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A statement he made to the producers of Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills did little to help his public image. Their bikes were found by a pipe nearby. Its gone from a controversial legal theory to an accepted phenomenon. Their advocates believe the Alford pleas represent their own form of injustice, but correcting that is a less pressing issue than the early battlesthe men are free and have been able to mostly live their lives in the years since their release. (WMC) - Not a single piece of evidence ever connected the West Memphis Three, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, to the 1993 murders of Steve Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore. Jessie took a polygraph. To send flowers or plant a tree in memory of Terry Hobbs, visit the Tribute Store. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, defense attorneys working for the West Memphis Three filed multiple appeals on their behalf scrutinizing the lack of physical evidence against them. I kind of enjoy it because now even after I die, people are going to remember me forever. The knife was thrown into the lake by Baldwin's mother a year before the murders. This is before considering the 2013 dramatized movie based on the events (and Leveritts book), Stidhams plans to release the book Harvest of Innocence, and how elements of the case made their way into True Detectives third season. By staying on this subject for the next couple of decades, they gave these men a chance and really decades of freedom afterward. Griffis also knew how to spot a Satanist. Two questions plagued the conservative, middle-class community: Why would anyone commit such a heinous act, and, more importantly, who? Show more Show more What's next for West. In her recantation, Hutcheson stated that when she asked Echols directly if he had killed "those three kids," he replied, "No. Knowing that the police were already focusing on Damien Echols, Hutcheson asked her neighbor, Jessie Misskelley Jr., about the brooding teen and his occult connection. This is not a smoking-gun-type case.. "I'd like to see this put to rest. It's affected a lot of lives, but for some reason it keeps being brought up," said Hobbs. "Everyone has a story and this just happens to be mine," said Hobbs. Peter Jackson, who would produce a separate documentary about the case titled West of Memphis in 2012, and his partner, Fran Walsh, funded an extensive private investigation and helped hire forensic experts to comb through evidence. Wherever it was screened, Berlinger says, it was followed by intense Q&As from audience members who couldnt believe what theyd just watched. there are no assignments to cushion your grade, so either pass or fail. I went to a Baptist school and I got accused of being a devil worshiper because I was trying to learn how to write hieroglyphics, says Sauls, today a screenwriter and VFX designer. And the seemingly endless stream of threats against them and the frequent clashes with Mark Byers did nothing to dissuade them. In November, Judge David Burnett, who had presided over the trial, was elected to the state senate. He also lost the defamation case because of his violent past. It has happened to a lot of people that just dont have the spotlight of a documentary, he says. '", In 1999, a more mature Echols explained the comment. So, how much is Terry Hobbs worth at the age of 50 years old? Terry Wayne Hobbs was born on May 21st, 1958. " (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. In the Bible Belt, the Satanic Panic took hold with a vengeance. 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. The case status is Pending - Other Pending. 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. At the suggestion of the police, Hutcheson hid microphones in her home and borrowed occult books from the library to inspire Echols' interest. Luminol tests, which reveal the hidden presence of blood, were not performed at the scene until six days later. When Alex Sinofsky is asked about his fathers work on the film, he recalls the frequent trips and long hours spent editing film on a Steenbeck he kept in the house. Although blood scrapings were taken, the West Memphis police lost the evidence. Despite an offer of a reduced sentence, Misskelley ultimately recanted his statements and refused to testify against Echols and Baldwin. Terry Hobbs's income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. Iwould journal something and put it in the box, said Hobbs. Everybody Id come in contact with was hostile to the truth, Baldwin says. He knew that if he ever got out, hed want to do that in a more organized way. 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. 