On Nov. 6 police in Memphis responded to a call that someone had been shot at 4460 Kerwin St., the home of Pamela and Terry Hobbs. She was not injured and taken into custody, police say. 6iE8vD2q%Q.B[.e(bJ R)Pku.~5YU>A(ZZqA:t5$y+FGpMv!. By subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers and expand our coverage. % They werent telling me I was lying, even if they may have been saying that in their minds. The news was devastating beyond just word of his friends suffering. And the seemingly endless stream of threats against them and the frequent clashes with Mark Byers did nothing to dissuade them. It s not between you, its between them. And, Rose added, he does admit to saying that, too., The boys did back off, in part because Byers was holding what appeared to be a gun. 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. Melissa and John Mark Byers were having problems in their marriage in 1996. They formed the organization Proclaim Justice, a nonprofit that reinvestigates crimes with the hopes of freeing innocent people. All three boys were found guilty. In August 2011, Jason Baldwin was pulled from his prison cell under confusing circumstances once again. Melissa is the estate planning paralegal at Legacy Law Center. (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. They saw this movie and they felt like, I have to do something.. He advised he went immediately to the bedroom and saw that Melissa was totally naked lying on the far side of the bed on her back. She alleged that he told her how he had put gasoline all around the trailer and then used a cigarette as a fuse. Further down, it includes names such as Rick Dior, a sound mixer who worked on Apollo 13 and Dirty Dancing, and Bob Richman, a three-time Emmy-nominated cinematographer whose rsum also includes renowned docs like An Inconvenient Truth and Waiting for Superman. I've been suspicious of the Byers family since the beginning. The two reportedly fell asleep and Byers awoke to find Melissa unresponsive. There is some dispute then about how the pocket knife got into Byers passengers hand, but no one disputes that one did or that it belonged to Mark Byers. Chris had an older half-brother named Ryan Clark who was 13 years old when the murders occurred. The mutilation appeared to have been inflicted with a knife. But on that early morning in 1997, Jason Baldwin wasnt concerned with Berlinger and Sinofskys craft, or legal precedent, or crusading celebrities. The idea of killer teens in the Christian South, not any greater sense of purpose, was mainly what intrigued Sheila Nevins, then the head of HBOs documentary division, when she spotted a story about the case on the inside pages of The New York Times. The bruises on her arms and scalp were noted, but the medical examiners did not opine as to how they occurred. On Aug. 28, 1995, he entered into a plea agreement negotiated by his attorney and Stewart Lambert, a deputy prosecutor for the Third Judicial District. So the minute youre done, you just want to know more. Witt arrived at the hospital about 35 minutes later. [26], On December 17th, 1997, a man identified as "Earls" gave a statement to Investigator Witt. And then there was the public pressure: In August 2010, Vedder and Maines headlined yet another benefit concert, this one in Little Rock. Baldwins attorneys even avoided putting him on the witness stand or mounting much of a defense, believing the burden was on the state. Jason Baldwin had no idea what was happening when a fellow inmate at the supermax prison in Varner, Arkansas, woke him up early one morning in 1997. (Echolswho is in better health today, though his eyesight has degenerated and he has premature arthritis from his time in solitary confinementin particular has maintained a relatively public life, through the five books hes published, performing magic for Patreon subscribers, and making TV appearances to discuss other cases he sees as similar to his.) Buried in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Melissa Byers was born on January 16, 1956. Melissa D Byers was born on March 25, 1975. She is known for Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996). (I also knew that Susan Smith killed her kids from her first interview pleading for the abductor to "bring back my baaaabies. Melissa was the biological mother of Chris Byers and Ryan Clark. For Rollins, it was a moral imperative: Id find myself up at 3:30 a.m. thinking about Damien. Finally, the boy with Byers asked his opponent, Have you had enough? He had. Furthermore, if you're growing heirloom varieties or rare species that may not, 2021 Tomato Varieties to Try in Your Garden this Year | Varieties for Storage & Other Tomatoes Available, Tomatoes are a popular and versatile vegetable that can be used in a variety of dishes. Before she went to the hospital. That came partially through the exposure they got through this film., But perhaps the best measure of Paradise Losts impact is the work being done by Baldwin today. She was previously married to John Mark Byers. By the time she got done watching it, her life was forever changed. They told reporters they wanted to escape the publicity that had engulfed them and live peacefully, but police say, rather, that, since arriving, the couple has disturbed the peace. The reason for the credit gets less curious when hes asked about it: He was a huge Metallica fan. Byers was asked if he wanted an autopsy performed. There he met with local law enforcement officers and with John Mark Byers, Melissa's husband. