I Feed Off The Art Of Others

birthday january: nut february: dong march: giraffe april: gogu may: anime june: jokes july: aaaaaaaaa august: police september: shit october: kinkshame november: kawaii december: fuck

first letter of first name a-c: smoker d-f: fucker g-i: succ j-m: puncher n-q: shamer r-u: phobe v: ender wxyz: eater

I certainly believe there was more evidence pointing toward Hobbs being the perpetrator as opposed to the West Memphis Three, even at the crime scene… His hair was found intertwined in the laces used to bind those boys. A hair of David Jacoby (one of his accomplices) was found on a tree stump. - 

“In 2007, new evidence regarding the Murders was discovered and made public. For one thing, it is generally known that hairs that had been found at the crime scene were tested for DNA: one hair was consistent with the hair of Terry and one hair was consistent with the hair of his friend, David Jacoby.” (x) 

What about Stevie’s penknife, which he supposedly carried everywhere, being found locked in his toolbox? -

 “Additionally, after the Murders my sister Jo Lynn McCauhey and I found in Terry’s nightstand a knife that Stevie carried with him constantly and which I had believed was with him when he died. It was a pocket knife that my father had given to Stevie, and Stevie loved that knife. I had been shocked that the police did not find it with Stevie when they found his body. I had always assumed that my son’s murderer had taken the knife during the crime. I could not believe it was in Terry’s things. He had never told me that he had it.” (x)

It’s odd how he disappeared two weeks after the murders because he claimed he couldn’t deal with his wife.  He was unaccounted for from 5pm to 8pm, when the murders supposedly took place. Even his ex-wife, Pam, Stevie’s mother, now believes he killed them and multiple people have come forward with information regarding his involvement. His nephew being one of them. How about the fact that his neighbour saw him with the three boys at around 5:30pm, even though he denies he saw any of them that day? He beat his wife and he beat Stevie. Stevie’s aunt stated he molested Stevie’s sister and forced her own son to watch him masturbate. - 

“Terry has also mistreated our daughter, Amanda. In 1993, when Amanda was 4 years old, my sister, Jo Lynn McCaughey, told me that Amanda had told her that Terry had put his finger into Amanda’s “booty”.  (x) 

“I took Amanda to the hospital in Blytheville, Arkansas, so a doctor could do a physical examination. That doctor told me that Amanda had been vaginally penetrated and that she had a yeast infection.” (x) 

“In approximately 2002, when Amanda was older, approximately 13 years old, and developing into a young woman, she told Jo Lynn (and Jo Lynn told me) that Terry grabbed her breasts. This revelation caused me great concern because it was the second time Amanda had said that Terry had sexually molested her.”  (x)  

He was also seen at the laundromat the night of the murders. -

 “Also, my sister Jo Lynn told me that she saw Terry wash clothes, bed linens and curtains from Stevie’s room at an odd time around the time of the Murders.” (x)

Multiple affidavits were written regarding his involvement that all matched, yet they were ignored:

“In April of 1995, I told Billy Stewart what Buddy had told me about the murders. few days later, Billy asked Buddy about it. Buddy told Billy that Buddy, L G Hollingsworth, and the two men in the truck named Terry Hobbs and David Jacoby, had killed the boys behind Blue Beacon Truck Wash, that they had beaten them, stripped their clothes off, and had cut them in the groin area before throwing them in a ditch.”

“LG said that all four were sitting close together smoking and drinking when just before the sun started to set, the three boys on two bicycles surprised them. L G said that Mr. Hobbs shouted, “You better get them boys! You got to catch them! Get them! Hurry up and get them!” L G said that He, Buddy, and Mr. Jacoby all took off running after the boys.“

“According to L.G., Mr. Hobbs snapped and hit the boy with severe force in the head two or three times.93. After the first few blows Hobbs stopped long enough to shout at the boy, “I am going to teach your little fucking ass!” After that, L G said that Mr. Hobbs was in a rage beating the kid over and over and over again.95. L G said that the rest of them started beating the other kids.”

“L G said that after the kids were beaten until they could not stand or run that Mr.Hobbs made L G and Buddy to take the boys’ pants off.98. L G said that after the boys were undressed that Mr. Hobbs pointed at one of the boys and made L G and Buddy hold him down and to spread his legs apart.99. While they forced his legs open, Mr. Hobbs took a knife and reached underneath, cutting the boy’s scrotum and penis.100. After cutting the boy, he told them to toss the boys’ bodies in the ditch of water.101. L G told me that they cleaned up the area as it was getting dark, that they placed he clothes and shoes in the water, and lastly submerged the bicycles in the bayou.”

“L G said that after they submerged the bicycles, they all left the woods.103. L G told me that he was one of the first people questioned, and that he had failed his lie detector test.104. He acted like this proved he had done it.105. He acted proud that he had done it, like killing those kids made him a real toughguy.106. After L G told me this, I knew that Buddy had been telling me the truth. I knew that I had to do something about this, that I could not keep this a secret.107. I immediately told the Crittenden County Criminal Investigator, Ed Laxton, about what Buddy and L G told me, but I never heard back from him.”

