Log

6/20/11

Officer Regenia Meek who worked the area where on the shift when the children went missing, has apparent contradictions in her story of her actions that evening.

5/30/11

The convoluted tale of Misskelley's post-arrest confessions are discussed in Misskelley's Many Confessions, Part Two.


5/27/11

Black t-shirts were used as evidence that Jason Baldwin had an interest in the occult.


5/19/11

Misskelley confessed and recanted on multiple occasions. The circumstance surrounding his first set of confessions are explored in Misskelley's Many Confessions, Part One.


5/19/11

A considerable amount of new information has come out regarding stepfather and suspect, Terry Hobbs. His page is updated.


10/1/09

While the witch hunt was underway, the fundamentals of a good investigation were not undertaken. The Hole in the Center of the Case.


5/15/09

With a number of shootings, a mysterious bleeding man, and the disappearance of three children, this wasn't an ordinary night and day in the history of West Memphis.

3/6/09

The Crittenden County Drug Task Force was one of the most successful in the nation. It was also very troubled. Its story is told in West Memphis Confidential.

2/24/09

The "Twilight Kill" series continues with Chapter 12, Whodunnit.

1/19/09

The "Twilight Kill" series continues with Chapter 10, Later Evidence, and Chapter 11, DNA.

1/5/09

This site has not had an extended summary of the case. This fault is corrected in "A Twilight Kill." It can be found at the following links. It will be continued in two more chapters, Ten: Later Evidence; and, Eleven: Whodunnit.
 
12/13/08

A number of extensive additions have been made to these pages reflecting some of the recently available evidence. They are summarized here.

12/02/08

The robustness of the mtDNA evidence is discussed on this page.  The conclusion is that the association between the hair found in Michael Moore's ligature and the mtDNA derived from the Hobbs' house is weak.

7/9/08

The site has been given a facelift via Michael Gillen, a web-designer from Ireland.  Thanks!  I have tweaked several pages to scrub some factual errors.  I set aside as its own page a discussion of sightings of strangers on bicycles including updating it with the recently available information regarding Timothy Cotten's allegations.  I have not attempted to update the pages with the most new information available, including that of Terry Hobbs, as this will require many hours to sort and compile the rapidly expanding data.  

7/4/08  

This case has been undergoing rapid developments with active appeals, new physical evidence, top notch forensic experts delivering their views, Terry Hobbs becoming a prime suspect, and John Mark Byers becoming a supporter of the innocence of the three in prison.  How all of these will sort out is still unknown.  It has not been the primary focus of this website to present up to the minute news on this case, but rather to make deep background available by sorting through available documents.  This continues with an examination of the substantial effect the full moon had on this case.  

1/11/08  

Bryan Keith Woody, whose testimony was presented as the last time the children were seen, is further examined.  

1/11/08  

A pair of colorful characters, Sir Mikeal and King David, are discussed.

12/11/07

Two strands of hair may identify the killers.  

11/15/07

A section on Terry Hobbs has been separated and expanded.  

11/15/07

The recent appeals filings have provided a number of the basic documents showing the results of the DNA tests.  There are a number of intriguing findings and suggestions of future opportunities for more evidence.  

10/31/07

A copy of the October 27th, 2007 appeal filed by Echols' attorneys is presented in HTML format to make reading and searching simpler.  This is a significant document with much new relevant information regarding the case.  

10/19/07

Additional views of the discovery woods.

10/11/07

The use of the polygraphs is discussed in "The 'P' Word."

9/29/07

What was said during Detective Bryn Ridge's May 10th interview with Damien Echols became a focus of the trials.  Parts One, Two and Three.  

9/19/07

The jury determined the presence of wax was evidence for conviction.  

9/5/07

The intersection of rumors, confessions, and alibis are discussed.

8/26/07

The case for innocence continues with Jason Baldwin considered.

8/9/07

A breakout section on the three convicted for the crimes was added.  Although there are no new links, it puts together the old links to pages specifically dealing with the West Memphis Three.  

8/7/07

With the DNA pointing away from those convicted and at another suspect, I have decided it is time to construct pages directly addressing the case for innocence for those in prison.  The case against those convicted was always weak, now it is below zero, sustained only by the smoldering remnants of ego and incompetence of public officials who cannot admit to being either wrong, dishonest or negligent.  I begin by refuting the prosecution's closing argument in the Misskelley trial - an easy task, the prosecution had to strain or misrepresent facts to make his arguments.   Assembling these pages is labor-intensive; I hope to have the companion pieces available in weeks to come.   

8/4/07

The page on the DNA results has been updated to include biographical information on Terry Wayne Hobbs and an examination of the records of his whereabouts for that evening.

7/27/07

I have been on vacation the last couple of weeks - when the most significant news in the case in years has broken.  It is briefly summarized in DNA, part three.  I plan to have more soon.  

6/29/07

The lingering questions behind the shoelaces used to bind the children are addressed.