2 Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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. Hobbs says his book is 25 years in the making, adding it is called Boxful of Nightmares for a reason. Since the West Memphis Three were released, no one else has been charged in the murders of Stevie, Christopher and Michael. Baldwin and Misskelley were sentenced to life without parole while Echols received the death penalty. On the surface, 18-year-old Damien Echols, an intelligent, but psychologically troubled teen with interests in Wicca and extreme music, fit the profile. They were found nude and hogtied in a creek in a wooded area in West Memphis. Sauls says that the former Black Flag frontman was one of the few big names who dug deep into the evidence, wanting to learn as many details as he could about the case. Minutes later, Sgt. Then youd try to find it, and it didnt exist, because when we went out to discussion groups, no one knew about the case yet., After learning that the teens were still in prison, Bakken, Sauls, and Pashley decided to make full use of the budding technological revolution. TERRY HOBBS OBITUARY Terry Roland Hobbs, 62, of Sweetwater, passed away on Saturday, September 11, 2021. We made a promise early on that we would never pretend to be law enforcement or detectives, Sauls says. In 2004, Vicki Hutcheson recanted her trial testimony, stating that she had lied on the stand. He said, J.B., youre going home, man, youre going home.. Mojo had a different idea of what might get the man he affectionately called J.B. out of prison. The whole point of the web sleuths presented in the Cecil Hotel is that you cannot assume something is truthful just because circumstantially it seems interesting. Terry Hobbs was born in 1958 and grew up in Northern Arkansas. Misskelley's coerced confession, as contradictory as it seemed to the evidence, was consistent in implicating Echols and Jason Baldwin. November 03, 2021 November 4, 2021 . The sneaker ligatures in which Terry Hobbs' DNA was found in," Soury said . Main Page; Echols is correct. 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. Terry Hobbs USAF Ret. People would drive by and yell at us, Theyre going to burn in hell, Sauls says. Mojo, however, was considerably more fired up, believing the same thing many of Paradise Losts viewers did: that the movie showed an incredible miscarriage of justice, one that would surely be fixed. The judge ruled that Hobbs could not establish actual malice, and ordered Hobbs to pay Maines legal fees amounting to more than $17,000, according to the Associated Press. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. By 2005, Rollins himself had raised $100,000 for the cause. Because I was thinking, if you haven't done anything, then they can't prove you did something you haven't actually done. Sinofsky family connection aside, Berlinger says this was an important part of the film: The prosecutors had put heavy metal lyrics and Baldwins and Echolss Metallica fandom on trial as much as the teens themselves. 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. I didn't even comprehend that the situation could get this serious that it can go this far. None of the initial trio behind WM3.orgnor their friend Lisa Fancher, who later became a key part of the efforthad ever considered themselves an activist to that point. . 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. 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. 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. Self. And yet Hobbs was not interviewed at all in the months after the crimes. The Paradise Lost cameras captured not only the defenses discussions, but the full testimony, in Misskelleys trial, of an expert on coerced confessions. Other possible suspects includedBrian Holland and Chris Morgan, two young men from Memphis, Tenn., with a history of drug offenses. He died on April 4, 2019 in Panama City Beach, Florida, USA. Terry was born on September 11, 1959 in Sweetwater, to Jack Harvey and Marjorie Hobbs. Here's when clocks will 'spring forward' in 2023. The causes most high-profile moment came in 2000, when Trey Parker said the slogan at the MTV Movie Awards while collecting an award for Best Musical Sequence. February 27, 2023 (82 years old) View obituary. He just didnt know it would take another 14 years to happen. 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. By the end of Paradise Lost, you cant believe they were found guilty, Bakken says. 25, 2021. Terry Hobbs Net Worth. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. He graduated from Sweetwater High School in 1977. 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. As the appeals processes stretched across several years and the buzz of the initial film faded, the directors began looking for ways to keep the story alive. If the state of Arkansas has a deep and abiding belief that the West Memphis Three are child murderers and did these terrible crimes, then shame on them for letting them out after 18 and a half years because a bunch of celebrities are whining about it, Berlinger says. Id like to see this put to rest. Terry L. Hobbs, 63, of Caldwell, HOBBS, Terry L., passed on March 7,2021 at the age of 63. Update: I was totally wrong. One of Kathy Bakkens earliest jobs in Los Angeles allowed her a certain kind of cultural currency: She designed movie posters for an entertainment-advertising company, which meant she got to see films months before they were released. I had a big box. Yes, the West Memphis Three are out of prison, but as long as they are considered guilty in the eyes of the state, the case is closed, meaning no further investigation can occur. Some believe the West Memphis Three are guilty to this day, and others, including some victims family members, point to their innocence and maintain the real perpetrator is still at large. Theyve had several victories, including the case of Daniel Villegas, who was acquitted of capital murder in 2018 after a 25-year legal saga. Its like ripping a Band-Aid off a wound. As rumors of a Satanic sacrifice swept