They were releasedfrom prison in 2011 on whats called an Alford plea, after new forensic evidence was presented as part of the case. Michelle McNamara helped crack the Golden State Killer case by poring over thousands of pages of case files while working on her book Ill Be Gone in the Dark, which was published two years after her 2016 death, while Chris Lambert and his podcast Your Own Backyard were highlighted by authorities after two arrests in April in connection with the 1996 disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. (Shortly after Villegass acquittal, Baldwin had something of a full-circle moment with his client: He took him to a Metallica show in El Paso, Texas, where they hung out backstage on the invitation of Lars Ulrich.). March 8, 2021, Terry Hobbs passed away on March 8, 2021 in Boise, Idaho. That included Mojo, who came calling around 2 a.m. that day trying to coax him out of his cell. Essentially, it allows the accused to assert their innocence while pleading guilty, conceding that the prosecution has an overwhelming amount of evidence to procure a conviction. Paso Robles, California. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) - More than 25 years after the murders of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, a new book gives a first-person account of . I couldnt not watch it at this point. Titled West of Memphis, the film, directed by Amy J. Berg, presents an overview of the West Memphis Three's 18 years in prison, the revelation of new evidence, and explores the possibility of an alternate suspect. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Terry Hobbs to show support. Yet, Judge David Burnett accepted Griffis as an expert. La Verne, California. Terry Castleman is a data . Published: Dec. 21, 2021 at 9:56 PM CST WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. Sheriff's deputies in Calhoun County say Terry Hobbs was reported missing on Saturday, April 20, 2019. To date, no DNA evidence from the crime scene can be linked to Damien Echols, Baldwin, or Jessie Misskelley. Nobody was saying, This is an outrageous case that needs to be looked into.. The IMDb credits page for the first Paradise Lost is modest, but impressive. Certain that, under what he felt were ridiculous circumstances, Echols' confidence and, on occasion, flippant attitude during the trial was often misinterpreted as evidence of his coldness toward the victims and their families. As detailed by The Hollywood Reporter in 2011, Jackson and Walsh helped fund key investigations for the West Memphis Three's defense during the last seven years of their incarceration. The next to be found was Stevie Branch, quickly followed by Christopher Byers. November 03, 2021 November 4, 2021 . The Latest CD: 92 YEARS YOUNG: JAMMIN' AT THE GIBBS HOUSE. . But Echolss situation changed Baldwins thinking. Updated: 9:42 AM CDT June 11, 2019. According to Griffis, black hair, black T-shirts, and black jeans were signs that a kid was in league with the devil. Spotting a small, black tennis shoe in the water, Jones radioed for help. Hobbs has never wavered in his conviction that justice was served the first time around. While Berlinger says that the work of people like Bakken and Sauls was more impressive than that of any celebrity, its undeniable that the famous and influential brought a megaphone and funding mechanism to this case that most never get. One of the keys to understanding the West Memphis Three murders is the phenomenon known as the Satanic Panic. Under order of the Arkansas Supreme Court, there were to be new evidentiary hearings in the case. The obituary was featured in Idaho Press Tribune on March 13, 2021. "People probably think I'm in Satanism because what they don't understand they try to destroy or ridicule. Debates still occur regularly onlinethe West Memphis Three subreddit is fairly active for one on a 28-year-old caseand podcasts have looked at the crime from all angles. there are no assignments to cushion your grade, so either pass or fail. A month later, authorities arrested Baldwin, Echols, and Misskelleythree teenagers who lived in trailer parks near West Memphis and had previous run-ins with the law, though nothing rising to the level of murder. But for every Your Own Backyard or Ill Be Gone in the Dark that has applied journalistic rigor to their research in the past two decades, theres an Up and Vanished, which has been at the center of ethical debates since the podcast debuted in 2016. Here's when clocks will 'spring forward' in 2023. "I'd like to see this put to rest. A murderer was loose in West Memphis. Example video title will go here for this video. Among those active in the cause were singer Eddie Vedder of the band Pearl Jam, the country music trio The Dixie Chicks, punk rock icon and poet Henry Rollins, and actor Johnny Depp. TERRY