“On February 21, 2012, I wrote Prosecutor Scott Ellington a detailed letter about these facts. I stressed my desire to talk to him concerning this because it was important that the truth be known.109. Prosecutor Ellington has never responded to my request.110. I am sharing this information today so that the truth may be told. I want the parents of these little boys to know what really happened to their children and for justice to be done to the ones who did this. This has been a difficult thing to hold and to have ignored. I hope that now, it will finally be heard back from him.”

(x)

- the above quotes are taken from the affidavit of Bennie David Guy.

“I learned through my connection in the drug-trade that Mr. Hobbs preferred sex with young boys.”

“Roy told me that Mr. Hobbs was one of the people who murdered the three boyson May 5, 1993, and that one of the boys was Mr. Hobbs’ stepson.”

“Roy further told me that the three boys had caught the four men doing something in the Blue Beacon Wood that was going to cause trouble between Mr. Hobbs and his wife.”

“Mr. Hobbs said that the other two children had to die because of what all that theyhad seen.”

“Buddy told me that he and L G were forced to hold the children while Mr. Hobbsand Mr. Jacoby killed them. Mr. Jacoby beat one of the boys until the boy was quiet and hisbody fell limp. Buddy believed that the boy was dead.”

(x) - the above are quotes are taken from the affidavit of Billy Wayne Stewart.

“If Terry Hobbs said he did not see Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, or Christopher Byers on May 5, 1993, he is not telling the truth. I know for a fact that Terry Hobbs saw, was with, and spoke to Stevie, Michael, or Christopher on May 5,1993. I am absolutely, completely and totally positive that I saw Stevie, Michael and Christopher in my backyard and headed back to Terry Hobbs’ house on the evening of May 5, 1993. I am also absolutely, completely and totally positive that I saw Terry Hobbs hollering at Stevie, Michael and Christopher to get back down to the Hobbs’ house on May 5, 1993 at approximately 6:30 PM. I cannot imagine why Terry Hobbs would claim that he did not see Stevie, Michael or Christopher at all on May 5, 1993.”

“Following the murders, I was aware that there was a search in West Memphis forthe killer or killers. I also knew that the West Memphis Three were convicted ofthe murders. However, I was not aware until very recently that Terry Hobbs hasrepeatedly stated that he did not see Stevie, Michael, or Christopher at all on theevening of May 5, 1993. In fact, it is my understanding that Terry Hobbs hasstated that he did not see Stevie or the boys at all the whole day of May 5, 1993.Terry Hobbs’ claim that he did not see the boys on May 5, 1993 simply was notmade public in the news reports or papers that I read. Had I know that TerryHobbs had claimed that he did not see Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers, orMichael Moore at all on May 5, 1993, I would have stepped forward immediatelyto provide the above information.”

(x) - the above are quotes taken from the affidavit of Jamie Cark Ballard.

oh mannnnn, can i! this is like my fave thing to talk about because i’m a criminal justice major so justice is my middle name (actually my middle name is liberty so that’s close enough) but forreals, i would be happy to. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE understand that this is by no means a complete account of everything that happened and is much more a little summary of things. if you have questions, would like me to cite more sources on a specific thing, or would like me to elaborate, please let me know and i would be more than happy to but this is gonna be crazy long as it is!

some facts about the case:

christopher byers, stevie branch, and michael moore were three 8 year old boys who were found brutally murdered and bound hand to foot with their own shoelaces in may of 1993 in west memphis, arkansas, a southern state in the USA for those who aren’t familiar (crime scene photo links, asterisks are for graphic and potentially triggering photos, click at your own risk 1 2* 3* 4* 5* 6* 7*)

damien echols, jason baldwin, and jessie misskelley were pretty immediately considered suspects (because a douchebag of a juvie probation officer named jerry driver, who had previous experience with damien and his mental health issues stemming from childhood abuse and home life and was pretty much convinced from the get go that he was a satan worshipping lunatic, basically walked around town with photos of damien asking people if they’d seen him with the boys by which point people were looking for anybody to pin the blame on so it was pretty easy for them to pin it on damien and co. who wore a lot of black and listened to metallica and shit because as we all know those are obvious signs of being a murderer, eyeroll)

one big thing to understand is jessie misskelley and his confession(s)! jessie had an iq of 78, which is pretty close to being mentally disabled. when they brought him in to question him because he was an acquaintance of jason and damien who at the time were best friends, they didn’t explain what his options were, didn’t allow him to call his father, etc. etc. etc. they also stopped and started recording, didn’t record all his of his confessions, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, LED HIM IN THE QUESTIONING. for real, that dick of a detective bombarded him with a ton of confusing questions, frequently changing the time frame of the murders to later in the day so as to get jessie to confess that they were there at the right time when he clearly didn’t know anything about it. i don’t even need to say anything else except that when jessie was awaiting trial, he was reading a pamphlet about satan given to him by a minister, and when he met with his attorney, asked him who ‘satin’ was as he had never before heard the term satan pronounced. so yeah, obviously these were suuuper satanic murders for which these boys were to blame! (another eyeroll)

to summarise: three boys are murdered, three other young boys are demonised and brought in as the suspects when there was literally no evidence to pin on them except a coerced confession

facts about the trials:

damien was seen as the ringleader of the crimes and jason’s attorneys tried their hardest but failed to get his trial severed from damien’s; because of jessie’s confession, his trial was already separated from theirs. damien and jason went to trial together.

