Contradictory and impossible alibi for the crucial time Find Terry Hobbs in the United States. daughter regarding sexual acts involving his daughter and his stepson. This is the true story of the West Memphis Three murders. A hair "not inconsistent with" Stevie Branch's stepfather, Terry Hobbs, was found tied into the knots used to bind one of the victims. Reaching its apex in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Satanic Panic was a wave of paranoia rooted in the belief that Satanic cults intent on corrupting the souls of the young had infiltrated American society. “Today I am numb about Terry. According to Devil's Knot author Mara Leveritt, the investigation of the murders was divided along three lines. As the West Memphis Three languished behind bars for 18 years, thousands of supporters called out for their freedom while others vehemently declared their guilt. In 1993, he was married to Pamela Hobbs and was the step father of Stevie Branch. Knife with blood consistent with that of Mark Byers, area where the victims were found. At approximately 1:30 p.m., Steve Jones, a juvenile parole officer from Crittenden County, peered over the steep bank of a water-filled ditch in the woods near the Blue Beacon truck wash. ... West Memphis is pretty much like a second Salem," Echols stated in the 1996 documentary Paradise Lost: The Murders at Robin Hood Hills. Misskelley returned to life in West Memphis. up someone who kissed his wife. On the other hand, mtDNA from a strand of hair that could possibly belong to Terry Hobbs, Stevie Branch’s stepfather, was found in one of the bindings used to tie up Michael Moore. 55-year-old Terry Hobbs is … The first film gave rise to a movement devoted to reopening the investigation in hopes of exonerating, and ultimately freeing, Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols, and Jessie Misskelley. After 18 years in prison, the West Memphis Three were finally free, but not exonerated. Misskelley, who had entered the West Memphis police station that morning with hopes of reward money he might use to purchase a new truck for his father found himself instead charged with murder and facing life plus 40 years in prison. As reported by the Arkansas Times, examination of the shoe laces used to bind Michael Moore contained hair "not inconsistent" with that of Stevie Branch's stepfather, Terry Hobbs. One of the keys to understanding the West Memphis Three murders is the phenomenon known as the Satanic Panic. Denied using the knife or the possibility there I walked within 10 Will justice ever come for Christopher, Michael and Stevie? Both Echols and Baldwin were found guilty, with Echols sentenced to death and Baldwin to life in prison without parole. He was one of four children and came from a strict and religious family. Multiple accusations by ex-wife's family and his As the movement to free the West Memphis Three gained traction, a number of celebrities joined the cause, bringing the case under more scrutiny. One of the men is Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of Stevie, the defense says. Did Terry Hobbs commit the murders? Admitted to belonging to a violent white supremacist Beat In early 2007, Terry Hobbs mtDNA was found similar to that of a hair collected from the bindings of Michael Moore. period of 5 to 9 pm. Best selling books such as Lawrence Pazder's Michelle Remembers and disgraced evangelical comedian Mike Warnke's The Satan Seller fueled the madness with tales of ritual abuse and human sacrifice. Terry was born in Northern Arkansas and grew up in the Ozark Mountain region of the state. his house was searched. Wife a … Stevies mom was angry when she left for work because Stevie did not come home at 4:30. The first being that boys were killed by someone they knew. Heavy metal music, role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, and horror movies were regarded as gateways to evil. His father, Joe Dean Hobbs, was a minister at the Apostolic Pentecost Church. Over the course of the initial investigation, a number of alternate suspects and scenarios came to light that were largely ignored or otherwise dismissed by authorities. Classmates at Weaver Elementary School, the three were active in their Cub Scout troop and responsible enough to be trusted to roam their neighborhood without supervision. Also, law enforcement chose not to focus on the victims' families as the starting point of the investigation as is the norm. The only possible culprits were 18-year-old Damien Echols, a poor teen with an interest in the occult and a record of mental illness, his friend Jason Baldwin, a quiet kid whose talent for art tended toward dark subjects, and Jessie Misskelley, a 17-year-old misfit with an IQ of 73. In 2007 it was discovered that a hair that had been found underneath a ligature on Michael Moore’s nude body, belonged to Terry