He had, in fact, passed it, but it was after that that Misskelley gave his damning confession.z. There is a lot of suspicion surrounding him, especially in light of what's happened to his stepfamily in these past 3 years. A trial is scheduled for next March. Few celebrities at the time did as much as Henry Rollins, however. [2] Metz said that prior to her death she "seemed to be irritated and had a bad attitude. Going by what was said in the article about the ME not being able to determine cause of death, we can safely assume it wasn't a natural death caused by something like a heart attack or massive cerebral hemmorage, both of which leave definite signs. Her body was sent for autopsy to the office of the medical examiner at the Arkansas Crime Laboratory in Little Rock. Both wrists bore multiple, well-healed, linear scars. The person taking the statement felt that James was implying he was there and witnessed this. Melissa and John Mark Byers were having problems in their marriage in 1996. Maines won the lawsuit; police have never named Hobbs a suspect or charged him in connection with the killings.). Wherever it was screened, Berlinger says, it was followed by intense Q&As from audience members who couldnt believe what theyd just watched. I am attempting to take cuttings from this plant so I can, Fighting Fungal Diseases on Plants - Exploring the Use of Copper, Daconil & Copper Fungicides, The use of copper to fight plant diseases is an intriguing concept that has been around for some time. But on that early morning in 1997, Jason Baldwin wasnt concerned with Berlinger and Sinofskys craft, or legal precedent, or crusading celebrities. 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. She is known for Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996). Waser helped the EMTs move Melissa onto a backboard so she could be placed in the ambulance and taken to the hospital. [34], The final cause of death for Melissa was listed as "undetermined". 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. In 1973, when John Mark Byers was 16 years old and living in Marked Tree, police there were called to his home by his parents, who said he was threatening them with a knife. This article was updated after publication to add more context about the honorariums paid to the families of the victims and the West Memphis Three and also to correct the time frame in which Berlinger and Sinofsky informed HBO about the changing scope of the documentary. Getting that kind of creative validation was exciting, but we were also extremely frustrated that it didnt move from the entertainment page of the newspaper to the editorial page, Berlinger says. "She was a beautiful woman. "[8], Fred Waser from the Sharp County Sheriff's Department was filling his patrol vehicle with fuel when he heard over the radio that an ambulance has been dispatched in his immediate area. Family (1) Spouse John Mark Byers (c. 1986 - 29 March 1996) (her death) See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites Chris had an older half-brother named Ryan Clark who was 13 years old when the murders occurred. "She advised he told her a cigarette made a excellent fuse, that you could light it, and due to slow burning, it would give you time to get away. Byers mentioned two people in Memphis whom he put in that category, and he referred to helping authorities at Marion on their investigation into an illegal methamphetamine lab. 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. They werent telling me I was lying, even if they may have been saying that in their minds. 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 No physical evidence was produced linking any of the accused teen-agers with the crime, and no motive for the killings was introduced other than that the murders had been part of an demonic ritual. Byers got up to get some milk and asked if Melissa wanted anything. [5]Byers said that they heard Ryan knock on the bedroom door around 3:20pm and then they both went back to sleep. A heavy metal test was conducted and none were found. (I also knew that Susan Smith killed her kids from her first interview pleading for the abductor to "bring back my baaaabies. But the feud between neighbors is minor compared to two other incidents, both of which have resulted in the filing of charges against the couple. The two reportedly fell asleep and Byers awoke to find Melissa unresponsive. The legal troubles of Terry Hobbs and John Mark Byers. Byers was the stepfather of Christopher. But its closing moments point to how the filmmakers felt: that a horrific tragedy had just been compounded by a monumental miscarriage of justice. 