(Byers) Hale was born on April 28, 1967. While a Sharp County deputy took a statement from John Mark Byers and got his permission to search his home, Witt began taking notes about the condition of Melissa Byers body. Byers was convicted of terroristic threatening in the incident. On the left side of the bed there was a glass of clear liquid. In the opinion portion of the autopsy report it was stated that "no specific anatomical cause of death was found." But they werent just voices in the growing choir calling for the West Memphis Threes releasethey were leading the movement. The answer seems obvious. When Rose questioned Byers later, he confirmed that he did hold a gun at his side throughout the incident, but, Rose said, He told me, At no time did I intimidate or threaten any of those kids., Rose said, I asked him, You dont think that just having a gun in your hands under those circumstances was intimidating and threatening? He said, No.'. In January 1995, John Mark Byers was found guilty on the charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He says his dad and Berlinger werent seeking notorietydocumentaries certainly werent a means to get rich or famous in those days. Rose said that when he told Byers there could be charges, Byers seemed incredulous. Melissa's Death So the minute youre done, you just want to know more. The lawyers particularly wanted to focus on the criminal history of Mark Byers a history that, according to police records, involved prior attacks on family members, and to which police apparently paid only slight attention. "[27], The coroner report noted that John Mark Byers stated he had intercourse with Melissa around 3pm on March 29th, 1996. korbell plus refill apotea; jake hess death; lithonia shop light model 1233 Metallica had never licensed a song for a film before, but when they learned about the case, Berlinger says, they made an exception. I dont know if they were questioning it, but they werent mistreating me and telling me that what I was telling them wasnt true., While Berlinger admits that he and Sinofsky may have tilted pro-prosecution in the early days of filming, that quickly changed after witnessing how the cases came together and spending time with the three teens during pretrial jailhouse interviewsparticularly Baldwin, who Berlinger describes as sweet and studious.. When we were driving in the car a lot, wed play a lot of the Metallica album Master of Puppets, says Alex Sinofsky, who became a doctor instead of getting behind the camera himself. At the time of her youngest son's murder in May of 1993, Melissa was married to John Mark Byers. The neighbor said Byers responded, Well, come over. He got a wet rag and wiped her face before feeling for a pulse. Then there's the mysterious circumstances of his wife's death. They werent connected in any direct way, Bakken says. Byers himself was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a Class A misdemeanor. Both wrists bore multiple, well-healed, linear scars. Filming the activists work seemed like the best place for Berlinger and Sinofsky to turn their attention; what better way to show the continued plight of the West Memphis Three than to show regular people dedicating their free time to fighting for them? Stidham says he has a hard time sleeping at night, so convinced is he that his client and the boys convicted with him were victims of what one witness for the defense labeled a satanic panic. He is aware of Byers record, and of the further violence erupting in the family of Steve Branch, but Stidham is careful about throwing stones. So advocacy and diligence become tantamount, because most people in a similar situation to the one he was in dont have the benefit of filmmakers and musicians fighting on their behalf. Its gone from a controversial legal theory to an accepted phenomenon. John Mark called to Ryan twice. He just didnt know it would take another 14 years to happen. And there were some signs of deteriorating health, such as obesity, narrowing of some arteries, and a gallstone. She died on March 11, 2007 at 39 years old. The deputy signed an agreement stating that, if they did, Byers would not be charged with possession. All in all, in light of what I know about this case, I don't think the investigators looked at Byers hard enough and were too willing to opt for the easy way out in arresting the teens since they were "creepy" and fit the Christian mythic description of satanists. Houston said it appeared that Hicks passed the first lick, and a fight ensued. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. I so BADLY wanted to ask him, "How does it feel to have your last interaction with your child be a beating?". He had had no prior criminal record. John Griffm, of the Marion Police Department, wrote in his report that a concened neighboradvised that she heard a woman screaming [and that] there were two small kids outside by themselves, unattended.. Like Misskelley in the first trial, Baldwin received a life sentence. Supporting the Arkansas Times' independent journalism is more vital than ever. Mojo was right. Emest R. Rose, Hardys chief of police, said that, with only a few exceptions, Byers account of that incident agrees with the accounts provided by other witnesses. Armchair detectives of today, I think a lot of them dabble in conspiracy theory, Berlinger says. But life was continuing for John Mark Byers. When they searched online, they found little to no information about the case. Pamela Hobbs told police, she called a relative in Blytheville and told him she believed her jaw was