jessie sat with his head down during much of his trial as his confession was played for the courtroom; in the end he was convicted of a count of first degree murder for allegedly recapturing michael moore when he ran away, and two counts of second degree murder for stevie branch and christopher byers; he was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 40 years

during damien and jason’s trial, damien acted a bit like the arrogant teenager he was, fixing his hair and giving the finger to the media, etc, but some of his actions were also misinterpreted and a much sweeter side of him was brought out when he was seen holding and playing with his newborn son. tbh he was a scared-as-fuck teenager, and he was right to be. while jason was sentenced to life imprisonment, damien was sentenced to death (courtesy of him being seen as the ringleader)

another fun fact to understand about this whole thing is that while jessie’s confession was something to be used against him during his trial, the prosecution literally had nothing to go on for damien and jason’s trial, and judge burnett, asshole that he is, emptied the courtroom multiple times and blocked pretty much every attempt for the defence to do their job while letting the prosecution parade a bunch of halfwit witnesses through the courtroom to “testify”

no seriously their “expert” in satanism/occultism was a dude who got his doctorate from a diploma mill

the aftermath, new evidence and the release of the wm3:

three documentaries were released by hbo and are referred to as the paradise lost trilogy (links below)

the case brought many people who would sooner crucify the wm3 than believe them, but it also brought a bunch of famous people with a big platform to speak from as supporters (eddie vedder, johnny depp, natalie maines, etc)

i also think it’s important to point out that they now have supporters in pam hobbs, stevie’s mother, and john mark byers, christopher’s stepfather (who was once a suspect) who both were out for the blood of the wm3 for a VERY long time but who now believe in their innocence THAT IS SO IMPORTANT

it is important to note that no dna has ever been found to match the wm3 and in fact, dna WAS found that more than likely matches terry hobbs, stevie branch’s stepfather, IN the knots of one of the shoelaces of one of the OTHER boys; another hair was found that matches a friend of hobbs’, and finally, hobbs supposedly confessed to family members that he killed the boys

blood evidence potentially related to the crime (has never been confirmed and now can’t be) was lost so that’s also important to note

most importantly of all, the wm3 were released in 2011 after spending 18 years and 78 days in prison on the basis of an alford plea, which in very simple terms, means they get to maintain their innocence while also accepting that the prosecution had the evidence to proclaim them guilty

well, that’s great! why this petition then?

because unfortunately, you can be free without really being free; while damien, jason, and jessie are rebuilding their lives, they are also not exonerated because the state of arkansas won’t budge because hey, who ever wants to admit they’re wrong? which is really what it comes down to in the end. damien especially had it rough, spending most of his days for the last decade of his imprisonment in solitary, which resulted in him wearing the dark glasses you now see him in frequently because his eyesight suffered

jason is one of the most consistently positive people i’ve ever seen. while at first he didn’t want to accept the alford plea because he didn’t think it was right that they shouldn’t be exonerated entirely, he did it for jessie, whose father’s health was failing, and also for damien who could have been executed at any time. but he also has a big problem! he’s studied law and would like to practice someday to help others like him, but he can’t do that without exoneration.

jessie now spends much of his time in his home, afraid to leave because he’s apparently petrified they’ll lock him up again. and he’s not wrong to be afraid. if he is caught in any minor infraction, or in anything that is SEEN as an infraction, he could be sent back to prison

in conclusion:

three innocent boys were murdered and three more innocent boys suffered the consequences of a crime they did not commit, spending much of their lives so far (they are now in their mid-late 30s) in prison because of hysteria and panic and a lack of evidence that should have any prosecutor thrown out on his ass by any reasonable judge

stevie branch, michael moore, and christopher byers deserve justice and while the case remains closed, they don’t get that

jason, damien, and jessie deserve true freedom

sources, extra reading/viewing:

Proclaim Justice, Jason’s organisation to help wrongfully convicted inmates

Life After Death, a book by Damien detailing his awful childhood and years in prison

Devil’s Knot by Mara Leveritt, a pretty close to all encompassing account of the case and trial

wm3.org, a website dedicated to the facts of the case and raising money via merchandise, etc., for an exoneration fund

Devil’s Knot, a film version of Mara’s book that while Damien does not support, Jason and Jessie are involved in as exec producers; you can preorder it!

Damien’s twitter (he favourited one of my tweets last year! i almost cried a little from justice geek fangirl feels)

Jason’s twitter

Paradise Lost Pt. I on YouTube

Paradise Lost Pt. II on YouTube

Paradise Lost Pt. III on YouTube