New to this case and new to the forum

[Userid]

Ironically, JB doodled this exact necklace in school, which was recovered by police. Not saying that proves anything one way or another, simply pointing out the irony and perhaps illustrating that the blood speck that was "similar" to JB makes sense, assuming the necklace was obviously in his possession at least one time (when he made the drawing).

Source (another excellent site on the case by the way): West Memphis Three Murder Damien Echols Jessie Misskelley Jason Baldwin Michael Moore Christopher Byers Stevie Branch WM3 Robin Hood Hills Paradise Lost West of Memphis WOM – thewm3revelations

 

[Alyssa Edwards]

Yes, all of you are right about the necklace. It was mentioned in a deleted scene from PL1, which I've linked below:

yes this is the scene I watched on You Tube.

I wish there was a way they could test the necklace again!

 

[Userid]

yes this is the scene I watched on You Tube.

I wish there was a way they could test the necklace again!

Me too. Unfortunately, all the blood was used up in the first testing. Sometimes, that's why such evidence isn't immediately tested in cases like this -- because they don't want to destroy it all in the testing process (in case said testing improves over time, as it always does). Makes you wonder if they waited to test it until today, perhaps it would have been more conclusive.

 

[leslievernon]

yap... that's how it goes with evidence sometimes... but it shows that the defense wanted testings... the state apparently didn't give a f.

also, before the evidentiary hearing, before the alford pleas... there were some items the defense wanted to test, still with a question mark to it:

unknown (male) DNA still on chris' shoe.
stevie's friendship bracelet - most probably a good place to find DNA like skin cells - was never tested anywhere as far as i am concerned.
a modern testing would have shown once and for all what's up with the damn animal hairs.

.. but that all stopped. which i find, in any way, strange.

 

[Alyssa Edwards]

Well my next batch of documents is the John Mark Byers statements etc , looks like a big read so I will report back with an update when I’m done

 

[leslievernon]

this is an interesting read reg. evidence:
Echols' Motion for Additional DNA Testing, March 30, 2011

i wonder myself.. where the f did i read of 2 "auburn" beard hairs..... this is an english word i remember. i wrote kastanienbraun, in german. anyway this comes close to that:

(Ab. 89)
"Had someone asked to review the photo logs used by the lab, and hair slides
generated by the Lab, someone would have been able to tell that there were
questioned hairs associated with ligature FP6, which was associated with the
victim Michael Moore. One of them was a red beard hair. (BMHR 443-444).
There were notations on the slide itself from Lisa Sakevicius. Defense counsel
could have actually looked at those hairs. On the slide from the Moore ligature
there was an indication of a red hair fragment and a beard hair fragment."

Baldwin's Brief, February 17, 2011

and this is the link to my claims in post #164
Echols' Testing Status Report, July 18, 2011

reg. stevie's bracelet - just follow the E-items from the crime lab..


... sure, all that issue with hairs might just mean - a schoolmate, a friend, a cute dog, a total stranger in the mall or a total innocent case of secondary transfer... yeah. but some things here are very telling imo.

 

[Alyssa Edwards]

Oh while I remember, this may seem a little morbid but I have seen photos of the bodies via google and also on the documentaries but working my way through Callahan these photos seem to be missing . I don’t necessarily want to study these in depth but I did want to have a look at the abrasions etc. Anyone know why they are missing off Callahan ?

 

[leslievernon]

@Alyssa
don't know about callahan but do it like i did a few days ago... google.. there you'll find most. but seriously, google with CAUTION. some of the worst autopsy pics i've ever seen.

 

[Userid]

Oh while I remember, this may seem a little morbid but I have seen photos of the bodies via google and also on the documentaries but working my way through Callahan these photos seem to be missing . I don’t necessarily want to study these in depth but I did want to have a look at the abrasions etc. Anyone know why they are missing off Callahan ?

I don't think those photos are on Cally's. Pretty sure they kept them off out of respect for the victims.

Good luck with your reading on JMB -- seriously, that is a huge puzzle. He's the one step-father the police really zeroed in on, and for good reason in my view. To this day, he is still very suspicious to me; even more so than TH, as far as suspected family members of one of the boys goes.