Hobbs. In the minds of many, the bizarre nature of the Robin Hood Hills murders could only have been committed by one of Satan's minions. Terroristic threats against ex-wife. Admitted to concentrating his search efforts in the Despite this evidence, no charges have ever been brought against Hobbs, who still firmly believes that Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley are guilty of the murders. The knife was thrown into the lake by Baldwin's mother a year before the murders. informant. "Terry Hobbs had the motive. The community's worst fears were confirmed. Despite the best efforts of the police, dozens of volunteers, a search-and-rescue team, and a helicopter dispatched from nearby Memphis, Tenn., searchers came up empty handed. 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. Griffis also knew how to spot a Satanist. They have also lived in Clarksville, TX and Bel Aire, KS. Feigning a romantic interest in Echols, she asked Misskelley to arrange a meeting. Claimed to have said he could make the cut on Byers' penis because of No explanation has yet been given as to why such a seemingly important lead was dropped. his experience as a butcher. A later confession during the trial phase would prove equally problematic. This chance was around 1/450 or something like this. Making his way through the muck on his hands and knees, Ridge soon discovered clothing twisted around sticks and thrust into the ditch's bottom. In 1993, such advanced DNA testing had not been available, attorneys said. Ex-wife's family believes he may have committed the Pam Hobbs divorced Terry Hobbs in 2004 and has reversed her position on the West Memphis Three's guilt. Two questions plagued the conservative, middle-class community: Why would anyone commit such a heinous act, and, more importantly, who? Furthermore, no DNA from the suspects was found on the children or anywhere around the crime scene. injuries to my son... ...it brought "I was out looking until 4:30 a.m. Officer Multiple instances of contradictory statements. in his presence. In 2007, new DNA and physical evidence arose that seemed to further distance the West Memphis Three from the murders. This is a story of justice delayed and justice denied. He had a history of crime and domestic violence, and he shot his brother-in-law, allegedly in self-defense. discovery woods. where they was found in." "... (Detective Allen) told me if I knew anything, that there was a $35,000 reward, and if I could help them out, we'd get the money," said Misskelley, as quoted by Mara Leveritt in Devil's Knot. Christopher Byers or all three victims. The legal troubles of Terry Hobbs and John Mark Byers. Criminal record and admissions of drug use. For her part, a tearful Amanda, now going through therapy, said she can't recall ever being sexually abused by Hobbs. intervention in dispute with daughter's boyfriend. After looking into the case some more, I was sure they were innocent and Terry Hobbs was the murderer. That there were three victims was a link to the biblical number of the beast. Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of eight-year-old victim Stevie Branch, has been named in documents released in Marian, Arkansas by the attorneys for Pam Hobbs, Stevie's mother. The next to be found was Stevie Branch, quickly followed by Christopher Byers. Although she was unable to recall the exact location or anyone who attended the alleged meeting, she claimed a drunken Echols confessed to the murders. The second postulated that they had been slain by one or more strangers. and torture me but I lived through it." As rumors of a Satanic sacrifice swept the community, the minds of many in West Memphis were already made up. Unfortunately, for three teen outsiders, the West Memphis Police Department chose to focus on the cult angle to the detriment of their efforts to investigate the other two, more likely scenarios. Although Misskelley recanted his confession, it was enough evidence to convict him. Echols is an author and mystic living New York with his wife, architect Lorri Davis. Testing of DNA evidence found at the scene did not match with any of the three men who were tried and convicted of murdering the three 8-year-old boys, belonging instead to an unidentified person. At one point, the filmmakers attempt to construct a motive for the crime. Moore. ... On May 6, 1993, three boys are found hog-tied and murdered in … 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. That the slain boys were each 8 years-old was important because eight was a "witch's number." Then the three 8-year-old boys rode up on their bikes surprising the group. The bodies had been removed from the water and placed on the adjacent embankment, possibly disturbing physical evidence or otherwise contaminating the scene. murders. The bodies of all three boys, all eight-years-old, had been