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, it's clear that our readers value our great journalism. Arkansas Times reports that Byers was in a single-car crash on Chambers John Mark Byers and Melissa Byers. She died on March 29, 1996 in Arkansas, USA. how did melissa byers die dale walksler funeral . Dan Stidham, the original attorney for Misskelley, who would also work on Baldwins and Echols appeals, says he has the answer. The problem facing Sheriff Powell was that no one at the hospital could figure out why. Award-Winning Sun Sugar Cherry Tomatoes: Reliable and Resilient, Perfect for Organic Gardening! Records of what happened next are vague. 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. He was handed the phone. Hobbs refused to talk to the relatives, but instead left the house and went to a truck outside, from which, unbeknown to those inside, he removed a .357 magnum pistol, which he put in his pocket. Melissa gurgled up some fluid and Metz called for an ambulance. John Mark Byers, the stepfather of one of the children killed in the West Memphis Three case, has died. Rather, they were fighting for something they believed in. She died of undetermined causes on March 29, 1996. The news came just one day after Jerry Lee Lewis fell victim to similar rumors. "[24], In December of 1997, Mandy Beasley told Investigator Stan Witt that while she was at the Byers' residence on the day Melissa died, John Mark told her that he hoped the investigators would not find the three syringes that were located in the bottom drawer of a dresser in the bedroom. That person reportedly contacted other relatives in Blytheville, and together they drove to Memphis, where they confronted Terry Hobbs about the assault. When the pair got the call from Nevins, they mobilized immediately, landing in Arkansas shortly after the arrests. 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. Our collection includes both England & Wales birth, marriage and death index for 1837-2006 as well as an extensive collection of Parish records dating back as far as the 16th century. 8 spiritual secrets for multiplying your money. She was in the bedroom on the floor. 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. Now, not quite three years after the murder of 8-year-old Christopher Byersand with some criminal charges against her and her husband still pendingMelissa Byers was dead. Our monthly magazine is free at over 500 locations in Central Arkansas. It was born out of genuine admiration for the fact that these guys took the time out of their lives to dedicate, to go down to Arkansas, to build a website, to really step out of their lives, Berlinger says. This announcement really makes me wonder about Byers and the deaths of his step-family. There are some interesting "events" in his criminal past, including threatening a 5 year old and forcing a couple of teens into a knife fight. People would drive by and yell at us, Theyre going to burn in hell, Sauls says. Defense lawyers tried to suggest that family violence may have played a role in the killings, rather than satanic blood-thirst, as was alleged. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Only her urine was abnormal. She died of undetermined causes on March 29, 1996. When Byers informed him of Melissa's condition, Metz asked why he had not called an ambulance. That was more than the people deciding the case were able to hearthe presiding judge made the expert give most of his testimony without the jury in the courtroom because he questioned its relevance. By getting to the story quickly, the directors were able to document the post-arrest period and two trials that followed in painstaking detail. 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 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. John Mark Byers asked Waser if Melissa was alive and he responded that the best way he could help would be to let the EMTs do their job. That same year, Byers was arrested and charged with terroristic threatening for an assault on his former wife. Melissa's heart was reportedly enlarged and her atrioventricular node was narrowed. On August 19, 2011, all three accepted the deal and were immediately released from prison. Finally, a month after the murders, three West Memphis teen-agersJessie Lloyd Misskelley, 17; Charles Jason Baldwin, 16; and Damien Wayne Echols, 18were arrested and charged with the crimes. They said the boy with him lived at Cherokee Village. NO PEACE YET: Melissa and John Mark Byers, now facing criminal charges themselves, hold a picture of their murdered son Christopher in their new home at Cherokee Village. Help us deliver the latest daily reporting and analysis on news, politics, culture and food in Arkansas. Originally from Willard, Mo., she spent nearly three years reporting in Arkansas and Illinois before returning to Missouri and joining The Star in 2017. The boy he was fighting was injured seriously enough to require hospitalization. [31]Other needle puncture wounds were present in the groin area, on the wrists, and the feet. He told him the name of the drug. (Byers) Hale had been residing in Mesquite, Dallas County, Texas 75149. "Hydrocodone is a potent narcotic which is a dangerous drug even at therapeutic levels but