 

[Alyssa Edwards]

Ok I’ve had a quick look anyone know what the green material on Michael Moore is. It looks like a green soaked t shirt .

 

[leslievernon]

JMB.. and still they questioned him, put him on the hot chair because of the knife...

hobbs? they never touched him. seriously. it's not only that there was no interview, no interest to find out where he was, what he did, how he helped... was there even some prints or blood from him at the crime lab or in the files, for comparison reasons...? i challenge everybody.

 

[Alyssa Edwards]

This case is something else! It’s just so frustrating to know that someone out there knows exactly what happened

 

[Userid]

yap... that's how it goes with evidence sometimes... but it shows that the defense wanted testings... the state apparently didn't give a f.

also, before the evidentiary hearing, before the alford pleas... there were some items the defense wanted to test, still with a question mark to it:

unknown (male) DNA still on chris' shoe.
stevie's friendship bracelet - most probably a good place to find DNA like skin cells - was never tested anywhere as far as i am concerned.
a modern testing would have shown once and for all what's up with the damn animal hairs.

.. but that all stopped. which i find, in any way, strange.

I've heard conflicting reports on the "testing" the defense wanted. I've heard that a lot of that stuff was indeed tested, and the public didn't hear anything more about it simply because nothing (definitive) came from the testing.

I like how you brought up the friendship bracelet -- you are well-read on the case. Another interesting element related to that, is CB's supposed medical bracelet. His parents were adamant that CB was wearing it when he died, since he always had it on and never took it off. It's odd that, if true, this bracelet was removed, but not SB's friendship bracelet. Many theories: it was taken as a trophy, it was removed because it was interfering with the binding being applied, it was removed because it had CB's name on it, and the killer didn't want the body identified if it was ever recovered in the future (this is popular among the "JMB Did It" believers).

 

[Userid]

Ok I’ve had a quick look anyone know what the green material on Michael Moore is. It looks like a green soaked t shirt .

Yes, that is a leaf. A very big leaf that adhered to his body when Bryn Ridge removed his body. That leaf is yet another controversial topic of discussion in this case, because many believe that large leaf wasn't readily available in the wooded area where his body was found. I disagree with this, as there is no way to prove that one way or the other.

 

[Userid]

JMB.. and still they questioned him, put him on the hot chair because of the knife...

hobbs? they never touched him. seriously. it's not only that there was no interview, no interest to find out where he was, what he did, how he helped... was there even some prints or blood from him at the crime lab or in the files, for comparison reasons...? i challenge everybody.

No. There was also none of that for any other father (both biologicals and steps) either, though. The only father (again, out of the 5 total; SB and CB had step fathers) investigated was JMB.

 

[leslievernon]

@Userid
i meant that, from my notes:

may 24th: blood and hair samples of todd moore and JMB were sent to the crime lab.
october 27th: no blood sample, but an envelope (E-159) with a headhair of TH was sent to lab.
may 2007: Bode Lab had to perform their tests with (illegally) gathered cigarette butts from THs ashtray and drive way. apparentely they had no headhair.
june 2007: DA davis orders that TH should get questioned (yeah, finally...), and that the known hairsamples of TH should get sent to Bode Lab.
october 2007: a Bode Lab analyst informs the defense that no hairsamples of TH arrived there.
april 2008: a Bode Lab analyst informs the defense that still no hairsamples...

det. lt. mitchell of the WMPD (the guy who questioned TH finally) said in an affidavit from 2009 that he is not aware of any blood or hairsamples of TH. at least there are no records of that at the WMPD.

the content of E-159 is therefore questionable.
although, there are fingerprints. in january 94, melissa byers, pam hobbs, timothy branch, and TH, gave test samples. but that's all.

 

[Alyssa Edwards]

Yes, that is a leaf. A very big leaf that adhered to his body when Bryn Ridge removed his body. That leaf is yet another controversial topic of discussion in this case, because many believe that large leaf wasn't readily available in the wooded area where his body was found. I disagree with this, as there is no way to prove that one way or the other.

