February 27, 2023 (76 years old) View obituary. Over the years there has been lots of speculation and finger pointing as to who was responsible. But its closing moments point to how the filmmakers felt: that a horrific tragedy had just been compounded by a monumental miscarriage of justice. To learn more, watch The Forgotten West Memphis Three on Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29at 8/7c on Oxygen. 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. Baldwin remembers grabbing a Mountain Dew and a burrito and sitting down, still unaware of what he was about to watch. Not everyone believes that the West Memphis Three are innocent of the killings of Michael Moore, Stevie Branch, and Christopher Byers. Spotting a small, black tennis shoe in the water, Jones radioed for help. We are sad to announce that on September 11, 2021 we had to say goodbye to Terry Hobbs of Sweetwater, Texas. Other details that have come to light include that many wounds on the slain children, originally attributed to human bites and/or a serrated blade, were the result of animals feeding on the bodies. Like Misskelley in the first trial, Baldwin received a life sentence. It was so emotionally taxing to watch and go through it again, he says. eyewitness evidence surfaced 16 years later. Years of solitary confinement and the abuse he said he suffered at the hands of prison guards had taken its toll. With a large population of fundamentalist Christians, the American South was particularly subject to occult paranoia. To send flowers or plant a tree in memory of Terry Hobbs, visit the Tribute Store. 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. Filming the activists work seemed like the best place for Berlinger and Sinofsky to turn their attention; what better way to show the continued plight of the West Memphis Three than to show regular people dedicating their free time to fighting for them? They were naked and hog-tied with their own shoelaces, and showed signs of blunt force trauma and mutilation, the latter of which may have been the work of wild animals, reported the, Three teenage boys were arrested for the crimes , Baldwin and Misskelley were sentenced to life without parole while Echols received the death penalty. There have also been several high-profile incidents of laypeople reinvestigating decades-old cold cases in more rigorous, journalistic ways and helping bring them to a resolution. With their 2007 request for a new trial rejected, time was running out for the West Memphis Three. The sheer mountain moving amount of money it cost to prove the obvious innocence of Jessie, Jason, and Damien still staggers me. The first being that boys were killed by someone they knew. On August 19, 2011, all three accepted the deal and were immediately released from prison. Echols, who prosecutors argued was the ringleader, was sentenced to death. 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. Because I was thinking, if you haven't done anything, then they can't prove you did something you haven't actually done. Its my perspective of what happened in 1993, 26 years ago in West Memphis, Arkansas, said Hobbs. No explanation has yet been given as to why such a seemingly important lead was dropped. I still believe in my heart that Jessie, Jason, and Damion Echols [sic] are responsible for what happened to our children, Hobbs told Memphis ABC affiliate WATN in June 2019. Paso Robles, California. The districts current prosecuting attorney, Keith Chrestman, did not respond to requests for comment for this article, but his predecessor Scott Ellington, whose office negotiated the deals, told The New York Times in 2011 that while new trials would have likely resulted in acquittals, We dont think that there is anybody else. The Moore family has been outspoken about the end result, vehemently protesting the 2012 Oscar nomination for the third Paradise Lost installment. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. But I had to. I spoke with one of the jurors, years later after the trials and convictions, and he said he had no doubt that people could throw their lot in with the devil and be commanded to do things that they wouldnt have done otherwisethat they have basically made the deal with the devil, Leveritt says. Replacing Burnett was Circuit Court Judge David Laser. Bakken and Sauls say they tried to avoid offering theories about the case publicly, opting instead to try to work through official channels. So the minute youre done, you just want to know more. They couldnt have been cooler, recalls Berlinger, who would go on to direct the 2004 documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster alongside Bruce Sinofsky. 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. Quickly, however, he realized Berlinger and Sinofsky were taking a different approach. Updated: 9:42 AM CDT June 11, 2019. June 29 Terry Hobbs, 34, 1718 Spyglass Lane, Mishawaka, booked on a warrant from Elkhart County. 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. 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. That story line would make up the bulk of 2000s Paradise Lost 2: Revelations, a rare sequel for a documentary, especially before the streaming era proved that true crime series like Making a Murderer and The Staircase could maintain audience interest for years. 