PARADISE LOST: THE CHILD MURDERS AT ROBIN HOOD HILLS {TAPE 1 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
Tape one of two. This documentary focuses on the period during which three teenagers are brought to trial in West Memphis, Arkansas, for the brutal murder of three elementary-school boys. The documentary consists of interviews, scenes from the courtroom and meetings of the legal teams, and footage of the lives of the families of the victims and the accused. The program begins with excerpts of the police crime-scene video from May 1993, in which the bodies of three eight-year-old boys -- Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers -- are found in a creek. A news report suggests that seventeen-year-old Jessie Lloyd Misskelly, who confessed to taking part in the murders, was part of a Satanic cult along with accomplices Michael Wayne "Damien" Echols and Jason Baldwin; in addition, the Reverend Tommy Stacy of the Second Baptist Church states that Damien Echols informed church staff members of his pact with the devil. Next, the relatives of the victims and accused give their responses to the murders and consequent arrests, including Jessie father, Jessie Lloyd Misskelly, Sr.; Michael Moore's parents, Todd and Diane Moore; Steve Branch's mother, Pam Hobbs; Jason Baldwin's mother, Gail Grinnel; Damien Echols's father, Joe Hutchison; and Chris Byers's stepfather, John Mark Byers. Jason and Damien also respond, stating that the community suspects them because they have a different style of dress and listen to heavy-metal music, and that the police used them as a convenient scapegoat when their investigations were fruitless. Next, the period during the trial of Jessie Misskelly includes the following highlights: Misskelly, Sr., and partner Lee Rush decide whether they should support Jessie, Jr., if he is found guilty; stepmother Shelby Misskelly recalls young Jessie's emotionally troubled youth; the bereaved Moores attend a meeting of "Parents of Murdered Children"; Mark Byers leads his church congregation in a song, takes out his anger at Jessie at a shooting range, and grieves with his wife at their son's grave; defense attorney Dan Stidham suggests that police coerced a confession from Jessie; a recording of Jessie's confession is played; defense team experts Dr. William E. Wilkins and Dr. Richard Ofshe suggest that the crime required skill beyond that of the accused teens and that police manipulated Jessie; Jessie's family provides him with support while he awaits a verdict; and Jessie is sentenced to life plus forty years.
Part two covers the trial of Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin and includes the following highlights: prosecutors Brent Davis and John Fogleman discuss the possibility that Jessie will testify in this trial as part of a deal to reduce his sentence; defense team expert Dr. Dale W. Griffis suggests that Damien was involved with the occult; Echols's family members explain Damien's innocent interest in Wicca and his style of dress; Damien and defense attorney Val P. Price discuss the youth's isolation from the community and his religious faith; Steve Branch's family members express their pain and anger and consider the possibility of forgiveness; Damien comments on his close relationship with Jason; prosecution witness Michael Carson states that Jason confessed and described the murders to him; forensic pathologist Dr. Frank J. Peretti talks about the criminal skill necessary to leave such a "clean" crime scene, given the nature of the violence; Damien's girlfriend Domini Teer reflects on her relationship with Damien and mourns that he can not be with their newborn son; Marty King, manager of the local restaurant Bojangles, alleges that a mysterious man covered in blood appeared at the restaurant on the night of the boys' disappearance; defense attorneys consider a knife given to HBO crew members by Mark Byers, which was found to have traces of human blood of the type that Mark and Chris Byers shared; and Byers accuses the media of insensitivity to the victim's families. Continues with T:48680.
Details
- NETWORK: HBO
- DATE: June 20, 1996 Monday 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:48678
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Satanism; She Made It Collection (Sheila Nevins); Trials (Murder)
- SERIES RUN: HBO - TV, 1996
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Sheila Nevins … Executive Producer
- Jonathan Moss … Coordinating Producer
- Joe Berlinger … Producer, Director
- Bruce Sinofsky … Producer, Director
- Loren Eiferman … Associate Producer
- Metallica … Music by
- Alex Sinofsky … Music (Misc. Credits), Heavy Metal Music Consultant
- Jason Baldwin
- Steve Branch
- Christopher Byers
- John Mark Byers
- Michael Carson
- Brent Davis
- Echols, Michael Wayne "Damien"
- John Fogleman
- Gail Grinnel
- Pam Hobbs
- Joe Hutchison
- Marty King
- Jessie Lloyd Misskelly, Jr.
- Jessie Lloyd Misskelly, Sr.
- Shelby Misskelly
- Diane Moore
- Michael Moore
- Todd Moore
- Richard Ofshe
- Frank J. Peretti
- Val P. Price
- Lee Rush
- Tom Stacy
- Dan Stidham
- Domini Teer
- William E. Wilkins