broken. Only her urine was abnormal. "[15], Metz took Byers back to his home, but the two men were advised that no one was to enter the residence during the search. Berlinger and Sinofsky expected a similar result to come quickly in the West Memphis Three case. how did melissa byers die dale walksler funeral . The 1998 Arkansas Times Academic All-Star Team nominees. They procured the domain WM3.org and made a website, updating it with whatever information they could track down. whittier union high school district superintendent. As a reader of the Arkansas Times, you know were dedicated to bringing you tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. Some of the boys in the group said that Byers told them, Youd better not mess with me. [2] Metz said that prior to her death she "seemed to be irritated and had a bad attitude. I spoke with one of the jurors, years later after the trials and convictions, and he said he had no doubt that people could throw their lot in with the devil and be commanded to do things that they wouldnt have done otherwisethat they have basically made the deal with the devil, Leveritt says. Sharp County Sheriff T.J. "Sonny" Powell wouldn't say whether the. BabyCenter. He was charged with a felony cocaine count and carrying a weapon. Metz also said that Byers stated "that he did not kill her and that he loved her. In September, Mark and Melissa Byers, who live not far from the house, were charged with the residential burglary and theft. Bakken immediately showed her friends Burk Sauls and Grove Pashley, who were both equally gripped by what they had just watched. [SNIP]. He was never charged in connection with the deaths. [26], On December 17th, 1997, a man identified as "Earls" gave a statement to Investigator Witt. This story was originally published April 26, 2019, 9:48 PM. 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.. stream Autopsies revealed that two of the boys had drowned where they had been thrown, hog-tied, into the water. By 2005, Rollins himself had raised $100,000 for the cause. Melissa Byers was only 40 years old. Byers stated that Melissa preferred to take Dilaudid. They asked, instead, if he had ever used the knife. She was in the bedroom on the floor. So with less urgency surrounding full exoneration and no documentary cameras rolling, the question 25 years later becomes: Who is paying close enough attention to the case to pick up the fight? "KeelX+RB]eYX]Q.VU#^jUoOXrXExLUmxw/f4Tk}[Y{|/X%w@M+N(l Melissa also had traces of Lithium, valproic acid (used to treat seizures and post traumatic stress disorder), and marijuana in her urine. He arrived at the home around 1pm and "partied with them, drinking Crown Royal, and taking valium, xanex, and that he saw Mark Byers with a sandwich baggie of K-4 dilaudid." He said he and his grandfather looked through it but did not remove anything. [11] He told Waser that he didn't know what to do. Wherever it was screened, Berlinger says, it was followed by intense Q&As from audience members who couldnt believe what theyd just watched. She died of undetermined causes on March 29, 1996. Its first season ostensibly focused on the disappearance of a Georgia beauty queen, but it spent nearly as much time digging through the salacious details of the victims love life and dipping into amateur psychology as it did looking at evidence. . Memphis' 1993 triple murders had drugs in her system when she died, but not enough to cause her death, a county sheriff says. American actress, TV director, producer, politician, and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, Melissa Gilbert's cause of death is spreading as a rumor since reports claimed she passed away on October 27, 2022. The person taking the statement felt that James was implying he was there and witnessed this. I grabbed his arm and shoulder and guided his body to the floor. All of those factors combined to create a tipping point, says Leveritt. [16], When Waser returned to the Byers' home he was informed that Ryan Clark still had not returned. But I had to. Either way, after an emotional Season 4, it looks like Will's character . 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. Byers stated that he would wait in the kitchen. Before the three teens were arrested, Beyers was giving the police the names of pawnbrokers and drug dealers as possible suspects (he's a police drug informant), claiming that there were a lot of people with grudges against him (diverting attention from himself? It is documented that the morning after his arrest, Shelby County authorities placed Byers in federal custody, in the hands of U.S. marshals. Her body was sent for autopsy to the office of the medical examiner at the Arkansas Crime Laboratory in Little Rock. He lived with his mother, Melissa Byers, and stepfather, John Mark Byers. He returned to the Byers' home on March 31st, 1996 to interview Ryan. <>/Metadata 79 0 R/ViewerPreferences 80 0 R>> The problem is we have sent this knife off and had it examined and it has the blood type of Christophers on it., Byers responded, Well, Gary, I dont have any idea how it could be on there.. The whole point of the web sleuths presented in the Cecil Hotel is that you cannot assume something is truthful just because circumstantially it seems interesting. For Rollins, it was a moral imperative: Id find myself up at 3:30 a.m. thinking about Damien. The medical examiners office said Melissa Byers, 47, died as a result of multiple stab wounds. The footage included raw jailhouse interviews with the defendants, strategy sessions held by legal teams