Waser wrote, "They went to bed, spent time talking, had intercorse (intercourse) and went to sleep, at approximately 2:30PM they went to sleep". She threw up some liquid. Founded 1974, the Arkansas Times is a lively, opinionated source for news, politics & culture in Arkansas. Melissa Byers' body was there, wrapped in carpeting, plastic, sheets and clothing, court records said. By going into the courtroom and sticking with the case for its entire duration, Berlinger and Sinofsky were able to capture what may have otherwise been lost to time or left out of transcripts. But further down, in the section for the music department, theres a curious inclusion of a consultant who never worked in film again: Alex Sinofsky, the son of Bruce who was 12 at the time of Paradise Losts release. At the time of her youngest son's murder in May of 1993, Melissa was married to John Mark Byers. <>/Metadata 79 0 R/ViewerPreferences 80 0 R>> In January 1995, John Mark Byers was found guilty on the charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The nonprofits work hasnt always been easyfundraising is hard, and because hes a convicted felon, hes unable to visit clients in prison or discuss pleasbut its been essential for him as he strives to live the words by 14th-century Persian poet Hafez that he keeps as an email signature: The small man builds cages for everyone he knows / While the sage, who has to duck his head when the moon is low / Keeps dropping keys all night long for the beautiful rowdy prisoners. Baldwin says hes learned that justice isnt a computer programthat you can input all the evidence and testimony and still get the wrong results. A large number of people here feel the three teens convicted for the 'Paradise Lost' murders were wrongly convicted because of skimpy evidence and the fact that the teens were thought of as 'creepy'. He said that he and Melissa spent the afternoon in bed, beginning at 12pm. Melissa and John Mark Byers were having problems in their marriage in 1996. And the seemingly endless stream of threats against them and the frequent clashes with Mark Byers did nothing to dissuade them. I think I introduced my dad to it because that was not his normal genre., Three Metallica songsOrion, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), and Call of Ktuluwould play throughout the documentary. Also, what's this about an older boy? Melissa Byers was born on January 16, 1956. She alleged that he told her how he had put gasoline all around the trailer and then used a cigarette as a fuse. But life was continuing for John Mark Byers. In 1994, the FBI said there was scant evidence that violent satanic crimes had ever occurred in America outside of a few isolated incidents, but that was long after TV hosts like Geraldo, Sally Jessy Raphael, and Oprah had spread moral hysteria about musicians weaving supposedly anti-Christian and occult messages into their songs, and long after wrongful convictions were handed down in the infamous McMartin Preschool sexual assault trials. Berlinger says that after months of filming, the parents of one of the victims raised the issue of payment. Quickly, however, he realized Berlinger and Sinofsky were taking a different approach. [11] He told Waser that he didn't know what to do. Records of what happened next are vague. He and John Mark Byers were informed that Melissa was deceased at 6:30pm. 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. The murders shocked West Memphis, but weeks passed without an assailant or assailants being found. The reason for the credit gets less curious when hes asked about it: He was a huge Metallica fan. Byers got up to get some milk and asked if Melissa wanted anything. Both wrists bore multiple, well-healed, linear scars. While Berlinger says that the work of people like Bakken and Sauls was more impressive than that of any celebrity, its undeniable that the famous and influential brought a megaphone and funding mechanism to this case that most never get. Now, he was being asked to consider something that he never dreamed he would: accepting a plea deal that would set the West Memphis Three free, but require them to give up their quest for exoneration. How many people from this familyhave died / been murdered??!! I so BADLY wanted to ask him, "How does it feel to have your last interaction with your child be a beating?". Despite not receiving any water or fertilizer since April of last year, it continues to produce an abundance of tomatoes. He agreed to a search and signed a permission form at 6:55pm. Metz advised that Byers told him it could be bought for $50 on the street. >According to an article by Associated Press and published in the>Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Oct 4: "The mother of a boy killed in West>Memphis' 1993 triple murders had drugs in her system when she died, but, >not enough to cause her death, a county sheriff says. 24 Jun . Berlinger contrasts this with the approach taken by Bakken, Sauls, and Co., who considered the truth sacrosanct and avoided rumor and innuendo in part because similar speculation helped convict the West Memphis Three. [29], On April 1, 1996, the following individuals signed off on the examination and autopsy of Melissa Byers: Stephen Erickson, M.D. Carter recalled, Mark had a knife after them He wanted them to give him money to buy dope with., When Carter cornered Byers in a closet, ordered him to throw down the knife, and took him in custody, he said Byers vowed, Ill cut your throat.. Police also noted what appeared to be attempts to clean the dining room, living room, kitchen and bathroom. [34], The final cause of death for Melissa was listed as "undetermined". (Its worth noting that despite the issues raised by Lindseys work, the first season of Up and Vanished renewed interest in the case, which ultimately led to arrests, albeit of people that Lindsey hadnt previously covered on the podcast.). A tattoo of a heart and scroll were present on her right upper