THV Extra: Part 2, Was Justice Served For WM3 & Victims?

After the trials, two HBO documentaries gave the case world wide attention painting the case as a rush to judgment fueled by Satanism. Since the films, thousands have questioned their guilt.  

Behind the walls and behind the razor wire in a 9x6 cell, Damien Echols sits on death row.

He says, "Everything in prison is made out of concrete. The floors, even the bed you sleep on is a concrete slab."

It's been his life for the past 16 years, for his entire adult life.

"These people are trying to kill you, sentence you to death for something you didn't do," he says.

Echols has watched 20 men walk to their executions and knows he could be next, but at the same time feels closer than ever to getting a new trial.

"I just try to stay calm. Try to remain patient and not get my hopes too high," he says.

Echols is eager to talk about the case even if it means re-living the past.

He reflects, "It's like being in absolute terror and being numb at the same time."

It was an adventure on their bikes that ended in a horrific nightmare for three little boys. Michael Moore, Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers were found bludgeoned, hog tied and naked.

Police, prosecutors and ultimately a jury of 12 said Echols, the ring leader, should die for the crime.

"People seem to have an intrinsic trust in authority. So if authority figures tell you we've got the person, then most people tend to generally believe it," he says.

Also convicted were 17-year-old Jessie Misskelley Jr. and 16-year-old Jason Baldwin.

Misskelley who was borderline mentally retarded confessed. Detectives called the three devil worshippers who killed the boys as part of an occult ceremony. Police say a knife likely used in the murders was found in a lake behind Baldwin's house.

"Back then, the murders were still fresh and everyone was still scared, almost terrified. Everybody was in sort of a blind panic at the time and it limited everybody's ability to use logic or to think," says Echols.

But in the last year, forensic experts for the defense say turtles made the wounds on the boys, not a knife.

Also, they say DNA from two hairs found on a shoelace used to tie up Michael Moore didn't belong to the West Memphis Three, but rather to Terry Hobbs the stepfather to victim Stevie Branch. The other hair, they say, linked to a friend Hobbs was with the day of the crime.

"Echols says, "Technology has gotten to the point where it has gotten smaller and smaller trace amounts of DNA and they can do tests now that they couldn't do back then."

However, prosecutors dismiss the claims saying the hairs could have easily been transferred to Moore simply by visiting Hobbs' home.

Then last month came a new development. Three witnesses, Hobbs' former neighbors, came forward after only recently learning that Hobbs told police he hadn't seen the boys at all that day.

They say they saw him yelling for the boys to get back to the house. Today's THV reached out to Terry Hobbs, but he wouldn't comment. His lawyer released a statement saying Echols attorney is, "...concerned only with falsely accusing Terry Hobbs of this crime to create an alternative suspect to assist his convicted clients."

Still even Hobbs' ex wife Pam questions his possible involvement. She explains, "I really think West Memphis was rushed for a conviction. They took three teenagers and convicted them. I would like for them to look at evidence that has been presented to the court the last couple of years versus the circumstantial evidence that convicted the three men that are in prison."

Mark Byers agrees. His son Christopher is one of the victims.

"My faith in my heart and in my soul and every fiber that I have that there is going to come justice one day and those three are going to walk out of the Arkansas Department of Correction," says Byers.

West Memphis police refused to comment but stand by their statement that Hobbs is not a suspect.

Echols just wants a chance to clear his name.

He says, "I get a little bit excited about it, but at the same time this has been drug out for so long in the past that it is not going to come to a conclusion quickly. I know that."

As for whether he supports the death penalty, he explains, "At times I would say no. I would absolutely say no I don't believe in it. But then I think about this clown that killed these three kids and left me sitting on death row for 16 and a half years for something he did. Would I want to see him on death row? It is really really hard for me to say no."

He calls it a double tragedy. Years have come and gone. The patch of woods has been cleared. The crime scene is almost unrecognizable.

The three victims' innocence is gone. The three convicted teens are now in their thirties while their future remains uncertain.

Recently, a sworn affidavit was presented to the court from a former Arkansas prosecutor stating that, during the original Echols/Baldwin trial, the jury foreman contacted the attorney informing him that he was introducing Jessie Misskelley's false confession during deliberations to persuade his fellow jurors to convict. Jessie's confession was barred from the trial as he had recanted and refused to testify against Damien and Jason.

The Arkansas Supreme Court is currently reviewing the new DNA and forensic evidence as well as the juror misconduct to determine whether to grant Damien Echols a new trial.

In the last two weeks, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel filed a legal response to the Arkansas Supreme Court in Damien Echols's appeal for a new trial. In it, he says, "The circuit court correctly denied Echols's relief because his testing results are inconclusive as to his claim of actual innocence because they do not show a reasonable probability that he did not commit the offenses."

Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are seeking a new trial based on ineffective legal counsel, and are waiting for a response from Judge David Burnett. We're told a response will come no later than the end of the year.

In 2008, Hobbs filed a lawsuit against the country music group the Dixie Chicks, West Memphis Three supporters, who allegedly made slanderous statements against him.

In the deposition, former West Memphis chief of detectives Gary Gitchell was asked if Hobbs should be looked at now. He replied, yes. However, he would not comment as to why he wasn't thoroughly investigated back then.

The defense claims there is evidence that clears the men. The defense also answers several questions on the Free West Memphis Three website.

Coming up in tonight's THV Extra, part two of our three part series, Was Justice Served? We will explore the new evidence that the defense says proves the men are innocent. Tune into the "THV 10:00 Difference."

Monday night, we started at the beginning with the investigation, the arrests and the conviction.

Watch the entire extended interview with Damien Echols and THV's Ashley Blackstone.