HOBBS OBITUARY Terry Roland Hobbs, 62, of Sweetwater, passed away on Saturday, September 11, 2021. In 2004, Vicki Hutcheson recanted her trial testimony, stating that she had lied on the stand. Terry Hobbs passed away in Nampa, Idaho. Echols tweeted, New technology and evidence in science would now allow us to test DNA in amounts so small that it would have been previously impossible. How do you measure the legacy of Paradise Lost, which is one of the best reviewed documentaries of all time and considered among the most influential, but whose mission is only partly complete? Bakken and Sauls say they tried to avoid offering theories about the case publicly, opting instead to try to work through official channels. I don't know if the other 2 did, but even if they did polygraphs aren't admissible in court. Over the years there has been lots of speculation and finger pointing as to who was responsible. Over the years there has been lots of speculation and finger pointing as to who was responsible. Griffis also knew how to spot a Satanist. Filing Date : Evidence in West Memphis Three case missing or destroyed, Judge sets bond for 76-year-old woman accused of killing terminally ill husband, Woman accused of driving into home, killing former pro basketball player Galen Young granted diversion, DA Mulroy says he doubts any drag shows will violate Tennessees new drag bill, MPD finds alleged chop shop operating in plain sight, Congressman Cohen announces $1 million grant for Memphis YMCA, Red hot Memphis womens basketball ready to make a run in AAC Tournament. Baldwin and Misskelley were sentenced to life without parole while Echols received the death penalty. They procured the domain WM3.org and made a website, updating it with whatever information they could track down. In a last ditch effort, they entered an Alford Plea, a complex and seldom used legal maneuver that would see them plead guilty while still asserting their innocence. Jason Baldwin had no idea what was happening when a fellow inmate at the supermax prison in Varner, Arkansas, woke him up early one morning in 1997. Minutes later, Sgt. After ending his first marriage, he wed Pamela Hicks Branch in 1986, when her son Stevie was almost 2 years old. People have come out of the woodwork and said this and this and people have done things and a lot of them are wrong, said Hobbs. Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of Branch who was under suspicion but never charged, said he welcomes new DNA testing. She said it was one of the highest-rated pieces they had. A hair found on one of the ligatures to bind the boys, however, was found to be consistent with the DNA of Hobbs, according to court documents obtained by Oxygen.com. That didn't make sense to me. Much of Cecil Hotel focuses on the amateur investigators who turned coincidences into conspiracy theories, ultimately accusing an innocent person of her death. He responded proudly, 11.. In 2007, new DNA and physical evidence arose that seemed to further distance the West Memphis Three from the murders. Echols is an author and mystic living New York with his wife, architect Lorri Davis. No charges have been brought against Jacoby, and he has never been named a suspect by the West Memphis Police Department. Covered in wounds, all three showed signs of having been beaten. It was a call about Damien Echolshe wasnt dead, but his wife, Lorri Davis, feared he might be soon. Nevertheless, Echols made no incriminating statements. He was 56. Misskelley told Hutcheson that he really didn't know much about Echols other than that he was "a weird person." They asked to see a cut, and they immediately said, Not only are we going to let you use all that music, but were not going to charge you anything for it., Metallica would be the first celebrities to throw their support behind the West Memphis Three, but they were far from the last. Hobbs, with the help of an author, put all that journaling intoa book about the 1993 murders of his stepson Stevie Branch, and Branchs friends Michael Moore and Chris Byers. With a large population of fundamentalist Christians, the American South was particularly subject to occult paranoia. In the Bible Belt, the Satanic Panic took hold with a vengeance. After hours of questioning, a frustrated Morgan blurted out that he had been hospitalized for drug and alcohol abuse and might have committed the murders. The next day, their bodies were found in a nearby canal. Here were these guysat best they were neutral. October 14, 2017: #26 on the JazzWeek chart! We are sad to announce that on September 11, 2021 we had to say goodbye to Terry Hobbs of Sweetwater, Texas. The level of corruption in the American justice system is glaring and sickening.. . Hobbs was Branch's stepfather. The third put forth the unusual theory that the killings were committed