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. . Byers drove into Hardy accompanied by a teen-aged boy. On Aug. 28, 1995, he entered into a plea agreement negotiated by his attorney and Stewart Lambert, a deputy prosecutor for the Third Judicial District. Christopher Mark Byers. Metz checked for a pulse and told Byers to perform CPR. To authorities working in West Memphisa largely Southern Baptist communitysatanic activity seemed to be the most likely cause for the killings, in part because the boys bodies were bound and appeared to have been mutilated. Rollins not only gave interviews to keep the effort alive in the press, he organized a string of benefit shows and released an album featuring Iggy Pop and Chuck D, with proceeds going to the defense. Melissa DeFir Byers was born on January 15, 1956. She was previously married to John Mark Byers. They werent connected in any direct way, Bakken says. But from the start, their residence there was marked by turmoil, including several incidents verging on violence: In early 1994, shortly after their arrival, John Mark and Melissa Byers were jailed in Sharp County on charges of residential burglary and theft after more than $20,000 in antiques were taken from a neighbors home. Baldwin remembers the dire circumstances laid out during the call. Estate Planning Paralegal. I had a friend who was working on 20/20, and they had done a film about exorcism in one of the magazine pieces, Nevins says. We were finally winning, he says. The deputy signed an agreement stating that, if they did, Byers would not be charged with possession. The Alford plea is a seldom-invoked and somewhat confusing legal maneuver, but the basics are fairly straightforward. Died on 29 Mar 1996. Byers said he was worried because he had asked Ryan to take his girlfriend, Amanda, home and come right back. One of the boys in the altercation carried a pocket knife belonging to Byers. Witt arrived at the hospital about 35 minutes later. 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. After the murders, restitution was made for the watches, and the matter was never prosecuted. Berlinger and Sinofsky began to take notice. Police said they observed injuries to Pamela Hobbs face and to the back of her head. When Alex Sinofsky is asked about his fathers work on the film, he recalls the frequent trips and long hours spent editing film on a Steenbeck he kept in the house. Help us deliver the latest daily reporting and analysis on news, politics, culture and food in Arkansas. how did melissa byers die. The woman told Investigator Steve Huddleston that she had known the Byerses for years, that the couple had recently been estranged, and that Melissa had been taking Dilaudid, a powerful narcotic that, when diverted to the black market, is one of the most popular illegal drugs in the country. They procured the domain WM3.org and made a website, updating it with whatever information they could track down. <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Although a glass of peach schnapps had been found at her bedside, she had apparently drunk very little, as no alcohol was detected in her system. [28] The coroner noted that rigor was not present, but checked "yes" on lividity. Last summer, the home of a Cherokee Village woman was burglarized, with an estimated $20,000 worth of furnishings taken. 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.'. Finally, the boy with Byers asked his opponent, Have you had enough? He had. 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. Our monthly magazine is free at over 500 locations in Central Arkansas. Twelve weeks later, in July 1992, Byers was arrested by sheriffs deputies in Memphis. Metz advised that Byers told him it could be bought for $50 on the street. It was born out of genuine admiration for the fact that these guys took the time out of their lives to dedicate, to go down to Arkansas, to build a website, to really step out of their lives, Berlinger says. endobj She said that Byers and Mandy had been hiding drugs in the trunk of Byers' car. There. He said that when he returned Ryan and John Mark were attempting to put pants on Melissa. Two of those, which were covered with bandages, were clearly the result of unsuccessful medical attempts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as were a couple of fractured ribs. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Witt arrived at the hospital about 35 minutes later. This year, many gardeners are looking for new varieties of tomatoes to try out in their gardens. Nor were any opiates were found in her blood. Byers and his companion got back in their car and drove alongside the victim of the fight, who was still lying on the ground. Byers has a teen-aged stepson, but the boy who was with him on this day who will not be identified because of his age was not a relative. NO PEACE YET: Melissa and John Mark Byers, now facing criminal charges themselves, hold a picture of their murdered son Christopher in their new home at Cherokee Village. He responded proudly, 11.. Mojo had a different idea of what might get the man he affectionately called J.B. out of prison. When the pair got the call from Nevins, they mobilized immediately, landing in Arkansas shortly after the arrests. He was charged with a felony cocaine count and carrying a weapon. He stated that when he touched her she did not feel right. Why wasn't he questioned about several other inconsistencies and "coincidences" surrounding his step-son's murder? It was clear that Paradise Lost was resonating. When it didnt, the praise heaped on Paradise Lost felt hollow. 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. 