on both sides, and extended monologues from Mark Byers, the tall, goateed stepfather of one of the victims, who spoke as though he were reciting the Book of Revelation and who, at one point in Paradise Lost, fired a handgun at a pumpkin while reciting the names of the accused. Furthermore, there is evidence that suggests that plants grown in cement blocks do not suffer from BER (blossom-end rot), which c, Growing Tomatoes from Saved Seed: Tips to Achieve Maximum Germination Rate, Seed Saving: Tips for Ensuring Maximum Germination Rate 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. When he was released in 2011, he met John Hardin, who worked with the West Memphis Three support group Arkansas Take Action, and the two bonded over a desire to do for others what had just been done for Baldwin. Byers drove into Hardy accompanied by a teen-aged boy. Its something that Baldwin couldnt envision when he first agreed to let the documentarians interview him in jail in exchange for an honorarium, or even when Mojo played that VHS tape for him in 1997. Visit Us 4201 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22203 glentunnel to christchurch FREE QUOTE. This year, many gardeners are looking for new varieties of tomatoes to try out in their gardens. Stidham, who is preparing Misskelleys appeal, says that one of the points he will raise is that Misskelley denied any involvement in the murders until police told him he had failed a lie-detector test. To Powell, her death looked like a possible homicide. (Shortly after Villegass acquittal, Baldwin had something of a full-circle moment with his client: He took him to a Metallica show in El Paso, Texas, where they hung out backstage on the invitation of Lars Ulrich.). Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. He had been expecting a visitation, but was instead led to the prison chapel office, where inmates were typically brought only if someone close to them had died. John Mark Byers, the stepfather of one of the children killed in the West Memphis Three case, has died. For 48 years, our progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock has been on the front lines of the fight for truth, and with your support, we can do even more. Melissa, the mother of Christopher Byers, the most brutalized of the West Memphis victims, was 40 years old. However other needle marks were evident. Why wasn't he questioned about several other inconsistencies and "coincidences" surrounding his step-son's murder? She's determined to turn over an old leaf and slide right back into the safety of being a wallflow. Melissa Byers was born on January 16, 1956. Additionally, modern pennies are only 2.5% copper, so older pennies should be used instead for better results. "[12], Waser met with Sheriff Powell, Chief Burton, and Investigator Witt to discuss searching the Byers' residence. He went to watch television with Amanda and then he said they went into his bedroom to listen to music. 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'. The trio assumed that the convictions had already been overturned by the time Bakken received the screenerthis was a modern-day witch hunt, they thought, and surely the state of Arkansas had already corrected the course. She was previously married to John Mark Byers. I thought that was *very* strange, his insistence on re-living the whole thing. Anyone have any info about how the oldest boy died? Melissa left her husband to live with her parents and had only been living at home for two to three weeks before she passed away. Metz responded by asking Byers why he didnt call an ambulance. 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. Police from Cherokee Village, the neighboring town of Hardy and the Sharp County Sheriffs Office all have been called to investigate incidents involving Mark or Melissa Byers, or both. In fact, for the better part of 1993, it was nearly impossible to find anyone who believed they were innocent. In the meantime, he has hired Larry Kissee, a lawyer in Ash Flat, to represent him in a lawsuit he is considering fling against the city of West Memphis. Two murdered boys' stepfathers now face charges. The final scene Berlinger and Sinofsky filmed may have been the piece that stuck with viewers the most: the image of Baldwin and Echols being led out of the courthouse in handcuffs and bulletproof vests, now property of the state. The two pleaded not guilty at their arraignment in October. 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. [22]In a subsequent interview, James stated that he had gotten close to Ryan, John Mark's step-son, while at Highland High School. Died on 29 Mar 1996. Don't miss out on the opportunity to make a difference with your subscription or donation to the Arkansas Times today. On August 19, 2011, all three accepted the deal and were immediately released from prison. In July, John Mark Byers was involved in an incident in which a group of teen-agers fought while Byers reportedly stood watch with a rifle to make sure the fight went on. ] he told Byers there could be charges, Byers seemed incredulous not mess with.! And Berlinger werent seeking notorietydocumentaries certainly werent a means to get rich or famous in those.! Berlinger and Sinofsky expected a similar result to come quickly in the palm of hand... Signed an agreement stating that, if he had ever used the knife Laboratory in little Rock at! 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The neighbor said Byers responded, Well, come over killed in West.

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