John Mark Byers, WM3 supporter
Recent News
Note: this is not primarily a news site, it is intended to catalog the historical record of the case, primarily focussing on the crime through the trials. Occasional announcements will be made here. There is much late-breaking information that is not covered here. Better resources for late breaking information is the site supporting the innocence of the convicted, wm3.org.
In an October 27, 2007 appeals filing, the attorneys for Damien Echols described many remarkable findings. Bolstered by a nationally recognized team of experts, including John Douglas, who helped invent criminal profiling while head of the FBI NCAVC, Dr. Michael Baden, premier forensic expert and former Chief Medical Examiner for New York City, and Dr. Vincent Maio, author of the textbook, Forensic Pathology, the attorneys put forth these findings:
- One hair that matched the mitochondrial DNA of Terry Hobbs, stepfather of victim Stevie Branch, was found beneath the binding of victim Michael Moore. mDNA is able to identify its source to the 99.9% resolution when compared to DNA from the general population.
- One hair that matched the chromosomal DNA of Terry Hobbs friend, David Jacoby, was found at the site where the bodies were discovered. Chromosomal DNA can be matchedto its source with near certainty. Hobbs had visited Jacoby earlier that evening. It is contended that this hair was secondary transfer and that the findings of two hairs linked to Hobbs is beyond the possibility of coincidence.
- The mutilation wounds to the victims were committed post-mortem by animal predation.
- Several jurors had been exposed to reports of Misskelley's confession, denied it during voir dire, and considered this information while deciding their verdict.
The defense made a presentation of this evidence on November 1st. A video of this conference can be found here.
The state has responded, saying
The state attorney general's office said Tuesday that a review of new DNA tests and other evidence in the case of one of the teens convicted in the 1993 slayings of three boys in West Memphis will take some time.
In a statement, a spokesman for Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said state officials are seeing the evidence put forward by lawyers representing Damien Echols for the first time.
"As litigation goes, this process will likely take months and possibly years," spokesman Gabe Holmstrom said.
John Gambrell, Associated Press, October 30, 2007
Also coming to light: Terry Hobbs has a conviction for a 1982 sexual assault. From the website of Mara Leveritt, a reporter and author who has followed the case from the beginning:
According to a report by Hot Springs police, Hobbs assaulted Mildred French, in her home on Dec. 8, 1982. Hobbs was 24 and married to his first wife at the time. French was 54.
French reported the attack to police the next day.
According to the police report, Hobbs admitted that he had entered French’s house and put his arms around her as she came out of the shower.
Hobbs was charged with assault and criminal trespass. The case against him was dismissed when he agreed to undergo counseling.
Stepfather of Chris Byers, John Mark Byers, has said he has seen further evidence against Terry Hobbs and has characterized it as damning. He has made several specific allegations which have yet to be backed by evidence. They will not be repeated here. |