found in a creek in Robin Hood Hills, a stretch of forested land in the city that was popular among the children on May 6, 1993. "The reason I made the West Memphis boogeyman comment during the first film was because I was making light of the situation," Echols says in Paradise Lost 2: Revelations. Forensic experts said DNA evidence tied Terry Hobbs, Branch’s stepfather, to the crime scene, WREG-TV reported in 2013. ... who was one of three 8-year-old boys found murdered in May last year, in a wooded area near where the family used to … '", In 1999, a more mature Echols explained the comment. Contradictory explanations as to why his For one, Michael was tied up with a shoelace that had been cut. As mentioned earlier, Terry Hobbs, like John Mark Byers before him, was fingered as a suspect in 2012’s West of Memphis after a hair found at the crime scene was genetically matched to him. group. Then in 2007 a hair found in a knot on one of the victims was sent for DNA testing, the technology of which was not available in the 1990s. search focused near the Produced and directed by filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, the film and its two sequels, Paradise Lost 2: Revelations and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, gave audiences a unique and detailed look into the case, the accused, and the families of victims. Minutes later, Sgt. Terry Hobbs was reported missing from Kinard … None of the early interviews with the parents were recorded. However, under pressure, leading questions, and scare tactics, Misskelley wove a contradictory story that first placed him at the crime scene as an eyewitness to the murders and then as an active participant. She also stated that beyond the single meeting at her trailer, she had no further contact with Echols. According to Griffis, black hair, black T-shirts, and black jeans were signs that a kid was in league with the devil. In 2004, Vicki Hutcheson recanted her trial testimony, stating that she had lied on the stand. from 1993 regarding Terry Hobbs. Echols' disdain for authority, penchant for black clothes, and propensity to make shocking statements didn't help his plight. At the suggestion of the police, Hutcheson hid microphones in her home and borrowed occult books from the library to inspire Echols' interest. fight at gunpoint. However, it was consistent with the hair of Terry Hobbs… But what we found over the years of investigating and in the process of creating the series … people, their memories fade. Spotting a small, black tennis shoe in the water, Jones radioed for help. Terry Hobbs was born in 1958 and grew up in Northern Arkansas. Polygraph tests revealed deception in the answers of both men in regard to the crimes. down. been with, including Ryan Clark and the Garners. The third put forth the unusual theory that the killings were committed as a cult ritual. It'll be sort of like I'm the West Memphis boogeyman. In the Bible Belt, the Satanic Panic took hold with a vengeance. Some business clients accused him of guilt. claims to have One person who has come up in the investigation is Terry Hobbs, although police have never named him a suspect or charged him in connection with the case. 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. West of Memphis is all about the fact that Terry Hobbs was the real killer. Documents from attorneys for Pam Hicks contend that her son and two friends were rounded up and stabbed to death with a pocket knife by her ex-husband Terry Hobbs and his companions, who saw the children spying on them as they drank and smoked marijuana, WKEG reported. "People probably think I'm in Satanism because ... what they don't understand they try to destroy or ridicule. All three had been submerged face down in the mud, stripped naked, and bound with their shoelaces. A murderer was loose in West Memphis. Multiple old scars on stepson's corpse. Misskelley told Hutcheson that he really didn't know much about Echols other than that he was "a weird person." Pam Hobbs divorced Terry Hobbs in 2004 and has reversed her position on the West Memphis Three's guilt. Nevertheless, Echols made no incriminating statements. The Messed Up Truth About The West Memphis Three Murders, citing the discovery of her son's favorite pocket knife, One of the prosecution's key pieces of evidence linking Jason Baldwin, With their 2007 request for a new trial rejected, Baldwin is the co-founder of the legal advocacy organization Proclaim Justice. "... Every crime, no matter what it is, gets blamed on Satanism.". Jacoby and the Ballards state they saw him with 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. Because I was thinking, if you haven't done anything, then they can't prove you did something you haven't actually done. Replacing Burnett was Circuit Court Judge David Laser. Terry's father became a skilled butcher while in the