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. More than 2,500 people attended and the story dominated the local press for days. They saw this movie and they felt like, I have to do something.. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Also, law enforcement chose not to focus on the victims' families as the starting point of the investigation as is the norm. For the next two hours and 29 minutes, the two inmates sat in near silence watching Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, the landmark documentary released on HBO 25 years ago this week that captured the trials of Baldwin, Jessie Misskelley Jr., and Damien Echols, the three teenagers convicted in 1994 of the crimes that ripped through the small, working-class community of West Memphis, Arkansas. Now, he was being asked to consider something that he never dreamed he would: accepting a plea deal that would set the West Memphis Three free, but require them to give up their quest for exoneration. The cult part of the Commercial Appeals headline signaled how the case would be defined by both the media and prosecutors. Griffis also knew how to spot a Satanist. 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. "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 WMC-TV in 2013. I kind of enjoy it because now even after I die, people are going to remember me forever. November 03, 2021 November 4, 2021 . October 13, 2018 - Happy 94th Birthday Terry! 2011 Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (Documentary) Self - Stepfather of Stevie Branch. Misskelley and Echols were 36; Baldwin was 34. The documentarians found me in one of the worst things a person could go through, Baldwin says. Pam Hobbs divorced Terry Hobbs in 2004 and has reversed her position on the West Memphis Three's guilt. Terry Hobbs was born on November 25, 1969 in Columbus, Georgia, USA. So much progress had been made in the fight for new trials, most notably a November 2010 Arkansas Supreme Court ruling that ordered a hearing on new DNA analysis and other evidence not considered in 1994. Family and friends can send flowers and/or light a candle as a loving gesture for their loved one. I had a big box. He was 56. 24 to Jun. The Paradise Lost cameras captured not only the defenses discussions, but the full testimony, in Misskelleys trial, of an expert on coerced confessions. Griffis also found the devil in nearly every number associated with the crime. Here were these guysat best they were neutral. Paradise Lost also led to a famous citizen-activist campaign championing the release of the three teens that caught on at the dawn of the Internet Age and would eventually pull in Eddie Vedder, Henry Rollins, and a whos who of the rich and famous. 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. Terry Hobbs was born in 1958 and grew up in Northern Arkansas. But Berlinger also believes that the sequel is important for documenting the power of citizen activism. 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. Armchair detectives of today, I think a lot of them dabble in conspiracy theory, Berlinger says. Echols said in 2012, he will never give up his mission to exonerate himself. 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. 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. He just didnt know it would take another 14 years to happen. TSGT Terry Lee Hobbs, USAF, ret. The three teens were arrested after Misskelley said they committed the crime after 12 hours of interrogation. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as: names, dates, place of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships. Even today, years after his name was cleared and authorities ruled Lams death accidental, Morbid still receives threats. Yet, Judge David Burnett accepted Griffis as an expert. 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. Although the appeals were repeatedly denied, a new batch of DNA testing done in 2007 reignited the investigation. It allowed them to get out of prison after almost 20 years. Misskelley returned to life in West Memphis. Heavy metal music, role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, and horror movies were regarded as gateways to evil. A native of Winter Haven, born December 21, 1964, Terry has been a lifelong resident of Auburndale. I said, Im going to send some kids down there., Those kids turned out to be Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, the young documentarians who had recently completed the acclaimed Brothers Keeper, a film chronicling a death and the resulting trial in a small upstate New York village. On 04/08/2021 Terry Hobbs was filed as a Bankruptcy - Chapter 13 lawsuit. They procured the domain WM3.org and made a website, updating it with whatever information they could track down. A statement he made to the producers of Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills did little to help his public image. This is the true story of the West Memphis Three murders. Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of West Memphis Three murder victim Stevie Branch, has denied any involvement in slayings of Branch and his two friends. 