6/6/07

Ominous sightings of white vans and black vans are looked into.  

5/22/07

The sticks recovered from the crime scene are discussed.  

5/10/07

James K. Martin, a suspect and a disturbing individual, is profiled.

5/3/07

The convergence of those involved in the search and the strange events surrounding the discovery of the victims are described.

5/3/07

The Bailey family, who saw Michael Moore and Stevie Branch along WE Catt, is profiled.

4/7/07

The story of the Hollingsworths continue with a page about L.G. Hollingsworth, Jr.

4/1/07

I've included something on the Hollingsworths.  I've added updates to The Two Jason Baldwins, and Knives, part one.  Two more lists that help identify the evidence have been posted at Callahan's site.  One previously unspecified item of evidence [E140] was a knife from Donald Warwick.  More information was given about knife [E147].  How the two Jason Baldwins figured in a severance hearing and in newspaper reports was added.

3/9/07

One year has passed since launching this site.  I hope to have some new interesting pages soon - soon as within the next month.  I have added a page on the hairs as evidence.  

2/25/07

Parallels are made to trials in the more distant past.  

2/25/07

A compiled evidence list and evidence findings are presented.  These are not a narrative and are meant for reference and research.

2/22/07

The knives entered into evidence, part one
Knives, part two
Knives, part three

2/18/07

The fiber evidence.

2/11/07

An introduction to DNA analysis  and evidence available for testing.

2/1/07

The two Jason Baldwins.  

1/25/07

A closer look at retired police captain and prosecution witness, Dale Griffis.  

12/20/06

The people who identified members of the cult and the alleged cult members are discussed in Searching for Satan.  

12/17/06

The statements of Ricky Climer, cited by the police as evidence that there was a cult, are discussed.

12/3/06

A transcription was made of a dramatic conversation between Detective Ridge and the Grinnells, the parents of Jason Baldwin. The conversation took place June 4, 1993, the day after the arrests.

Detective Ridge and the Grinnells

11/24/06

Several pages look at Damien Echols and his mental health record. This was a grueling undertaking, processing a lot of conflicting information, and may be tweaked over the next several days.  

Damien Echols
Damien's Demons, Part One
Damien's Demons, Part Two
Damien's Demons, Part Three
Damien's Demons, Part Four
Damien's Demons, Part Five
Marked Tree Incident

11/5/06

Exhibit B of the search warrant is analyzed.  

10/30/06

The slicked down bank is discussed.

10/28/06

Other evidence gathered from the crime scene is described.  

10/27/06

The clothes the children were wearing and the clothing recovered at the crime scene are discussed.  

10/22/06

Photos were added to the last seen section.  Following this up is an inquiry in to who Chris Wahl saw on a bicycle with Chris Byers.

10/16/06

Along with some rearranging, I've added a section about when the children were last seen.  This is an extensive recounting of presentations in court, interviews of potential witnesses, and an analysis of the door to door interviews.  

5/27/06

A page is dedicated to other murders in the Eastern Arkansas area at the general time.  

5/20/06

I've added a pair of pages about the injuries to the victims.  

5/10/06

I've added an introductory page to the Powerpoint presentation of the forensic linguistic analysis.  

5/4/06

I've added a commentary page to the pages of John Mark Byers.  

4/13/06

John Mark Byers

    I have added two pages regarding the controversial figure in this case, John Mark Byers, stepfather of victim Chris Byers.   He is a central figure in this case.  Among the family members of the victims, he gave the most complete interview with police.   For several reasons, he was presented to the jury as a possible alternative as perpetrator.    

Inauguration, 3/7/06.

     It is the goal of this site to tell the story of the murders of three children that occurred in West Memphis in May of 1993 and the subsequent investigation.  I hope that this site will fill a need.  The trials and the story of the convicted were so sensational they have overshadowed the actual crime.  The convicted are the major focus of the available books and videos (see Sources and Resources) and are the subject of many homespun web pages, most of them part of the movement to free the West Memphis Three.   You will find that the convicted are mentioned at this site, but this site is not primarily a review of their lives or the evidence against them.  

    The evidence has been analyzed and argued in great detail on discussion boards.  But these are haphazard in presentation, with current topics of interest burying the information necessary to obtain a well-rounded understanding of the case.  There are massive evidence archives online, but these abandon you to sort through alphabetical accounts of statements.

    It is my goal to present accurate information in a structured context for a subject where inaccuracy is easy to come by.  It is my goal to provide photos and story in context so that the reader can get a clear picture of the events.  Organizing these data has helped me to understand the case better.  For example, finally I have a clear picture of  the paths to the crime scene and which views were obstructed from local businesses and residents.  (Paths to the crime scene)

    You will find, for the most part, information that has been generally available.  Some is new.  Some of the photos presented here have not been available before.  I will post amendments to this log to describe what has been newly added to the site.