THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL
Saturday, June 5, 1993
Section: News
Edition: Final
Page: A1
Memo: Different version, Tenn A1
CORRECTION from June 6, 1993: A photograph Saturday showed the inside of
a mobile home north of West Memphis where murder suspect Michael Wayne
Echols had been staying with his girlfriend. It was not the trailer at
2706 S. Grove in West Memphis that police listed as Echols's home.
THREE TEENS CHARGED WITH MURDER IN SLAYINGS OF WEST MEMPHIS BOYS
ARK. YOUTHS COULD FACE THE DEATH PENALTY
By Bartholomew Sullivan The Commercial Appeal
One terror-filled month after three 8-year-old boys were slain and dumped in a drainage ditch, West Memphis police Friday charged three teenagers with the killings.
Police Insp. Gary Gitchell said each suspect is charged with three counts of capital murder, which carries a possible death penalty. Although two are juveniles, Gitchell said all will be tried as adults. They are:
-- Michael Wayne Echols, 18, of West Memphis.
-- Jessie Lloyd Misskelley, 17, of Marion.
-- Charles Jason Baldwin, 16, of Marion.
They are accused of the May 5 killings of Weaver Elementary School second- graders Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. Gitchell has said the three were hit in the head and were found with their hands and feet bound.
In West Memphis Municipal Court, Judge William P. Rainey appointed attorneys for the defendants and bound them over to Crittenden County Circuit Court for a hearing on Monday. Citing security reasons, Gitchell declined to say where the three will be held over the weekend.
The tense courtroom scene included an outburst from Steve Branch, the father of one of the victims, who lunged toward Echols.
He was led away in handcuffs, but was not arrested.
Police found the boys' bodies in a boggy, wooded area known to nearby residents as Robin Hood Park a day after they disappeared while riding their bicycles.
The area is between the Mayfair Apartments and the Blue Beacon Truck Wash, which faces an access road parallel to Interstate 40.
Although police said from the beginning that they were confident of their leads in the case, almost no details of the deaths have been released. Police have declined to comment on an Arkansas State Police broadcast report that the children had been sexually mutilated.
Gitchell said he could not comment on whether the suspects were involved in satanism or any form of cult activity.
All three defendants have prior records in Juvenile Court and have been represented by the Crittenden County public defender's office. Details of their previous records were not available Friday.
Since West Memphis is the hub of a huge interstate trucking network and is at the confluence of two interstate highways, many speculated that the killer was a psychopathic drifter and was unlikely to be found.
Many residents said Thursday's arrests provided the first relief from fear since the killings.
Some in the town of 28,000 said the case has caused them to keep a closer eye on their children when they play outdoors.
At a 9 a.m. press conference at the West Memphis City Hall, Gitchell said two of the youths arrested - Echols and Baldwin - were early suspects in the case, and that Misskelley was later identified.
Misskelley was arrested at the West Memphis Police Department at 2:44 p.m. Thursday and Echols and Baldwin were arrested at Echols's Grove Road residence at 10:32 p.m.
Misskelley's father, Jessie, said his son had been brought in for questioning by police at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
Police seized a knife during a search of his three-bedroom trailer home Thursday night, he said.
Gitchell would not discuss the trio's motive or reveal what investigators found in searching the suspects' residences. Four search warrants were executed simultaneously Thursday, but officials would not say where or what was found.
The murders occurred on a night with a full moon and the arrests were made the day before Friday's full moon, leading to speculation and rampant rumors about satanism.
The FBI's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime in Quantico, Va., worked on a profile of a likely killer or killers. In addition, the Arkansas State Police, the Crittenden County Sheriff's Department and the Memphis Police Department helped in the case.
Gitchell praised the determination of his colleagues and of law enforcement officials around the country who had phoned in tips or helped with leads. He
thanked residents who brought food to officers working long hours.
"Pieces gradually started fitting in place and finally made a clear picture," he said of the routine of 18-hour days and hundreds of leads investigated.
"This, I can honestly say, was the most difficult case the Police Department in West Memphis has ever had," he said.
Gitchell declined to comment on any aspect of the evidence and refused to say what led to the arrests. He said some questions would only be answered as the cases proceed to trial.
West Memphis Police, the Arkansas Second Judicial Circuit prosecutor's office and the Municipal Court refused to make public police reports or charging documents, which are typically released at the time of a defendant's first court appearance.
The Commercial Appeal is seeking the records under terms of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act because so few details were released on Friday.
"The Commercial Appeal took legal action to open arrest and court documents that are usually available to the public but sealed in this case. We believe those records are needed to help sort out facts alleged in the case
from a growing supply of rumors," said managing editor Henry Stokes.