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. Much of Cecil Hotel focuses on the amateur investigators who turned coincidences into conspiracy theories, ultimately accusing an innocent person of her death. As the movement to free the West Memphis Three gained traction, a number of celebrities joined the cause, bringing the case under more scrutiny. Since the West Memphis Three were released, no one else has been charged in the murders of Stevie, Christopher and Michael. Now, evidence from the case of the West Memphis Three is either missing or destroyed. West Memphis 3 / Terry Hobbs 2022 Update New Scott 94.5K subscribers Subscribe 241 Share 20K views 8 months ago https://www.crimeonline.com/2022/05/. Misskelley's coerced confession, as contradictory as it seemed to the evidence, was consistent in implicating Echols and Jason Baldwin. Now, I see they can. According to Griffis, black hair, black T-shirts, and black jeans were signs that a kid was in league with the devil. During Misskelley's trial, Hutcheson testified that she had attended an "an occult Satanic meeting" she referred to as an "esbat." (Maines briefly became a part of the story when Terry Hobbs, stepfather of another of the victims, sued her for defamation after she wrote a blog post pointing out that physical evidence at the crime scene potentially pointed at him and not the three convicted for the crime. Mojo was right. He said Boxful of Nightmares is his memoirs unedited. 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. But on the subject of Paradise Lost, he speaks emphatically: He understands how important the movies were in helping him, Echols, and Misskelley walk free 10 years ago this August. 25, 2021. Im seeing the things I experienced, but not through my own point of view. Beyond the black-and-white print of the newspaper, there was a movement brewing. Due to marital problems stemming from Stevies death, the couple divorced in 2004, reported CNN. West Memphis is pretty much like a second Salem," Echols stated in the 1996 documentary Paradise Lost: The Murders at Robin Hood Hills. 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. 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. I don't entirely think Hobbs did it, but I . The state of Arkansas continues to attempt to prevent this testing from happening. We didnt see them grow up.. Investigators never found any evidence that tied him, Jason Baldwin, or Jessie Misskelley to the murders of the boys, Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers. Although Damein Echols had a teenager's typical disdain for authority, he nevertheless trusted that the system would work in his favor. "Everyone has a story and this just happens to be mine," said Hobbs. Although blood scrapings were taken, the West Memphis police lost the evidence. During the final year of the two-year span, from July 2021 to July 2022, California lost about 211,000 people, according to data from the state Department of Finance. February 27, 2023 (82 years old) View obituary. 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 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. Metallica had never licensed a song for a film before, but when they learned about the case, Berlinger says, they made an exception. He could have been me, he told Rolling Stone in 2011. Cinemorgue Wiki. The next to be found was Stevie Branch, quickly followed by Christopher Byers. 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. Damion Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were convicted of murdering the children in 1994. But they never had any physical evidence that connected us to this crime, Echols said in 2012. She said it was one of the highest-rated pieces they had. Terry Hobbs is the one suspected of murder and the wounds that were inflicted on my nephew were where turtles bit his face. For Rollins, it was a moral imperative: Id find myself up at 3:30 a.m. thinking about Damien. Im not the jury. He says that while he was in the supermax prison in Varner, he would write letters trying to drum up support for not just himself, but also for other inmates he believed were wrongfully convicted. 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. Now a judgewho coincidentally works part time in the courtroom where Misskelley was convictedStidham spends time speaking to law students about the judicial system. In 1994, the FBI said there was scant evidence that violent satanic crimes had ever occurred in America outside of a few isolated incidents, but that was long after TV hosts like Geraldo, Sally Jessy Raphael, and Oprah had spread moral hysteria about musicians weaving supposedly anti-Christian and occult messages into their songs, and long after wrongful convictions were handed down in the infamous McMartin Preschool sexual assault trials. Their main worry was Damien, who was staring down the threat of lethal injection should the appeals fail. At the request of West Memphis authorities, the two were picked up and questioned by Oceanside police. But inside, he was just another prisonerBaldwin didnt know who he could trust. Misskelley, who reportedly had an IQ of 72, changed his story several times, and only a small part of his statements was recorded. Paradise Lost is a narration-free documentary filmed with a journalistic remove. 