Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills and it's subsequent followups, Paradise Lost 2: Revelations, and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory are arguably some of the most rousing documentaries in cinematic history. The riveting trilogy chronicles the wrongful conviction of Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols, and Jessie Misskelley, Jr, known as the "West Memphis Three," who were charged with the murder of three eight year old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas.
The 1993 case would most likely have faded from the public's conciseness had it not been for Joe Berlinger and co-director Bruce Sinofsky. Their initial Paradise Lost film, released in 1996, caught to attention of various high profile figures like Johnny Depp, Eddie Vedder, and members of Metallica--many of whom rallied for the men's release.
Yet they would not walk free until 2011, after taking an Alford plea deal, which allowed them to maintain their innocence but plead guilty. By the time of their release, the three had spent a total of 18 years behind bars.Their story was recently explored in the documentary West of Memphis inspired the upcoming feature Devil's Knot. In a new interview, Berlinger reflects one his lengthy battle for the men's freedom and how he views the case today.
On May 5, 1993, Christopher Byers, Michael Moore and Steven Branch went missing from their homes in West Memphis, Arkansas. The next day, their bodies were found in the woods near their homes with evidence showing that they had been brutally beaten and savagely murdered. In the case of Christopher Byers, the evidence revealed that he had been castrated and his penis had been skinned before he was killed. News of the boys deaths and the manner in which they happened soon reached the inhabitants of the small community. The rumor then spread that the nature of Christopher Byers death in particular hinted that the deaths may have been related to a Satanic ritual.
Weeks after the murders, a local woman by the name of Vicki Hutcheson brought her eight-year-old son Aaron to see the police. Aaron claimed to have witnessed the kidnapping of his three friends. Vicki Hutcheson volunteered to help the investigation by becoming "involved" with both Jessie and Damien. Hutcheson was a neighbor of Jessie's and coaxed him into setting up a "meeting" with Damien so Hutcheson and Damien could get to know each other.
Vicki Hutcheson would later admit to the police that she had attended an Esbat with both men. Years after the trials, Hutcheson would admit that she had lied about attending the Esbat. Over the months that led up to the arrests and trials, her son Aaron would also change his account of what happened numerous times, each time the story becoming more outrageous and unbelievable.
Eventually, the police brought in Jessie Misskelley for questioning in relation to the murders. Misskelley was 17 and considered mildly retarded. Despite this, a simple questioning turned into a heated interrogation by West Memphis Police which resulted in a confession from Misskelley that was almost immediately recanted. Based on this confession and the story told to police by Aaron Hutcheson, Misskelley, Echols and Baldwin were all arrested and charged with three counts of Capital Murder. Each of the three men encountered issues during the course of their trials, including the inability to have the trial moved away from Arkansas area, lack of the prosecution's required assistance in the delivery of all intended evidence to the defense, and what is perceived by the author to be a biased judge. Author Mara Leveritt makes numerous comparisons to the trials of the three men to that of the Salem Witch Trials, stating that the men were convicted based on the "Satanic Craze" the community was surrounded by after the murders.
Actual evidence used by the prosecution during the trials included pictures of Metallica t-shirts worn by Jason Baldwin and books checked out by Damien Echols at his public library. Prosecution cases contained little more than circumstantial evidence. Eventually, all three men were convicted of the murders, with Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley receiving life sentences without parole and Damien Echols receiving the death penalty.
Central characters
Damien Echols – Portrayed in the media as the "Ringleader" of the group. Central figure throughout the case, with a lot of attention focused on the prosecution's attempt to vilify him to the point of conviction.
Jason Baldwin – Damien's "best friend". Considered by many "guilty by association" for his friendship with Echols. Prosecutors used Jason's Metallica t-shirts as evidence that he was involved in "satanic activity" and "the trappings of the occult".
Jessie Misskelley – Friend of both Damien and Jason. Is considered mildly retarded and at the time of his arrest, he had the education level of a fourth grader despite being seventeen years old. His confession was the basis for the arrests and convictions of Echols and Baldwin, despite the many critical inconsistencies of it.
John Mark Byers – Stepfather to Christopher Byers. Was and still is the most outspoken family member of any of the victims. His numerous run-ins with the law including a violent outburst against his former wife, and the mysterious death of Christopher's mother. Questions were raised as to his involvement in the murders after he gave a knife to HBO productions that contained Christopher's blood type in the fold. Byers denied ever using the knife to HBO and police; this statement was recanted by Byers only after the police informed him that they found blood on the knife that matched Christopher's. To this day, the West Memphis Police have yet to investigate Byers any further.
Gary Gitchell – Chief Inspector for West Memphis Police. When asked during a press conference as to how confident he felt about the case against the Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley, based on a scale from "1 to 10," he stated: "An Eleven".
Judge David Burnett – Judge presiding over the trials. Portrayed as stubborn and biased toward the prosecution in the book.
Ron Lax – Private Investigator who lends his services to Damien Echols and goes on to uncover many concerning details surrounding the arrests and trials.
Christopher Byers – Murder Victim
Michael Moore – Murder Victim
Steven Branch – Murder Victim
The initial Paradise Lost film opens with images of the victims bodies. Why were graphic images essential to the film?
We debated endlessly about whether that was fair to the families. About whether it was the right film-making decision. How much is too much. It was debated right up until picture lock. Just how much was too much and is it too much. At the end of the day we felt it was very important to bring people immediately into that world of shock and horror. So that you can take people on the same journey that actually we went through, which I think the community went through and unfortunately didn't come out the other side of the journey, and specifically what I mean is, to me what was most fascinating about spending eighteen plus years making these films.
I pray that the real killer will be prosecuted for this crime and I am thankful that innocent men are free, although I do not believe that these men that served almost 2 decades behind bars should had to sign a Alfred Plea.