Friday afternoon, Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson Jr. held a telephone hearing with attorneys for the newspaper and the prosecutor's office. He continued the hearing until Monday afternoon in Marion.
Deputy Prosecutor John Fogleman said his office would seek to keep the records sealed until the trials are over to prevent prejudicial pretrial information from coming out and because there may be other defendants. Gitchell, however, said he believes there will be no more arrests.
A crowd of West Memphians attended the Municipal Court proceedings, which began at 10 a.m., but were postponed after Branch's courtroom scuffle.
When Misskelley was arraigned, police surrounded him so that spectators in the courtroom could barely see his cornrow hair and ponytail.
Misskelley's father told reporters as he exited the Municipal Court that his son is "a good boy" and that he did not believe the charges.
"I love my son very much," said Gail Grinnell, Baldwin's mother, as she returned home Friday afternoon. "I'm just very upset about all of this."
Illustration: photo (4): map
By Michael McMullan
(Color) Jennifer Ashley, a cousin of murder suspect Jessie Misskelley, and
other members of his family linger outside the courthouse after his
arraignment.
CAPTION: By Dan McComb
(Color) Inside the trailer where suspect Michael Wayne Echols had been
staying with his girlfriend, a Grim Reaper picture bears handwritten words
''See you in hell" at bottom.
CAPTION: (Color) Jason Baldwin, Jessie Misskelley
CAPTION: By Colin Ruthven
The three Crittenden County youths charged Friday in the deaths of three
8-year-old West Memphis boys all live within three miles of where the victims'
bodies were found May 6. Two of the suspects, Charles Jason Baldwin and Jesse
Lloyd Miskelley, live near Marion, the Crittenden County seat just north of
West Memphis. The third suspect, Michael Wayne Echols, lives east of the
victims' neighborhood in West Memphis.
Marion, Arkansas
Highland Trailer Court, home of suspect Jesse Lloyd Misskelley, 17
Lakeshore Trailer Park, home of suspect Charles Jason Baldwin, 16
West Memphis
Victims' bodies found here May 6
Children last seen here May 5
1398 E. Barton, home of victim Michael
1400 E. Barton, home of victim Christopher Byers
1601 S. McCauley, home of victim Steve Branch
2706 South Grove, home of Michael Wayne Echols, 18
Saturday, June 5, 1993
Section: News
Edition: Final
Page: A1
Memo: Different version, Tenn A1
CORRECTION from June 6, 1993: A photograph Saturday showed the inside of
a mobile home north of West Memphis where murder suspect Michael Wayne
Echols had been staying with his girlfriend. It was not the trailer at
2706 S. Grove in West Memphis that police listed as Echols's home.
THREE TEENS CHARGED WITH MURDER IN SLAYINGS OF WEST MEMPHIS BOYS
ARK. YOUTHS COULD FACE THE DEATH PENALTY
By Bartholomew Sullivan The Commercial Appeal
One terror-filled month after three 8-year-old boys were slain and dumped in a drainage ditch, West Memphis police Friday charged three teenagers with the killings.
Police Insp. Gary Gitchell said each suspect is charged with three counts of capital murder, which carries a possible death penalty. Although two are juveniles, Gitchell said all will be tried as adults. They are:
-- Michael Wayne Echols, 18, of West Memphis.
-- Jessie Lloyd Misskelley, 17, of Marion.
-- Charles Jason Baldwin, 16, of Marion.
They are accused of the May 5 killings of Weaver Elementary School second- graders Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. Gitchell has said the three were hit in the head and were found with their hands and feet bound.
In West Memphis Municipal Court, Judge William P. Rainey appointed attorneys for the defendants and bound them over to Crittenden County Circuit Court for a hearing on Monday. Citing security reasons, Gitchell declined to say where the three will be held over the weekend.
The tense courtroom scene included an outburst from Steve Branch, the father of one of the victims, who lunged toward Echols.
He was led away in handcuffs, but was not arrested.
Police found the boys' bodies in a boggy, wooded area known to nearby residents as Robin Hood Park a day after they disappeared while riding their bicycles.
The area is between the Mayfair Apartments and the Blue Beacon Truck Wash, which faces an access road parallel to Interstate 40.
Although police said from the beginning that they were confident of their leads in the case, almost no details of the deaths have been released. Police have declined to comment on an Arkansas State Police broadcast report that the children had been sexually mutilated.
Gitchell said he could not comment on whether the suspects were involved in satanism or any form of cult activity.
All three defendants have prior records in Juvenile Court and have been represented by the Crittenden County public defender's office. Details of their previous records were not available Friday.
