. To promote his movie version of 'Alice in Wonderland,' he's advocating the release of three men convicted of murdering three boys in a suspected satanic ritual."

Forget the fact that the satanic sacrifice angle has been dubious from the get-go. Forget the lack of DNA evidence to tie the suspects to the crime. Forget, also, that Depp is not doing "48 Hours" to shill his movie. Yep, Johnny Depp wants to unleash devil-worshiping murderers on the children of America! PS, go see "Alice in Wonderland"!

Or maybe the famously press-shy Depp has other motives, like believing in the story. He's certainly in good company. Other celebrities who've advocated for the West Memphis Three include Eddie Vedder (who co-wrote the song "Army Reserve" with Echols), Metallica, the Dixie Chicks, Henry Rollins and Margaret Cho. Even "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker, who has made of career of skewering self-righteous stars and their doofy do-gooder public displays, has championed them. The mother of victim Stevie Branch, Pamela Hobbs, has also asserted she believes in the innocence of Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley.

Given all that evidence, perhaps Depp, the serious and committed actor, environmental activist and parent, is likely not also a fan of child-murdering Satanists. Perhaps one of the biggest movie stars in the world actually gives a damn about righting what is a bungled murder investigation at best and, at worst, a horrific miscarriage of justice in the American trial system. Perhaps he's so passionate about the issue that he's willing to go on a lurid television show to speak out about it. Maybe the guy whose movies so often charm and delight children actually cares about kids -- and not just the wide-eyed popcorn eaters who sit in movie theaters, but three little boys who died on a May evening in the Arkansas woods, and a trio of former misfit teens who've spent the past 16 years in prison for their deaths.

Johnny Depp's '48 Hours' Plea For West Memphis Three

Johnny Depp will appear on this Saturday's "48 Hours Mystery" as he makes a plea for a new trial for the West Memphis Three, three teenagers accused of murdering three boys in a satanic ritual in 1994.

As seen in the preview clip below, Depp says, "I firmly believe Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are totally innocent. It was a need for swift justice to placate the community."

To watch the promo and read this article, visit The Huffington Post!

Depp Defends West Memphis Three

*The air date is actually this Saturday, February 27!

NY Post 02/23/10

Johnny Depp may have fallen through a rabbit hole. To promote his
movie version of "Alice in Wonderland," he's advocating the release of
three men convicted of murdering three boys in a suspected satanic
ritual.

Depp will appear on CBS's "48 Hours Mystery" on Sunday to call for
reopening the case of the West Memphis Three -- convicted as teenagers
of beating three 8-year-olds to death in 1994 -- because he believes
they never got a fair trial.

Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were sentenced to life in prison,
and Damien Echols, who is on death row, have all spent 16 years behind
bars. But Depp joins such supporters as Eddie Vedder, Metallica,
Winona Ryder and the Dixie Chicks in arguing they were convicted
because they were devotees of heavy-metal music, Stephen King novels
and the occult.

Famously private Depp's agreement to appear on the "mystery" news
documentary show even shocked CBS workers, with one staffer telling us
last night: "Johnny Depp on '48 Hours' -- are you joking?"

But Depp, who'll also be on "The CBS Early Show" Thursday to promote
"Alice," his new Disney movie produced by Tim Burton, says Echols is
running out of time.

He says on "48 Hours," "I firmly believe Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin
and Jessie Misskelley are totally innocent. It was a need for swift
justice to placate the community. Damien Echols is on death row to be
killed by lethal injection."

The "48 Hours" investigation will highlight supposedly crucial new DNA
and forensic evidence which could potentially clear the trio, as well
as alleged juror misconduct that contributed to the convictions.

A rep for Depp -- who plays the Mad Hatter in the 3D "Alice" being
released March 5 with Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover and Anne
Hathaway -- did not return calls or an e-mail.

Photo Wall is Now Up & Running!

Please add your photo to wm3.org's worldwide WM3 supporters photo wall
now! Only takes a moment, and your $6.00 donation is urgently needed
for The Defense Fund at this time. Supporters are also able to add any
additional donation amounts so please do if you are able to! $6.00 is
a great way to show the world you're a supporter, as well as help to
fund Jason and Jessie's latest appeals and Damien's upcoming ASSC
hearing.

Free the WM3 Support Fund Requests Your Help Funding Appeals

Funds are urgently required to help pay for Jason and Jessie's latest
motions with the Arkansas Appellate Division. Please visit wm3.org or
ATA in order to make your tax deductible contribution!

An URGENT Message from WM3.org - February 2010

‘Paradise Lost’ makers back for more

By George Jared

Friday, February 5, 2010

JONESBORO — The story of three 8-year-old boys killed during an apparent
satanic ritual in West Memphis on May 5, 1993, was a subject too tempting to
pass up for award-winning filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky.

The bodies of Michael Moore, Stevie Branch and Christopher Byers were found
in a ditch, and according to police, the deaths were the result of an occult
ritual. A month later three teens — Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie
Misskelley Jr. — were arrested and charged with the murders.

As Berlinger and Sinofsky delved into the case, filming the families of the
accused and the victims, it became apparent to them the men charged with the
crime couldn’t have done it, and satanism wasn’t at the root of the crime.