military … Claimed to have told Pam to get over the murders. Terry Hobbs, Todd Moore, and Dana Moore still maintain that Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley murdered their sons. However, within the first crucial hours after the bodies were discovered, mistakes were made at the crime scene that negatively impacted the investigation. Lying in the open air in near 80-degree temperatures accelerated the decomposition of the bodies. Blood and urine samples from both men were collected and sent to the West Memphis Police Department. With a large population of fundamentalist Christians, the American South was particularly subject to occult paranoia. As recounted in Mara Leveritt's book, Devil's Knot, a thorough search of Robin Hood Hills directed by Chief Inspector Gary W. Gitchell of the West Memphis Police Department commenced early on the morning of May 6, 1993. On June 21, 2007, Terry Hobbs was interrogated by the West Memphis Police Department. In the years since the trial, John Mark Byers, adoptive father of Christopher Byers, and Pamela Hobbs, mother of Stevie Branch, became vocal supporters of the West Memphis Three. "When they were describing the On the evening of May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys disappeared from the streets of West Memphis, Ark. In 1994, Dr. Dale W. Griffis was a retired police officer who had embarked on a second career as a self-styled consultant on occult and cult-related crime. victims before Threatened to kill West Memphis Three if justice was not served. Terry Hobbs, stepfather of victim Steven Branch, and his friend, David Jacoby, with the assistance of … Now, I see they can. Alibi unsupported or contradicted by some of those he 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. She died at age 40 while With their 2007 request for a new trial rejected, time was running out for the West Memphis Three. A hair was found in the shoelace that was used to tie up one of the victims, which had a fairly high chance of being Terry Hobbs. Select this result to view Terry Lynn Hobbs's phone number, address, and more. In this first confession, Miskelley often agreed to details suggested by the police or attributed to prior statements which he did not make. We found 126 entries for Terry Hobbs in the United States. In November, Judge David Burnett, who had presided over the trial, was elected to the state senate. His record of violence, lack of an alibi and his DNA being found on one of the victims may seem damning. I didn't even comprehend that the situation could get this serious — that it can go this far. At the time of the West Memphis Three trial, Griffis claimed to have given seminars to 38,000 police officers all over the globe. In 2013, Jackson and Damien Echols produced a fourth documentary about the case. In 1996, HBO released the documentary film Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills. However, in 2010, a series of rapidly unfolding developments turned the tide for Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. After ending his first marriage, he wed Pamela Hicks Branch in 1986, when her son Stevie was almost 2 years old. The pair abruptly fled to Oceanside, Calif., four days after the murders. Others. During Misskelley's trial, Hutcheson testified that she had attended an "an occult Satanic meeting" she referred to as an "esbat." Has threatened supporters of the West Memphis Three. Calvin Stann Burch, representative of the meager info available I wouldn't do something like that. Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of another one of the murdered boys. At the request of West Memphis authorities, the two were picked up and questioned by Oceanside police. Mike Allen arrived on the scene. Several, including beating his stepson and wife. When Terry arrived home from work, he then took wife to work at 5pm. 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. Defense attorneys also pointed out that Griffis' doctorate was obtained through a notorious diploma mill and had been awarded with Griffis having never attended a single class. Ex-wife's family contacted police saying he may have believes Stevie kept it with him at all times and would have had it at Terry Wayne Hobbs was born on May 21st, 1958. On the surface, 18-year-old Damien Echols, an intelligent, but psychologically troubled teen with interests in Wicca and extreme music, fit the profile. A couple clues point to Stevie Branch's stepdad, Terry Hobbs. I kind of enjoy it because now even after I die, people are going to remember me forever. The prosecutors, while conceding that no DNA evidence tied the accused to the crime scene, said: "The State stands behind its convictions of Echols and his codefendants." Among them was a disoriented, muddy, and bleeding African-American man who stumbled into a West Memphis Bojangles restaurant men's room less than a mile from the crime scene. 