Since West Memphis is the hub of a huge interstate trucking network and is at the confluence of two interstate highways, many speculated that the killer was a psychopathic drifter and was unlikely to be found.
Many residents said Thursday's arrests provided the first relief from fear since the killings.
Some in the town of 28,000 said the case has caused them to keep a closer eye on their children when they play outdoors.
At a 9 a.m. press conference at the West Memphis City Hall, Gitchell said two of the youths arrested - Echols and Baldwin - were early suspects in the case, and that Misskelley was later identified.
Misskelley was arrested at the West Memphis Police Department at 2:44 p.m. Thursday and Echols and Baldwin were arrested at Echols's Grove Road residence at 10:32 p.m.
Misskelley's father, Jessie, said his son had been brought in for questioning by police at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
Police seized a knife during a search of his three-bedroom trailer home Thursday night, he said.
Gitchell would not discuss the trio's motive or reveal what investigators found in searching the suspects' residences. Four search warrants were executed simultaneously Thursday, but officials would not say where or what was found.
The murders occurred on a night with a full moon and the arrests were made the day before Friday's full moon, leading to speculation and rampant rumors about satanism.
The FBI's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime in Quantico, Va., worked on a profile of a likely killer or killers. In addition, the Arkansas State Police, the Crittenden County Sheriff's Department and the Memphis Police Department helped in the case.
Gitchell praised the determination of his colleagues and of law enforcement officials around the country who had phoned in tips or helped with leads. He
thanked residents who brought food to officers working long hours.
"Pieces gradually started fitting in place and finally made a clear picture," he said of the routine of 18-hour days and hundreds of leads investigated.
"This, I can honestly say, was the most difficult case the Police Department in West Memphis has ever had," he said.
Gitchell declined to comment on any aspect of the evidence and refused to say what led to the arrests. He said some questions would only be answered as the cases proceed to trial.
West Memphis Police, the Arkansas Second Judicial Circuit prosecutor's office and the Municipal Court refused to make public police reports or charging documents, which are typically released at the time of a defendant's first court appearance.
The Commercial Appeal is seeking the records under terms of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act because so few details were released on Friday.
"The Commercial Appeal took legal action to open arrest and court documents that are usually available to the public but sealed in this case. We believe those records are needed to help sort out facts alleged in the case
from a growing supply of rumors," said managing editor Henry Stokes.
Friday afternoon, Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson Jr. held a telephone hearing with attorneys for the newspaper and the prosecutor's office. He continued the hearing until Monday afternoon in Marion.
Deputy Prosecutor John Fogleman said his office would seek to keep the records sealed until the trials are over to prevent prejudicial pretrial information from coming out and because there may be other defendants. Gitchell, however, said he believes there will be no more arrests.
A crowd of West Memphians attended the Municipal Court proceedings, which began at 10 a.m., but were postponed after Branch's courtroom scuffle.
When Misskelley was arraigned, police surrounded him so that spectators in the courtroom could barely see his cornrow hair and ponytail.
Misskelley's father told reporters as he exited the Municipal Court that his son is "a good boy" and that he did not believe the charges.
"I love my son very much," said Gail Grinnell, Baldwin's mother, as she returned home Friday afternoon. "I'm just very upset about all of this."
Illustration: photo (4): map
By Michael McMullan
(Color) Jennifer Ashley, a cousin of murder suspect Jessie Misskelley, and
other members of his family linger outside the courthouse after his
arraignment.
CAPTION: By Dan McComb
(Color) Inside the trailer where suspect Michael Wayne Echols had been
staying with his girlfriend, a Grim Reaper picture bears handwritten words
''See you in hell" at bottom.
CAPTION: (Color) Jason Baldwin, Jessie Misskelley
CAPTION: By Colin Ruthven
The three Crittenden County youths charged Friday in the deaths of three
8-year-old West Memphis boys all live within three miles of where the victims'
bodies were found May 6. Two of the suspects, Charles Jason Baldwin and Jesse
Lloyd Miskelley, live near Marion, the Crittenden County seat just north of
West Memphis. The third suspect, Michael Wayne Echols, lives east of the
victims' neighborhood in West Memphis.
Marion, Arkansas
Highland Trailer Court, home of suspect Jesse Lloyd Misskelley, 17
Lakeshore Trailer Park, home of suspect Charles Jason Baldwin, 16
West Memphis
Victims' bodies found here May 6
Children last seen here May 5
1398 E. Barton, home of victim Michael
1400 E. Barton, home of victim Christopher Byers
1601 S. McCauley, home of victim Steve Branch
2706 South Grove, home of Michael Wayne Echols, 18
