West Memphis Three

On May 5, 1993, three eight-year-old boys — Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers — disappeared from West Memphis, Arkansas. Their battered bodies were discovered the following day in a drainage ditch in Robin Hood Hills. All three had been bound and showed signs of severe trauma. The murders shocked the small city and prompted one of the most controversial criminal investigations in Arkansas history. [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2014/09/22/us/west-memphis-three-fast-facts/index.html)

Police investigation quickly focused on Damien Echols, a troubled 18-year-old known for wearing black clothing and an interest in Wicca; Jason Baldwin, 16, Echols' best friend; and Jessie Misskelley Jr., 17, a young man with an IQ of around 72. Investigators — and much of the community — came to believe the murders were the product of a Satanic ritual, a theory that had little or no evidentiary basis.

On June 3, 1993, Misskelley was subjected to a 12-hour interrogation, most of which was not recorded. He confessed — a confession filled with factual inconsistencies and errors about the time and nature of the crimes. Misskelley later recanted, saying he was confused and told investigators what they wanted to hear. All three were arrested. [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/19/west-memphis-three-freed)

The three teenagers were tried and convicted in 1994. Misskelley was convicted in February and sentenced to life plus 40 years. Echols and Baldwin were tried together in March; Baldwin received a life sentence and Echols was sentenced to death by lethal injection.

The cases attracted enormous attention from filmmakers and advocates who believed the convictions were unjust. The documentaries "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills" (1996) and its sequels brought national attention to the case, sparking a campaign for the men's release. [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2007/10/31/15796012/dna-evidence-clears-west-memphis-three)

In 2007, new DNA testing conducted on hair evidence found at the crime scene excluded all three convicted men. DNA evidence appeared to match Terry Hobbs, stepfather of victim Steve Branch. [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/west-memphis-three-free-after-18-years-in-prison/2011/08/19/gIQAsZFvNJ_story.html)

The West Memphis Three were convicted in 1994 based almost entirely on Misskelley's coerced and inconsistent confession, circumstantial evidence about Echols' lifestyle and interests, and forensic testimony that was later discredited. No physical evidence definitively linked the three to the crime.

Over the following decade, appeals produced no relief. The Arkansas Supreme Court twice upheld Echols' death sentence. Defense teams filed repeated requests for DNA testing of crime scene evidence, which prosecutors initially blocked. [BBC](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-14581568)

In 2007, a circuit court judge granted permission for comprehensive DNA testing. The results, announced in 2007, excluded all three men from crime scene DNA. Hair evidence found at the scene — in a knot tied around one victim's body — appeared to match Terry Hobbs, a claim Hobbs denied. The DNA findings prompted the defense to seek a new trial.

The Arkansas Supreme Court in 2010 allowed an evidentiary hearing, at which defense experts testified that bite mark wounds on the victims were likely caused by animals, not knives — contradicting the prosecution's original theory. [AP News](https://apnews.com/article/west-memphis-three-released-alford-plea-2011)

On August 19, 2011, Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley entered Alford pleas — acknowledging that prosecutors had evidence to convict them while maintaining their innocence — as part of a deal with the state. Each was sentenced to time served and released. The compromise allowed Arkansas to avoid a new trial while the men regained their freedom.

The murders of the three children technically remain unsolved. No other person has been charged with the killings. [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/19/west-memphis-three-freed)