as a cult ritual. No explanation has yet been given as to why such a seemingly important lead was dropped. And then there was the public pressure: In August 2010, Vedder and Maines headlined yet another benefit concert, this one in Little Rock. But they were saying that he was about to die.. Also, law enforcement chose not to focus on the victims' families as the starting point of the investigation as is the norm. When we were driving in the car a lot, wed play a lot of the Metallica album Master of Puppets, says Alex Sinofsky, who became a doctor instead of getting behind the camera himself. In June 1996, Paradise Lost debuted on HBO, bringing the story of the West Memphis Three to TV sets and showing the power of the camera in the courtroom. However, in 2010, a series of rapidly unfolding developments turned the tide for Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. But the list of people who have looked at the facts of the case and come away believing Baldwin, Echols, and Misskelley are innocent is long. doesn't know how to teach the material and you will end up teaching yourself everything. Its no surprise the juries found the prosecutions narrative compelling, Leveritt says: For them, the image of killer satanists headbanging to Metallica was more than plausible. Mike Allen arrived on the scene. I had a big box. Paradise Lost is a narration-free documentary filmed with a journalistic remove. The governor of the state of Arkansas who will one day pardon the West Memphis Three is probably in junior high right now, he says. - The West Memphis 3: Free (2012) . of Auburndale, FL passed away Monday, August 16, 2021. A year after the DNA results were released, Hobbs sued Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines for defamation, claiming she implied he was a murderer on the bands website and at a 2007 rally, according to The New York Times. 34465541-95D0-45B0-BEEB-B9E0361A315A In West Memphis, Hobbs worked as an ice cream delivery man and Hicks worked at a restaurant. Terry was born on September 11, 1959 in Sweetwater, to Jack Harvey and Marjorie. Another hair found near the crime scene on a tree stump was found to be consistent with the DNA of Hobbs friend, David Jacoby, according to court documents obtained by Oxygen.com. Eventually, they began traveling to Arkansasabout 35 trips in total, always on their own dime, Bakken and Sauls sayto collect case documents, which they scanned and uploaded to the site, also transcribing the documents so that the text could be searchable. Dan Stidham, the original attorney for Misskelley, who would also work on Baldwins and Echols appeals, says he has the answer. So, how much is Terry Hobbs worth at the age of 50 years old? In an email to The Ringer, Rollins stressed that inaction was not an option., Myself and the many people I worked with did what we could to help bring attention to the case and generate much needed financial aid, he wrote. On the evening of May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys disappeared from the streets of West Memphis, Ark. A spiritual successor to Errol Morriss The Thin Blue Line, and a forerunner of more recent documentaries like Making a Murderer, the film stands today as the most affecting examination of one of the most studied legal cases in U.S. historyone that put heavy metal lyrics and black T-shirts on trial and helped lay the groundwork for the current thinking around false confessions. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (localmemphis.com)More than 25 years after the murders of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis,a new book gives a first-person account of what was happening behind the scenes. Like Misskelley in the first trial, Baldwin received a life sentence. And yet Hobbs was not interviewed at all in the months after the crimes. Terry Roland Hobbs September 11, 1959 ~ September 11, 2021 (age 62) Terry Roland Hobbs, 62, of Sweetwater, passed away on Saturday, September 11, 2021. Funeral Home Services for Terry are being provi. The idea of the average citizen becoming embroiled in a criminal investigation isnt far-fetched in 2021, decades removed from the launch of WM3.org. Hold for Elkhart County. Branded the, What has never been definitively answered, however, is who committed the 1993 murders, and , Due to marital problems stemming from Stevies death, the couple divorced in 2004, reported, The test results showed that no genetic material on the crime scene evidence was a match to Echols, Baldwin or Misskelley, reported the, The West Memphis Police Department interviewed Hobbs, who was dismissive of the findings, claiming the hair could have been picked up during a visit to his home since the victim "played with our little boy regularly," according to the, "They said close to the crime scene because at one time I did walk