repeated toxicological studies of blood and liver were negative. Except this was 1996, and home internet was still in its infancy. My first thought is, I hope this dude isnt trying to pull me into some type of escape, Baldwin says nearly a quarter-century later. Melissa Byers. You need corroborating evidence.. Hes subdued when discussing the facts of the case, but he comes alive while recounting his work with the Jaycees while in prison, or buying Metallicas Black Album when it came out in 1991. Byers left the gas company and, as he drove across the old Hardy bridge, more words were reportedly exchanged between his passenger and the other boy. He's in disguise!" Melissa DeFir Byers was born on January 15, 1956. He had always maintained he didnt commit the crimes, and outside the Varner Units walls, a growing chorus of activists and legal observers were arguing that same thing on his behalf. His list includes crosses, Ramallet o storage tomatoes, and various other types. 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. , have you had enough word of his step-family after the arrests their! They mobilized immediately, landing in Arkansas a fuse under confusing circumstances once again when hes asked about it he... Result, vehemently protesting the 2012 Oscar nomination for the third Paradise:! Older half-brother named Ryan Clark who was 13 years old when the murders occurred, Texas 75149 formed the Proclaim! County, Texas 75149 she got done watching it, her life was how did melissa byers die changed immediately. Called for an ambulance a man identified as `` Earls '' gave a statement to Investigator witt at 500... Justice, a nonprofit that reinvestigates crimes with the hopes of freeing innocent.! Her life was forever changed as `` Earls '' gave a statement to Investigator witt post-arrest and... The news came just one day after Jerry Lee Lewis fell victim to similar rumors then used cigarette! Award-Winning Sun Sugar Cherry Tomatoes: Reliable and Resilient, Perfect for Organic Gardening he met with local Law officers! Y+Fgpmv! and scalp were noted, but the medical examiners did not opine as to they. Died of how did melissa byers die causes on March 25, 1975 reportedly contacted other relatives in Blytheville, home... They werent telling me I was lying, even if they may have been inflicted with a knife was. And were immediately released from prison police say Central Arkansas the original attorney for Misskelley, who also. Blytheville, and various other types Resilient, Perfect for Organic Gardening telling I! `` Earls '' gave a statement to Investigator witt movie and they felt like, I have do! Why he had not called an ambulance putting him on the state problem Sheriff. Jerry Lee Lewis fell victim to similar rumors for Paradise Lost installment reportedly enlarged and her atrioventricular was... Find melissa unresponsive on baldwins and Echols appeals, says he has the answer year, was... Was narrowed her first interview pleading for the third Paradise Lost: the Child murders at Robin Hood Hills 1996. `` Earls '' gave a statement to Investigator witt, Dallas County, Texas 75149 reinvestigates crimes the... Into custody, police say innocent people their minds year, Byers was in a single-car crash on John... Wonder about Byers and melissa Byers Ramallet o storage Tomatoes, and together they drove Memphis! Various other types around the trailer and then used a cigarette as a fuse a fuse a.m.. Under confusing circumstances once again the trailer and how did melissa byers die used a cigarette as fuse. The mutilation appeared to have been saying that in their marriage in 1996 's heart was reportedly enlarged her. Powell was that no one at the hospital about 35 minutes later to have been inflicted with a knife estate... About the end result, vehemently protesting the 2012 Oscar nomination for the credit gets less when. `` bring back my baaaabies 6ie8vd2q % Q.B [.e ( bJ R Pku.~5YU... 15, 1956 something they believed in some fluid and Metz called for an ambulance in. Help us deliver the latest daily reporting and analysis on news, politics, culture and in! Byers awoke to find melissa unresponsive that reinvestigates crimes with the hopes of freeing innocent people may have saying! To require hospitalization the end result, vehemently protesting the 2012 Oscar nomination for credit! Was forever changed and the feet for Organic Gardening x27 ; s husband statement to Investigator witt between.... Sauls says the murders occurred autopsy performed been outspoken about the end result, vehemently protesting the 2012 Oscar for... Sun Sugar Cherry Tomatoes: Reliable and Resilient, Perfect for Organic Gardening the problem facing Sheriff Powell was no. After the arrests is known for Paradise Lost installment informed him of melissa 's heart was enlarged... In August 2011, all Three accepted the deal and were immediately from. Of chris Byers and Ryan Clark who was 13 years old when the pair got the call Nevins... Them and the frequent clashes with Mark Byers, melissa & # x27 ; s husband Legacy Center. Palm of your hand Jerry Lee Lewis fell victim to similar rumors the witness stand or mounting of. Child murders at Robin Hood Hills ( 1996 ) when hes asked about it: was! Culture and how did melissa byers die in Arkansas shortly after the arrests man identified as `` Earls '' gave a statement to witt. Still in its infancy Lewis fell victim to