Now almost two decades later, Berlinger and Sinofsky are in Northeast
Arkansas again, filming a third installment of their acclaimed “Paradise
Lost” series.

“These are men, who 17 years later are still rotting in prison,” Berlinger
said. Sinofsky later added, “Damien hasn’t seen sunlight in seven years.”

Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were convicted in 1994 of the killings.

“I can’t believe this case is still going on,” Berlinger said from the
inside of the Craighead County Courthouse last week.

The idea for a film about the killings came from an article in The New York
Times, Sinofsky said. Berlinger and Sinofsky traveled to NEA.

At first the filmmakers believed the accused were guilty.

“I remember being in court during one court hearing, and Damien craned his
head around and looked back at the audience, and it sent shivers down my
spine,” Sinofsky said.

But the case lacked any DNA or forensic evidence tying the teens to the
crime, Berlinger said. A error-riddled confession by Misskelley wasn’t
convincing, either, Berlinger and Sinofsky said.

The circumstantial case made against Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley was that
Echols practiced wiccan religion, they wore black shirts and listened to
hard rock music, the filmmakers said.

Berlinger and Sinofsky were further convinced of the teens’ innocence after
meeting Echols in jail. They described him as intelligent and not capable of
committing this heinous crime.

Dealing with the victims’ families was extremely emotional, Sinofsky said.
Moore’s parents, Dana and Todd Moore, initially refused to participate in
the documentary, but eventually they acquiesced.

Jostling between the families of the accused and the victims was hard,
Berlinger and Sinofsky said. On the first day of Misskelley’s trial, the
victims’ families sat on one side of the courtroom, and the accused’s
families sat on the other side.

“They watched us wondering which side we’d sit on,” Sinofsky said.

The filmmakers set up a camera near the jury box, they said. The intensity
from both families was palpable as the trials unfolded, Sinofsky said. Once
the testimony was complete, everyone seemed to relax, he said. “It was
really strange,” he added.

After the trials and convictions the film “Paradise Lost: The Child Murders
at Robin Hood Hills” premiered in 1996.

“Without a doubt it was the most emotional film we ever made,” Sinofsky
said.

It started an international furor.

Support groups for the so-called West Memphis Three formed, and money for
new trials was raised. The film was not an advocacy piece for the convicted,
but many who watched were shocked by the lack of evidence, Berlinger said.

Berlinger and Sinofsky won Emmy and Peabody awards for “Paradise Lost,” and
both expected the West Memphis Three to be released on appeal.

When it became apparent the men might not be released, the duo traveled
again to NEA to direct and produce “Paradise Lost II: Revelations.”

A key figure in the first film, Byers’ stepfather John Mark Byers, was a
focal point of the second film. An imposing figure who stands 6-foot- 6,
Byers was described by Sinofsky as “one of the most interesting figures in
film history.”

For years many West Memphis Three supporters thought Byers, who had a
history of drug abuse and other run-ins with the law, was the culprit. In
the second film, John Mark Byers explains why he removed all of his teeth
after it was revealed that some of the wounds on the victims could have been
human bite marks.

John Mark Byers also agreed to take a polygraph test in the film, and
explained how his wife, Melissa Byers, died under suspicious circumstances
two years after the death of her son. His sermonizing on several topics and
his repeated run-ins with Echols and supporters at post-conviction relief
hearings rounded the movie out.

The third film is proving much harder to put together, Berlinger said.
Several attorneys and witnesses have refused to do on-camera interviews due
to a “phantom” gag order imposed by Judge David Burnett during Baldwin and
Misskelley’s Rule 37 hearings last year.

Burnett has repeatedly denied issuing a gag order, and the Craighead County
Circuit Clerk’s office confirmed no documents relating to a gag order have
ever been filed in the case. Burnett has said in past interviews that he
told attorneys for the convicted “he didn’t want the case played out in the
newspapers and the media.”

Attorneys for Baldwin and Misskelley also won’t let their clients appear on
camera, and that has been frustrating, Berlinger and Sinofsky said.

Despite the problems, the filmmakers traveled to Jonesboro the last week in
January to interview John Mark Byers and a local newspaper reporter. They
also planned to meet with Branch’s mother Pamela Hobbs.

More trips are planned for the spring. The focus of the third film is to
outline the lives of the key figures in the case years later, Berlinger
said.

The filmmakers agree that of the three convicted Echols is the most
compelling. Charming and intelligent, the alleged ring leader of the cult
killing has drawn the most attention from West Memphis Three supporters.

“His death would be shameful,” Sinofsky said.

Based on the East Coast, Berlinger and Sinofsky reveled being back in
Jonesboro and were amused the case is still ongoing.

Recent DNA testing and witnesses coming forth with different versions of
events from May 5, 1993, have vindicated Berlinger and Sinofsky’s belief in
the West Memphis Three’s innocence, they said — so much so that Hobbs and
John Mark Byers also think the men didn’t kill their sons.

But even as the third film gets under way, the filmmakers’ thoughts are
always with the boys who died and the teens who have been jailed.

“We always wanted the killer or killers to be found,” Sinofsky said. “The
real killers.”

jonesborosun.com