[19], The following day, Waser visited Byers' home and was informed of Melissa's recurring drug habit. In July, John Mark Byers was involved in an incident in which a group of teen-agers fought while Byers reportedly stood watch with a rifle to make sure the fight went on. Baldwins attorneys even avoided putting him on the witness stand or mounting much of a defense, believing the burden was on the state. [33], No semen was found. The following is a list documenting the deaths of characters throughout the four seasons of Stranger Things. She was described as "a friend of the family". When it didnt, the praise heaped on Paradise Lost felt hollow. Our monthly magazine is free at over 500 locations in Central Arkansas. and talk normal, but then all of a sudden, he would get arrogant again, advising me that he was the father and he was going to take the kids. Melissa Byers did not have a prescription for Dilaudid. At the time of her youngest son's murder in May of 1993, Melissa was married to John Mark Byers. He went to the bedroom and saw Melissa on the floor, completely naked. She also described seeing lots of blood in the home and seeing the body in the basement with what she thought was a stab in the back. And that makes him hopeful that exoneration is on the horizon. 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. By staying on this subject for the next couple of decades, they gave these men a chance and really decades of freedom afterward. Stranger Things: Halloween Sounds From the Upside Down, Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down, Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town, Back broken after being telekinetically thrown against a wall, Accidentally killed during experimentation, Injuries sustained after their van was telekinetically flipped. Ryan stated he knocked on the door to his parents' room and both answered him. Originally from Willard, Mo., she spent nearly three years reporting in Arkansas and Illinois before returning to Missouri and joining The Star in 2017. It will be interesting to see if the police come up with anything on Mrs.Byers' death, and if so, if they will possibly re-open investigations intothe murders of the three boys. (Intriguingly, a second crime occurred two weeks ago at the home of Brenda Atwood, the woman whose house the Byerses are charged with burglarizing. Mojo jumped up, Baldwin recalls. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Police also noted what appeared to be attempts to clean the dining room, living room, kitchen and bathroom. Byers, 63, was once considered a person of interest in the 1993 killings of Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Steve Branch, all 8. 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. He had always maintained he didnt commit the crimes, and outside the Varner Units walls, a growing chorus of activists and legal observers were arguing that same thing on his behalf. Melissa Byers was only 40 years old. (Its worth noting that despite the issues raised by Lindseys work, the first season of Up and Vanished renewed interest in the case, which ultimately led to arrests, albeit of people that Lindsey hadnt previously covered on the podcast.). But they werent just voices in the growing choir calling for the West Memphis Threes releasethey were leading the movement. A month later, authorities arrested Baldwin, Echols, and Misskelleythree teenagers who lived in trailer parks near West Memphis and had previous run-ins with the law, though nothing rising to the level of murder. Witt arrived at the hospital about 35 minutes later. He was charged with a felony cocaine count and carrying a weapon. 4 0 obj
The puncture marks on the top of her right and left foot were not covered. One of those shows, Truth & Justice With Bob Ruff, became the basis for an Oxygen docuseries last year titled The Forgotten West Memphis Three, which took a closer look at the three victims and tried to shine new light on the evidence. He advised that when the EMTs got to the residence, Mark kept telling them, Theyve got to bring her back. Metz advised that Ryan kept mumbling something and he did not seem coherent. That was on May 5, a year to the day before the three boys murders. We were mainly in it for the aesthetics of filmmaking, but the last scene of Paradise Lost, when Damien is chained up and sent away to death row, that was just heartbreaking and devastating for us, Berlinger says. Dilaudid was not among them. The deputy signed an agreement stating that, if they did, Byers would not be charged with possession. She advised that Byers told her that Melissa had knowledge of this and she is dead now and dead people can't talk." Only her urine was abnormal. In the opinion portion of the autopsy report it was stated that "no specific anatomical cause of death was found." At the time of her youngest son's murder in May of 1993, Melissa was married to John Mark Byers. That knife had not been used at all.. 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. Filming the activists work seemed like the best place for Berlinger and Sinofsky to turn their attention; what better way to show the continued plight of the West Memphis Three than to show regular people dedicating their free time to fighting for them? Hopefully Will won't be a casualty in Season 5, but this data has been accurate in the past. Melissa gurgled up some fluid and Metz called for an ambulance. A quarter-century later, what does the documentary tell us about citizen activism, the criminal justice system, and the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 90s? But inside, he was just another prisonerBaldwin didnt know who he could trust. As for Paradise Lost, it was the inciting incident in the two-decade chain of events that led to the release of the West Memphis Three. Paradise Lost is a narration-free documentary filmed with a journalistic remove. 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. Being sweet, intelligent and loyal are not good traits to have in the Stranger Things universe. [34], The final cause of death for Melissa was listed as "undetermined". When he first approached the stage, I thought, "Wow! I dont know if they were questioning it, but they werent mistreating me and telling me that what I was telling them wasnt true., While Berlinger admits that he and Sinofsky may have tilted pro-prosecution in the early days of filming, that quickly changed after witnessing how the cases came together and spending time with the three teens during pretrial jailhouse interviewsparticularly Baldwin, who Berlinger describes as sweet and studious.. The problem is we have sent this knife off and had it examined and it has the blood type of Christophers on it., Byers responded, Well, Gary, I dont have any idea how it could be on there.. Family (1) Spouse John Mark Byers (c. 1986 - 29 March 1996) (her death) See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites Award-Winning Sun Sugar Cherry Tomatoes: Reliable and Resilient, Perfect for Organic Gardening! She assists in the drafting of all estate planning documents and works with clients to ensure we have the proper information to include in their documents. When there wasn't one he started CPR. In the meantime, he has hired Larry Kissee, a lawyer in Ash Flat, to represent him in a lawsuit he is considering fling against the city of West Memphis. 1993 West Memphis homicides case discussion. Rhiannon Mcfadden
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