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. Melissa Byers' death has been a crushing blow to people who knew her through Healing House, a live-in, addiction-recovery program in Kansas City's Old Northeast. Metz also said that Byers stated "that he did not kill her and that he loved her. As more people learned about the case from Paradise Lost and the work of people like Bakken and Sauls, the phrase Free the West Memphis Three caught on as a slogan for progressive musicians and actors in the 1990s, up there with Save the Rainforest and Free Tibet. Eddie Vedder became an early leading voice, soon followed by the likes of Peter Jackson, Johnny Depp, and Natalie Maines from the band then known as the Dixie Chicks. [13], Byers asked Waser to accompany him outside so he could have a cigarette. I said, Im going to send some kids down there., Those kids turned out to be Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, the young documentarians who had recently completed the acclaimed Brothers Keeper, a film chronicling a death and the resulting trial in a small upstate New York village. A longer trail of violence followed the lives of Melissa and Mark Byers, the mother and stepfather of Christopher Byers, another of the young victims of that crime, who, besides being murdered, was also found castrated. In general, who is most likelyto commit a crime against a child: A family member or A devil worshipingcult? I thought that was *very* strange, his insistence on re-living the whole thing. I never foresaw that they would in turn save us.. He advised that when [Ryan] left, he almost flipped the car over he left so fast, spinning gravel. According to Witts notes, when Metz later joined Mark Byers at the hospital, Mark told him he was afraid Melissa had overdosed on a drug that is in the streets of Memphis. 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. It was agreed that a search should be conducted and Byers was approached. [6] Metz had to go back to his own home to make the call because he did not have his glasses. Mojo jumped up, Baldwin recalls. Asked if the discovery of an illegal drug in the body of a possible homicide victim was not a finding worth listing, Clark affirmed that, There may be room for some further investigation as to how she obtained the drug. As for the needle marks in the bodys arms, feet, and groin, Clark said, In the pathologists opinion, all those wounds were probably done at the hospital.. By 1987, Byers had been married, fathered two children, been divorced, and remarried. He stated he continued CPR until the EMTs arrived and took over. 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. Additionally, the judge in the original trialswho under Arkansas law presided under the requests for retrials in the years following the convictionshad been elected to the state Senate that December, meaning someone new and possibly more sympathetic would oversee the case. Founded 1974, the Arkansas Times is a lively, opinionated source for news, politics & culture in Arkansas. how did melissa byers die 'We are still working hard to bring you fresh content and good vibes, even in these trying times!' . Either email addresses are anonymous for this group or you need the view member email addresses permission to view the original message. She's determined to turn over an old leaf and slide right back into the safety of being a wallflow. "KeelX+RB]eYX]Q.VU#^jUoOXrXExLUmxw/f4Tk}[Y{|/X%w@M+N(l Kaitlyn Schwers covers breaking news and crime at night for The Kansas City Star. Waser assisted in photographing Melissa at the hospital and bagging evidence. But none of the conditions the pathologists observed would normally prove fatal, either alone or in combination. Melissa DeFir Byers was born on January 15, 1956. Melissa had older scars on her wrists. This is not a smoking-gun-type case.. It was so emotionally taxing to watch and go through it again, he says. By the time she got done watching it, her life was forever changed. Defense lawyers tried to suggest that family violence may have played a role in the killings, rather than satanic blood-thirst, as was alleged. The attorneys representing Echols and Baldwin believed that the juries wouldnt accept the prosecutions versions of eventsthat they were too fantastical and tied to second-hand informationand that without conclusive proof, their clients would walk. 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. Speaking by phone last month, he comes across, in many ways, like the person Berlinger says he encountered in prison in 1994: polite, deferential, soft-spoken. To Powell, her death looked like a possible homicide. 1993 West Memphis homicides case discussion. [SNIP]. And that makes him hopeful that exoneration is on the horizon. Melissa Byers was born on 16 January, 1956 in 1956, is an Actor. But as they did, Rose said, Byers told them to stand back. Police followed a trail of blood drops throughout the house and into the basement. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Sharp County Sheriff T.J. "Sonny" Powell wouldn't say whether the. And the seemingly endless stream of threats against them and the frequent clashes with Mark Byers did nothing to dissuade them. Melissa's return to the home coincided with her son's. 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. Even today, years after his name was cleared and authorities ruled Lams death accidental, Morbid still receives threats. The following is a list documenting the deaths of characters throughout the four seasons of Stranger Things. >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. Remembers the dire circumstances laid out during the call from Nevins, they mobilized,! 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