the community, the minds of many in West Memphis were already made up. To date, no DNA evidence from the crime scene can be linked to Damien Echols, Baldwin, or Jessie Misskelley. It ranges from Mark Byers, the crusading stepfather who became one of the West Memphis Threes biggest allies in the years before his 2020 death, to famed FBI criminal profiler (and Mindhunter inspiration) John E. Douglas. Auburndale, FL - TSGT Terry Lee Hobbs, USAF, ret. But Echolss situation changed Baldwins thinking. By going into the courtroom and sticking with the case for its entire duration, Berlinger and Sinofsky were able to capture what may have otherwise been lost to time or left out of transcripts. Like everyone else who was familiar with the case, they wanted to know who committed the crimes, but their main goal was advocacy, not using the opportunity to play investigators. Getting that kind of creative validation was exciting, but we were also extremely frustrated that it didnt move from the entertainment page of the newspaper to the editorial page, Berlinger says. 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. I deeply admire that and I thought it was worthy of putting on film.. Terry Roland Hobbs <p>Terry Roland Hobbs, 62, of Sweetwater, passed away on Saturday, September 11, 2021.</p> <p>Terry was born on September 11, 1959 in Sweetwater, to Jack Harvey and Marjorie Hobbs .Terry graduated from Sweetwater High School in 1977. One of those shows, Truth & Justice With Bob Ruff, became the basis for an Oxygen docuseries last year titled The Forgotten West Memphis Three, which took a closer look at the three victims and tried to shine new light on the evidence. 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. The idea of the average citizen becoming embroiled in a criminal investigation isn't far-fetched in 2021, . Baldwins attorneys even avoided putting him on the witness stand or mounting much of a defense, believing the burden was on the state. He said Boxful of Nightmares is his memoirs unedited. 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. 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. The first being that boys were killed by someone they knew. Terry Hobbs says he is a church member, a father, and working man and in no way a killer. eyewitness evidence surfaced 16 years later. 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 great irony of the 18-year quest to free the West Memphis Three is that it didnt begin as a crusade. On August 19, 2011, all three accepted the deal and were immediately released from prison. We are sad to announce that on September 11, 2021 we had to say goodbye to Terry Hobbs of Sweetwater, Texas. It was so emotionally taxing to watch and go through it again, he says. Hobbs was Branch's stepfather. After roughly 18 months of editing, Paradise Lost debuted at Sundance in January 1996 before heading out to other festivals. I think we were the first internet sleuths, but we were not internet sleuths.. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. " Every crime, no matter what it is, gets blamed on Satanism.". It was a call about Damien Echolshe wasnt dead, but his wife, Lorri Davis, feared he might be soon. 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. Published: Dec. 21, 2021 at 9:56 PM CST WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. Echols is an author and mystic living New York with his wife, architect Lorri Davis. 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. . Hobbs described what it was like the day the three walked free. In 1996, a screener for Paradise Lost passed her desk. But they were saying that he was about to die.. After 18 years in prison, the West Memphis Three were finally free, but not exonerated. Terry Hobbs was born on November 25, 1969 in Columbus, Georgia, USA. Damien Echols (@damienechols) July 7, 2021 Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of Branch who was under suspicion but never charged, said he welcomes new DNA testing. 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.. But inside, he was just another prisonerBaldwin didnt know who he could trust. He was handed the phone. It was almost like an out-of-body experience., When the credits rolled shortly after the unforgettable final scene, which shows a now-convicted Baldwin and Echols leaving the courtroom in handcuffs and entering a police cruiser as Metallica plays, Baldwin sat stunned. Berlinger and Sinofsky, the latter of whom died in 2015 at age 58, were able to gain incredible and immediate access to seemingly everyone the case had touched: the families of the victims and the accused, the judge, the lead investigator, members of the community. All three had been submerged face down in the mud, stripped naked, and bound with their shoelaces. The next day, their bodies were found in a nearby canal. He was 56. 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 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Local 24 News EXCLUSIVE: Terry Hobbs on his new memoir on the West Memphis 3. Misskelley initially told police that the killings happened during the day; knowing that they actually occurred some time after dusk, the officers corrected him, helping him retrofit his story to the cases few known facts. By the time she got done watching it, her life was forever changed. She also stated that beyond the single meeting at her trailer, she had no further contact with Echols.