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. It was determined that the hair was not consistent with the hair of Echols, Misskelley, or Baldwin. The best result we found for your search is Terry Lynn Hobbs age 50s in Wichita, KS. Stating that she would ask around, Hutcheson agreed to "play detective.". Terry Hobbs is the one suspected of murder and the wounds that were inflicted on my nephew were where turtles bit … May 10th 1993 note, Alleged to have admitted to having discovered the Police Her home later burnt And when I had, uh, had 5 people beat me up One of the prosecution's key pieces of evidence linking Jason Baldwin to the crime — a survival knife with a serrated edge recovered from a lake behind his home — has also come under scrutiny. Also part of the plea was the provision that the three could not sue the state. Friend is possible source of mtDNA found at crime scene. "I knew from when I was real small that people were going to know who I was," Echols said in 1994. The West Memphis Three were convicted on much less — hearsay, innuendo and a false confession. Terry Hobbs is the stepfather of Stevie Branch HIS DNA was found in the ligatures of the Moore child. Others. Unaware of what was to come, Allen explained that he just wanted to ask him some questions. All three had been stripped naked and hogtied with their shoelaces -- their right ankles had been tied to their right wrists behind their backs, and their left ankles had been tied to their left wrists behind their backs as well. Criminal record and admissions of drug use and dealing. Then in 2007, a bombshell revelation: Preliminary tests indicated DNA found at the crime scene didn’t match Echols, Baldwin, or Misskelley—but a hair found in a knot that bound one of the boys was declared “not inconsistent with” hair from Terry Hobbs, Stevie Branch’s stepfather. Police record regarding groping neighbor in her shower. The arrest, trial, and conviction of the three young men known as the West Memphis Three came under national scrutiny as details of the case became public. David And when I was attacked. Exhibited violent temperment evening of murders. KINARD, Fla. (WMBB) — A Calhoun County man vanished without a trace about four months ago, and the search for him continues. Several, including beating his stepson and wife. back things that had happened to me in my past, when, I was tortured. Restraining order for spanking neighbor's child. Having once been adamant on the West Memphis Three's guilt, he accepted their innocence and, instead, pointed the finger at Terry Hobbs, Steve's stepfather. Although Griffis' testimony was dramatic, it showed only a tenuous grasp of occult knowledge — much of it, including a reference to a cult called "Crytos," was simply made up. Gave this away the day before Inconsistencies in Terry Hobbs' alibi, as well as revelations about subsequent violent acts, have also led many to believe that he may be the actual killer. A neighbor also allegedly saw him with the … The following day revealed the unthinkable, when the bloodied and bruised bodies of the three boys were found submerged in a muddy creek in a wooded area called Robin Hood Hills. Terry Hobbs says he is a church member, a father, and working man and in no way a killer. Supervised child Said to have confessed to killing neighbor's cat. Other possible suspects included Brian Holland and Chris Morgan, two young men from Memphis, Tenn., with a history of drug offenses. Described With the area secured, Detective Bryn Ridge volunteered to search the ditch. A statement he made to the producers of Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills did little to help his public image. I'm not stupid." Under order of the Arkansas Supreme Court, there were to be new evidentiary hearings in the case. Despite an offer of a reduced sentence, Misskelley ultimately recanted his statements and refused to testify against Echols and Baldwin. To bolster their assertions that the killings were related to occult activity — despite virtually no evidence – prosecutors brought in their own so-called expert on cult murders. Get full address, contact info, background report and more! Terry Hobbs, stepfather of one of the murdered boys, and Jacoby showed up and made the teenagers wrestle. ... People in West Memphis are going to tell their kids stories. Had Stevie's prize knife even though family Claimed to have said people couldn't handle the truth about the crimes. With reports of Terry Hobbs’ DNA found on one of the victim’s shoes, we asked Pam Hobbs if she thinks her ex husband was involved in the killings. During the trials of Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols, Griffis drew tenuous links between circumstantial evidence, such as the killings taking place near the date of the pagan festival of Beltane.