near where they had found the kids with Terry Hobbs But I didn't wear hats back then, my hair could have blown around anywhere, Jacoby told Memphis NBC affiliate, A year after the DNA results were released, Hobbs sued Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines for defamation, claiming she implied he was a murderer on the bands website and at a 2007 rally, according to, In 2009, three witnesses filed affidavits claiming they saw Hobbs with the murdered boys the night they disappeared, contradicting Hobbs previous statements to police, according to. This is not a smoking-gun-type case.. eyewitness evidence surfaced 16 years later. At that time, I was a little naive that what you read in the paper must have some truth to it, and all the press reports coming out of Arkansas were saying that this was like a slam dunk, an open-and-shut case with a confession that was printed in the newspaper.. Even though they said they didnt murder the three boys, they are technically convicted killers. "Everyone has a story and this just happens to be mine," said Hobbs. Heavy metal music, role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, and horror movies were regarded as gateways to evil. the only grade you receive is from quizzes, exams, and the final. Baldwin is the co-founder of the legal advocacy organization Proclaim Justice. Its something that Baldwin couldnt envision when he first agreed to let the documentarians interview him in jail in exchange for an honorarium, or even when Mojo played that VHS tape for him in 1997. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! A native of Winter Haven, born December 21, 1964, Terry . During Misskelley's trial, Hutcheson testified that she had attended an "an occult Satanic meeting" she referred to as an "esbat." She has since expressed her belief that her ex-husband was involved in the murders,citing the discovery of her son's favorite pocket knife in Terry Hobbs' belongings. As the movement to free the West Memphis Three gained traction, a number of celebrities joined the cause, bringing the case under more scrutiny. Attorneys for Echols have submitted a formal request to inspect the records that are available, involving cataloguing of the evidence as well as information on the loss of the evidence. TSGT Terry Lee Hobbs, USAF, ret. The reason for the credit gets less curious when hes asked about it: He was a huge Metallica fan. 24 to Jun. None of the early interviews with the parents were recorded. West Memphis is in the heart of the Bible Belt: just a two-hour drive from where, legend has it, the devil tuned Robert Johnsons guitar, in a state thats 46 percent evangelical Protestant. But inside, he was just another prisonerBaldwin didnt know who he could trust. Echols, who prosecutors argued was the ringleader, was sentenced to death. A native of Winter Haven, born December 21, 1964, Terry has been a lifelong resident of Auburndale. Since the West Memphis Three were released, no one else has been charged in the murders of Stevie, Christopher and Michael. Maines won the lawsuit; police have never named Hobbs a suspect or charged him in connection with the killings.). As the first in a trilogy of Paradise Lost films about the case, the 1996 movie was a stunning example of cinma vrit, as directors Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky embedded themselves with the prosecution, the defense, and the families of both the slain and the accused to put human faces on a heart-wrenching tragedy, as well as highlight the overblown worries of satanic rituals and murderous cults that proliferated throughout the 1980s and 90s. The state of Arkansas continues to attempt to prevent this testing from happening., New technology and advances in science would now allow us to test DNA in amounts so small that it would have been previously impossible. William Holford Griffiths. Pam Hobbs divorced Terry Hobbs in 2004 and has reversed her position on the West Memphis Three's guilt. There are no events scheduled. Echols attorneys got a letter from the custodian of records for the West Memphis police department saying some of the evidence ended up lost, or misplaced, and some destroyed by fire. There also were issues with other details he provided, including how the victims were bound and whether the boys were raped. February 27, 2023 (82 years old) View obituary. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Terry Lee Hobbs of Auburndale, Florida, born in Winter Haven, Florida, who passed away on August 16, 2021, at the age of 56, leaving to mourn family and friends. Three teenage boys were arrested for the crimes Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. and prosecutors argued they killed the boys as part of a Satanic ritual. Terry Roland Hobbs, 62, of Sweetwater, passed away on Saturday, September 11, 2021.