back, with the name Christopher written in the scroll. A spiritual successor to Errol Morriss The Thin Blue Line, and a forerunner of more recent documentaries like Making a Murderer, the film stands today as the most affecting examination of one of the most studied legal cases in U.S. historyone that put heavy metal lyrics and black T-shirts on trial and helped lay the groundwork for the current thinking around false confessions. The Paradise Lost cameras captured not only the defenses discussions, but the full testimony, in Misskelleys trial, of an expert on coerced confessions. The IMDb credits page for the first Paradise Lost is modest, but impressive. Supporting the Arkansas Times' independent journalism is more vital than ever. By collecting seeds from your own garden or buying them in bulk, you can save money on future purchases. In 1996, a screener for Paradise Lost passed her desk. They described Byers, whom no one knew, as dirty, with a blonde beard and sunglasses, 230-250 pounds, wearing like a flag shirt with blue jeans, 35-40 years old, with brownish-black hair. They also gave a description of his vehicle. Eventually, they began traveling to Arkansasabout 35 trips in total, always on their own dime, Bakken and Sauls sayto collect case documents, which they scanned and uploaded to the site, also transcribing the documents so that the text could be searchable. 4 0 obj Mojo jumped up, Baldwin recalls. Except this was 1996, and home internet was still in its infancy. Christopher Byers was born to Melissa DeFir and Ricky Murray. There have also been several high-profile incidents of laypeople reinvestigating decades-old cold cases in more rigorous, journalistic ways and helping bring them to a resolution. But on the subject of Paradise Lost, he speaks emphatically: He understands how important the movies were in helping him, Echols, and Misskelley walk free 10 years ago this August. Police said they observed injuries to Pamela Hobbs face and to the back of her head. Support came from unlikely corners: a classroom of kids who held a cookie sale that raised $30, local bands in Chicago who held a benefit show and sent $150. 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. This announcement really makes me wonder about Byers and the deaths of his step-family. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. He was charged with a felony cocaine count and carrying a weapon. Moreover, that anomaly in the body was matched by an anomaly in the report. A quarter-century later, what does the documentary tell us about citizen activism, the criminal justice system, and the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 90s? The story felt personal for all of them, but especially Sauls: He had grown up in Florida and Georgia as an outcast obsessed with art and reading some of the same books Damien Echols had. how did melissa byers dietooting and mitcham fc former players. Not just because John Mark Byers is so creepy (though he IS), but becausethe Byers boy was the only one who was sexually mutilated, AND Mr. Byerswas the one who reported the boys missing. Even without a smoking gun, the circumstantial evidence was enough for a conviction in a place like Crittenden County, Arkansas. Melissa and John Mark Byers were having problems in their marriage in 1996. I grabbed his arm and shoulder and guided his body to the floor. An additional part of the agreement was that Byers would leave the Third Judicial District, which is made up of Sharp, Lawrence, Randolph, and Jackson counties and not come back to them, or to Fulton County either. )When NO evidence is held up against SOME evidence, most investigations would follow the trail of SOME evidence.Remember, too that the primary evidence that most of us armchair jurors have convicted OJ on is blood evidence (there's also a family connection, which is very common, and a history of domestic abuse).The three teens, however, were ONLY "creepy. Sinofsky family connection aside, Berlinger says this was an important part of the film: The prosecutors had put heavy metal lyrics and Baldwins and Echolss Metallica fandom on trial as much as the teens themselves. Here were these guysat best they were neutral. The 33 Unnamed Hawkins Lab Employees are seen through the lab's security cameras and throughout the hallways. )+B]{uApptJ'\`\R@=]%m=VWrZ$K" Sheriff Powell is keeping his open. Varieties for 2021 By the end of Paradise Lost, you cant believe they were found guilty, Bakken says. When told about the finding of blood, Byers changed his statement, claiming that he had used the knife to cut deer meat to make jerky. He said, J.B., youre going home, man, youre going home.. At this point, Ryan said he couldn't "take it anymore" and so he and Amanda left, drove around, got gas, and bought a soda. Im seeing the things I experienced, but not through my own point of view. The Byerses, who did not respond to requests for an interview, have also sought a restraining order against the Kingsburys. "KeelX+RB]eYX]Q.VU#^jUoOXrXExLUmxw/f4Tk}[Y{|/X%w@M+N(l [18], Efforts to locate Ryan Clark were unsuccessful that evening. Baldwins attorneys even avoided putting him on the witness stand or mounting much of a defense, believing the burden was on the state. In October, Melissa Byers was arrested once again and charged with aggravated assault, this time for pointing a rifle at carpet layers who refused to work in her home until the floors were cleaned. The cult part of the Commercial Appeals headline signaled how the case would be defined by both the media and prosecutors. He said he was at the Byers' residence on March 29th, 1996. The medical examiner's office said Melissa Byers, 47, died as a result of multiple. 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. 1993 West Memphis homicides case discussion. (I also knew that Susan Smith killed her kids from her first interview pleading for the abductor to "bring back my baaaabies. 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