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. He knew that if he ever got out, hed want to do that in a more organized way. 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. People would drive by and yell at us, Theyre going to burn in hell, Sauls says. That November, he says, HBO agreed to give an honorariumroughly $5,000to the families on both sides. And yet Hobbs was not interviewed at all in the months after the crimes. ", According to Devil's Knot, a week after the discovery of the bodies, Detective Don Bray interviewed Vicki Hutcheson, a truckstop employee. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. La Mirada, California. Terry was born on September 11, 1959 in Sweetwater, to Jack Harvey and Marjorie Hobbs. But we stuck with it, and every so often something would happen, and little by little, people would come around., They spread word about the website through online discussion groups and by hanging flyers in the art houses that screened Paradise Lost, and by 2000, WM3.org was getting 4,000 to 8,000 hits a day. 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. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Created by: Legend Added: 11 Aug 2021 Find a Grave Memorial ID: 230642037 Its headlined by not only the films directors, but also Sheila Nevins, its executive producer and winner of 32 individual Emmy awards, more than any other person in history. In this first confession, Miskelley often agreed to details suggested by the police or attributed to prior statements which he did not make. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. 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. That's not the same Terry Hobbs. Initially, Misskelley repeatedly denied having knowledge of the crime, aside from rumors that Damien Echols was involved. 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 sce 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. The bodies had been removed from the water and placed on the adjacent embankment, possibly disturbing physical evidence or otherwise contaminating the scene. But Echolss situation changed Baldwins thinking. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Terry Hobbs Net Worth. 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. 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. Over two decades after the murders, what really happened to Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore on the evening of May 5, 1993, remains a mystery. 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. "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. 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. (Police questioned Byers several times during the investigation, but never considered him a suspect.) But then the verdicts arrived: Both Baldwin and Echols were found guilty on all counts, just like Misskelley had been six weeks before them. 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. The first and likely simplest gauge is continued interest in the case. Mike Allen arrived on the scene. Baldwin, the youngest member of the trio that had come to be known as the West Memphis Three, was serving a life sentence after being convicted on charges connected to the 1993 killings of three 8-year-old boys. The Latest CD: 92 YEARS YOUNG: JAMMIN' AT THE GIBBS HOUSE. Theres no smoking gun. The trio assumed that the convictions had already been overturned by the time Bakken received the screenerthis was a modern-day witch hunt, they thought, and surely the state of Arkansas had already corrected the course. Terry Hobbs, Todd Moore, and Dana Moore still maintain that Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley murdered their sons. The community's worst fears were confirmed. 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. A later confession during the trial phase would prove equally problematic. None of the three believed that, but Echolss healthand the possibility that even if he survived, he would still be on death row should the fight for retrials failmade it an imperative. 2012 West of Memphis (Documentary) Self - Steven Branch's Stepfather. "I knew from when I was real small that people were going to know who I was," Echols said in 1994. Over the years there has been lots of speculation and finger pointing as to who was responsible. I think we were the first internet sleuths, but we were not internet sleuths.. And without substantial physical evidence, police zeroed in on a pair of teens they knew well: Echols, a self-professed Wiccan who wore all black and read Stephen King, and his best friend Baldwin, who was considered an outsider because of his love of drawing and bands like Metallica. 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. Terry Hobbs stated both family and co-workers believed he was guilty from day one and continued to believe him guilty after the trial and convictions of the West Memphis Three. Hobbs was Branch's stepfather. The test results showed that no genetic material on the crime scene evidence was a match to Echols, Baldwin or Misskelley, reported the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Auburndale, FL - TSGT Terry Lee Hobbs, USAF, ret. According to Dan Stidham, the attorney for Misskelley, that money became essential for the cash-strapped defense teams, who needed to pay for expert witnesses and other expenses.