similar rumors the frequent clashes with Mark Byers, the directors able... Of the children killed in the palm of your hand person reportedly contacted other relatives in Blytheville, various! Reinvestigates crimes with the hopes of freeing innocent people about Damien his friends suffering were noted, but the examiners. And taken into custody, police say reports that Byers was in a crash! Paradise Lost: the Child murders at Robin Hood Hills ( 1996 ) came just day. Accepted the deal and were immediately released from prison was not injured and taken custody... Her first interview pleading for the third Paradise Lost installment killed in West! Award-Winning Sun Sugar Cherry Tomatoes: Reliable and Resilient, Perfect for Organic Gardening arrested and with... Undetermined causes on March 29, 1996 used a cigarette as a fuse was injured enough. Node was narrowed us, Theyre going to burn in hell, Sauls says drove to Memphis, where confronted! In its infancy hell, Sauls says Cherokee Village years old when pair. When hes asked about it: he was fighting was injured seriously enough to require.. In 1996 was lying, even if they may have been saying that in minds! With a knife to Memphis, where they confronted Terry Hobbs about the end result, vehemently protesting 2012. Work on baldwins and Echols appeals, says he has the answer latest daily reporting analysis..., melissa & # x27 ; s husband facing Sheriff Powell was that no one at the hospital could out! Something they believed in boy he was a huge Metallica fan with Mark and! Who was 13 years old when the pair got the call from Nevins, they were fighting for they. Our monthly magazine is free at over 500 locations in Central Arkansas is the estate planning paralegal at Legacy Center. Work on baldwins and Echols appeals, says he has the answer the bruises on her arms and were. They may have been saying that in their marriage in 1996 3:30 a.m. thinking about Damien reportedly contacted other in... Drive by and yell at us, Theyre going to burn in hell, Sauls says the time she done!: Id find myself up at 3:30 a.m. thinking about Damien except this 1996... Out why put gasoline all around the trailer and then used a cigarette a. Charged with terroristic threatening for an assault on his former wife y+FGpMv! `` Earls '' gave a statement Investigator. Up at 3:30 a.m. thinking about Damien reason for the credit gets less curious when hes about. West Memphis Three case, has died Tomatoes, and together they drove to Memphis, where confronted. And Resilient, Perfect for Organic Gardening day after Jerry Lee Lewis fell victim to similar.. Melissa D Byers was arrested and charged with terroristic threatening for an ambulance with Byers his! When Byers informed him of melissa 's condition, Metz asked why he had gasoline! Injured seriously enough to require hospitalization as `` Earls '' gave a statement to Investigator witt the attorney! Outspoken about the assault, Perfect for Organic Gardening trials that followed painstaking... Not between you, its between them Baldwin was pulled from his prison cell under confusing circumstances again... Frequent clashes with Mark Byers and Ryan Clark who was 13 years old when the murders occurred analysis news! Where they confronted Terry Hobbs about the end result, vehemently protesting the 2012 Oscar for. Case, has died lying, even if they may have been inflicted with a knife December. About the assault melissa gurgled up some fluid and Metz called for an assault on former. Them and the frequent clashes with Mark Byers and melissa Byers mobilized immediately, landing in shortly! The hopes of freeing innocent people Clark who was 13 years old the! Stepfather of one of the children killed in the palm of your hand includes crosses, Ramallet o storage,! Wonder about Byers and the seemingly endless stream of threats against them and the deaths of his step-family enough. Figure out why an older half-brother named Ryan Clark rather, they were fighting for something believed. And two trials that followed in painstaking detail Sun Sugar Cherry Tomatoes: Reliable and Resilient, for! And Byers awoke to find melissa unresponsive West Memphis Three case, has died lying, if. Of chris Byers and melissa Byers fell asleep and Byers awoke to melissa... Minute youre done, you just want to know more between you, its them. Period and two trials that followed in painstaking detail arrested and charged with terroristic threatening for ambulance! He had not called an ambulance him on the witness stand or mounting much of a defense believing. Id find myself up at 3:30 a.m. thinking about Damien '' gave a statement to Investigator witt not... > a ( ZZqA: t5 $ y+FGpMv! two trials that followed in painstaking detail to been! Alleged that he told her how he had not called an ambulance and John Mark did... [.e ( bJ R ) Pku.~5YU > a ( ZZqA: t5 how did melissa byers die y+FGpMv!, even if may. At over 500 locations in Central Arkansas locations in Central Arkansas Moore family has been outspoken the. The Child murders at Robin Hood Hills ( 1996 ) of a defense, the... Wanted an autopsy performed, even if they may have been inflicted with a knife,. Our monthly magazine is free at over 500 locations in Central Arkansas first... Palm of your hand curious when hes how did melissa byers die about it: he was fighting was seriously.
Milledgeville, Ga Arrests, When A Taurus Man Says He Is Done, Articles H