I think the fact that it’s a leaf and not a t shirt makes it even more eerie, can’t explain why

 

[Alyssa Edwards]

I have just read through John Mark Byres First Statement dated May 24th 1993. My first reaction from his statement is, that I do not think JMB was involved. While it's clear that this man is certainly a character, from reading his statement, I feel like his information flowed and he came across very honest. It also sounded like he has a reputable alibi. He was at the Drs/Hospital for tests that morning and then was at court with his older son Ryan? then when he returned home, his wife Melissa was on the phone and Christopher was not there ( I hope i've got all of this right).

For people who believe him to be involved, in what time frame was he supposed to have committed the murders?

I also found it so heartbreaking that he and others had actually searched near the area where the boys were found and were calling their names. Little did they know at that time that the boys were dead in the water

 

[leslievernon]

@Alyssa (what timezone are you btw, europe?)
yes, he came home...
around 5:30pm he gave chris a few claps on the bottom (punishing i mean, for skateboarding) and then told him to tidy up the garage.
then JMB drove off to pick chris' brother ryan up from court. melissa was at home but telephoning so she couldn't see chris.
JMB and ryan are back at around 6pm. chris is not there.
they (JMB, melissa and ryan) drive arund the neighborhood to search for him (THAT is an actual alibi cause we know between 6:30 and 7 the attack most prob. happened)
7pm. the family meets a cop on the street who is giving them the advice to wait until 8pm and then call the police.

8:10pm. a cop drives to the byers house to take a missing person report (time on the MPR proves that). they do it. then, at around 8:30pm, there is JMB, melissa, dana moore, and terry hobbs (who just has arrived btw) standing in dana moore's driveway, figuring out together the boys might be in those woods...

contrary to what you might read: dana moore did not see terry hobbs before that meeting at 8:30pm by her house. she says yes, she was searching from ca. 6-8pm, and also came by THs house, but that is all. TH has a contradicting story where he says that they talked at his house... he followed her back around 6pm... but that is wrong. i tend to believe dana moore here.

i hope that helps you a bit.

 

[Alyssa Edwards]

@Alyssa (what timezone are you btw, europe?)
yes, he came home...
around 5:30pm he gave chris a few claps on the bottom (punishing i mean, for skateboarding) and then told him to tidy up the garage.
then JMB drove off to pick chris' brother ryan up from court. melissa was at home but telephoning so she couldn't see chris.
JMB and ryan are back at around 6pm. chris is not there.
they (JMB, melissa and ryan) drive arund the neighborhood to search for him (THAT is an actual alibi cause we know between 6:30 and 7 the attack most prob. happened)
7pm. the family meets a cop on the street who is giving them the advice to wait until 8pm and then call the police.

8:10pm. a cop drives to the byers house to take a missing person report (time on the MPR proves that). they do it. then, at around 8:30pm, there is JMB, melissa, dana moore, and terry hobbs (who just has arrived btw) standing in dana moore's driveway, figuring out together the boys might be in those woods...

contrary to what you might read: dana moore did not see terry hobbs before that meeting at 8:30pm by her house. she says yes, she was searching from ca. 6-8pm, and also came by THs house, but that is all. TH has a contradicting story where he says that they talked at his house... he followed her back around 6pm... but that is wrong. i tend to believe dana moore here.

i hope that helps you a bit.

Hey there, yeah I am in Scotland so yes Euro time zone.

I feel strongly that JMB was not involved ( I will read up more on Hobbs later) I do find it strange that JMB was so inconsistent with regards to how blood was find on his knife that he gave to HBO, first of all it was the knife had never been used and then it was oh it had been used for cutting up deer into jerky but I guess this can all be put down to human error and the mind does fade after a while. Was the blood on the knife ever proven to be Christopher's blood? or just blood consistent with Christopher? Is it possible Christopher could have found this knife at some point and played with it and accidentally nicked himself?

Another thing that's bugging me from reading JMB statements. It sounded like the police/search and rescue where a bit slow in starting their search for the boys , is this this case? or am I just reading into it incorrectly?

Thanks for your info, this helps a lot.