Devil's Knot
On May 6, 1993, three eight year old boys were found savagely murdered in West Memphis Arkansas. The investigation lacks hard evidence and a suspect, and the police automatically turn their focus on Satanism. Unfortunately, three teenage boys became the prime suspects: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley. Because they wore black and listened to hard rock music, they were outcasts. With nothing but circumstantial evidence mounted upon these teenage boys, the community lets a "Satanic Panic" outweigh the facts. All the while, there is more than just circumstantial evidence that points to one of the victims' stepfather, John Mark Byers. He had the means, motive, and opportunity to commit this heinous crime.
It is very difficult to fathom the idea that a father, biological or not, could murder his son. In the case of the West Memphis Three, this idea never entered the minds of the people in the community or law enforcement. In the boys’ case, there was never any direct evidence linking them to the murder and still they were arrested. No clear reason for their arrest was ever given because there was never any substantial amount of evidence against them. Meanwhile, evidence against other possible murderers, such as John Mark Byers was disregarded. The fact that Christopher Byers was tormented the most, it comes off as though his murder was something personal and Michael Moore and Stevie Branch just happened to be at the wrong place and at the wrong time. Compared to the three teenagers, Byers had the means to commit the murder. Byers stood six feet three inches tall and approximately two hundred fifty pounds. Three eight-year-old boys, fighting with all their might could not possibly overpower this man. They trusted him because of the fact that he was Chris’ stepfather and they would most definitely go somewhere with someone they knew before going off with strangers. Byers even had a reliable source of transportation that he could have
It is very difficult to fathom the idea that a father, biological or not, could murder his son. In the case of the West Memphis Three, this idea never entered the minds of the people in the community or law enforcement. In the boys’ case, there was never any direct evidence linking them to the murder and still they were arrested. No clear reason for their arrest was ever given because there was never any substantial amount of evidence against them. Meanwhile, evidence against other possible murderers, such as John Mark Byers was disregarded. The fact that Christopher Byers was tormented the most, it comes off as though his murder was something personal and Michael Moore and Stevie Branch just happened to be at the wrong place and at the wrong time. Compared to the three teenagers, Byers had the means to commit the murder. Byers stood six feet three inches tall and approximately two hundred fifty pounds. Three eight-year-old boys, fighting with all their might could not possibly overpower this man. They trusted him because of the fact that he was Chris’ stepfather and they would most definitely go somewhere with someone they knew before going off with strangers. Byers even had a reliable source of transportation that he could have