Upon viewing the documentary, Paradise Lost, one of my first impressions was a feeling of shock at the hysteria surrounding the case, and how heavily it impacted the trial. Another area of concern was the tenuous (or nonexistent) evidence tying these youths to these horrible murders. The entire essence of the prosecutions case was a confession of questionable authenticity by Jessie Misskelley, Jr, coupled with a community-based fear of a satanic ritual having occurred.
Such trials and convictions, sadly, are not new in the American experience. Many such mockeries of justice have taken place in our history, the most infamous being, of course, the Salem witch trials. Fortunately, the extremely weak bases for the convictions of the defendants are being systematically torn down, thanks to the appeals process. It is still disturbing to note, however, that an entire community can be thrown into a panic, based solely on fear and ignorance coupled with sensationalism.
One of the most interesting pieces of data that my research has turned up is a very compelling, meticulously researched, and extremely detailed forensic analysis by Brent Turvey, MS, of the crime, along with a psychological profile of the possible killers. It is attached to this essay in its entirety. The main conclusions of this analysis are in marked contrast to the conclusions reached by the Arkansas investigative authorities. Among the more significant are the following:
1. The nature of the crime. According to Mr. Turvey, the killings of two of the victims were acts of rage or hate, rather than ritual, and that the third victim may have only been a victim of association. The prosecution has maintained that the sexual assaults on all, and mutilation of one of the victims were the result of an occult ritual, though no evidence has been produced to support this conclusion.
2. The possible assailants. Mr. Turvey has further determined that the victims were most likely assaulted by two adult assailants, not the three juveniles convicted. He has further concluded that the assailants knew at least two of the victims well.
3. The bite marks. On the face of Steve Branch are bite marks, characteristic of an adult male. These marks have been positively identified as not belonging to any of the defendants.
4. The presence of older injuries. The ME performing the autopsy on Chris Byers noted several healed injuries to the child that may have resulted from parental physical and/or sexual abuse. Mr. Turvey further stated that the nature and rage associated with the violent emasculation of Chris Byers indicated a possible custodial assault. His analysis of Chris behavioral patterns prior to his death indicates a troubled child with numerous social and behavioral problems possibly stemming from domestic abuse.
5. The lack of any evidence of sexual assault. The only victim with any overt signs of sexual assault was Chris Byers, and as stated earlier, this may have been more an act of rage than of deviance. Neither of the other two victims showed any signs of sexual assault. Mr. Turvey goes on to categorically refute the claims of a ritual, or even a serial attack by describing the established criteria for such attacks. Instead, he concludes that the attackers were at least known to the victims; that there was some luring or coercion to get them to accompany the attackers; and that there were some corrective assaults to gain a measure of control over the victims, followed by a brutal, violent, and sudden attack meant to subdue the victims totally.
In the film Paradise Lost, there is much focus on the emotional trauma of the murders and interviews with the principles involved. But little attention is paid to the incompetence of the investigators in overlooking or ignoring key pieces of evidence, coercing confessions from a suspect with a marginal I. Q. and submitting this into evidence, drawing conclusions from evidence instead of merely reporting findings, and trying the three youths based on community pressure to resolve the crime, rather than conduct a thorough investigation.
It is my belief, after researching this case, that the three youths convicted of this crime, one of whom is now sitting on death row, are innocent; and the real killers are most likely still free. In fact, the evidence tends to point to at least Chris Byers stepfather, and even possibly his mother, as the real assailants. Ironically (or maybe not), Melissa Byers died under mysterious circumstances only short time ago. Her death has been categorized as being of a suspicious nature, but as of this time, no one has been accused or charged. Meanwhile, Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols, and Charles Baldwin are in prison, their cases on appeal.