Rick Murray, biological father of victim Christopher Byers, contacted us in the hopes of making his sentiments public knowledge. Here are his views on the case:
My name is Rick Murray, and I am the biological father of Christopher, one of the three boys who were murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993. I'm making this statement to say that I am not satisfied with the investigation of my son's murder. I am not satisfied with the verdicts of the trials, and I want everyone to know that I believe the wrong people are in prison for this crime.
I have many reasons for feeling this way. I know the people who are close to this thing, and I know that people were mad about it, and they were wanting it to be solved quick. It got to the point where they weren't thinking about the truth, they were only listening to what the police and the reporters were telling them.
There was no evidence to convict the three who are in prison and everybody knows this. They just don't want to see it this way, because it's easier to believe that the police got the right people. One of the reasons I feel the way I feel is because I don't think that Damien, Jason and Jessie are insane, but I feel that it would definitely take an insane person to do what was done to those children.
There are a lot of things that the police just didn't look into. Someone could have driven up along the tree line on the East side of the wooded area, Robin Hood Hills. That dirt field East of the woods. There's a culvert that goes from the service road up along the tree line. Anyone could have driven up there and dumped the bodies in the creek, but the police never tried to find out any more about it. They were too quick to say that the murders were committed by a devil worshipper cult.
I don't believe that anyone should be convicted of murder that they didn't do whether it's my son or not my son. I've talked to people who believe these boys are guilty, and they just don't have any evidence to support what they're saying. It seems to me that if they really cared about the truth they would listen to reason and see that there just wasn't enough to put these three in prison.
I want to know who murdered my son, and I want to know that they will be caught and punished for what they did. I don't want three innocent people to suffer for something they didn't do.
- Rick Murray, May 2000
"Bratty Mama Leci"
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
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Location: Kentucky
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 11754
Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Fri May 23, 2008 4:45 pm
The Victims
Left to right: Christopher Byers, Michael Moore and Steve Branch.
They were in the second grade at Weaver Elementary School, the school located just a couple of doors down from the homes of Byers and Moore. Each household had two children and the loss was particularly harsh on the sibling. Each had achieved the rank of "Wolf" in the local Cub Scout pack.
Michael Moore enjoyed wearing his scout uniform even when he was not at meetings. He was considered the leader of the group. He lived with his parents, Roy Todd and Diana Moore and his nine-year-old sister, Dawn.
Steve "Stevie" Branch taught himself to flip and make karate moves like the Ninja Turtles. He bought a birthstone ring for Michael Moore's sister, Dawn. He had a pet dog named King and a pet turtle. He was an honor student. He lived with his mother, Pamela Hobbs, his stepfather, Terry Hobbs, and a four-year-old stepsister, Amanda.
Christopher Byers was hyperactive and naturally curious. He enjoyed swimming. He was nicknamed "Worm" for the way he squirmed so much. He lived with his mother, Sharon Melissa Byers, his stepfather, John Mark Byers, and his half-brother, Shawn Ryan Clark, aged 13. According to his mother, he was a typical eight-year-old. "He still believed in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. He liked to play in the dirt with trucks. He liked to color." [Melissa Byers, West Memphis Evening Times, May 7, 1993]
[sources: Memphis Commercial Appeal and West Memphis Evening Times]
Families:
Michael Moore. b. July 27, 1984 in Key West, FL. d. May 1993.
Sister: Dawn Moore of West Memphis, AR.
Parents: Roy Todd and Diane "Dana" Moore of West Memphis, AR.
Uncle and aunt: James F. Moore and Linda Carson Moore of Marion, AR.
Maternal grandmother: Carolyn Howard, OK.
Maternal great grandmother: Louise Smith, OK.
Paternal grandparents: James and Georgia Landrum of Memphis, TN.
Great grandmother: Mae Pugh, West Memphis, AR.
Christopher Byers. b. June 23, 1984, Memphis, TN. d. May, 1993.
Mother: Sharon Melissa Byers. b. Jan. 16, 1956. d. Mar 29, 1996.
Her parents: Kilbourn A Defir (1924-2004) and Doris C Defir, Memphis, TN.
Maternal uncle: Dennis Defir, Horn Lake, MS (residence 2004)
Father: Ricky Lee Murray, b. July 1961
Stepfather: John Mark Byers. Both of West Memphis, AR.
(Family below are through stepfather)
Step-sister: Natalie Byers of Booneville, MO.
Half-brother: Shawn Ryan Clark of West Memphis, AR
Step-brother: John Byers of Booneville, MO.
Step-uncle and aunt: Sonny and Marilee Simpson of Little Rock, AR
Step-aunt: Beth Cossey of Jonesboro, AR.
Step-uncle: George W. Byers of Memphis, TN.
Stevie Branch. b. November 26, 1984 in Blytheville, AR. d. May 1993.
Brother: Dillan Gordon Branch of Osceola, AR.
Mother: Pamela Hobbs of West Memphis, AR.
Her parents: Jack and Mary Hicks of Blythesville, AR
Father: Steve Branch of Osceola, AR.
Stepmother: Sherri Branch of Osceola, AR.
His parents: Billy and Geneva Branch of Earle, AR.
Step-father Terry Hobbs of West Memphis, AR.
Step-brother: Bryan Hobbs of Malvern, AR.
Step-sister: Amanda Hobbs of West Memphis, AR.
Greatgrandparents: Stacey Hicks of Gobler MO, Bonnie Hale of Cooter, MO.
Willie and Lola Fitzhugh and Almeda Branch, all of Earle, AR.
[source: obituaries. Unless noted, residences were for 1993]
Pam and Terry Hobbs. Terry the source of hair found in Michael Moore's binded lace.
Todd and Diana Moore.
Last edited by Obscuregawdess on Sat May 24, 2008 10:58 am; edited 1 time in total
"Bratty Mama Leci"
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
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Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Fri May 23, 2008 4:47 pm
Post from Michael Moore's father (in regards to Cold Case)?
This is the father of one of the innocent 3 eight yr. old boys that were brutally raped and murdered in west memphis, ar. and I like many, many others do not wish for this tv show to portray the murder of our children as a "cold case" the Ar. supreme court and the US supreme court has upheld the convictions of the 3 child raping murderers and think that such an episode is wrong and wish that every parent of a young child would stand agaist such an episode to be aired as if it were entertainment for the masses, It is not! it however is the pain we live with each and every day that our children are being exploited first by HBO and now by CBS this is a shame that should not be allowed. Todd Moore, father of a innocent child that was raped and murdered, is this entertainment?.
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Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Fri May 23, 2008 4:52 pm
Alleged Post from Michael Moore's father
(on new evidence)
mikesfather
Oct 30, 2007 | 10:24 PM All of this is a whole lot about nothing. this is nothing more than another sad attempt by high priced lawyers who want to confuse the public with their smoke and mirrors, this is nothing new with yet another new defense team trying to point the blame at anyone other than the convicted, this only proves what can be done when you have millions of dollars at your expense to change the publics view and gain a few supporters along the way, this is nothing more than a last ditch attempt to free thier client. the media event planned for this thursday will prove nothing new but only what money can buy in hopes to changing the publics mind and draw attention to their efforts. Do not most of the viewing public wonder why only two family members attended the meeting and not all of them? the answer is simple, none of the rest of us bought into this latest attempt. Todd Moore, father of a slain son Michael.
ETA: Chris Byers' mother is dead and father wrote a letter supporting the WM3 defense. His stepfather, John Mark Byers, attended the meeting and fully supports the WM3 now. Steven Branch's mother attended, and his father was never really a part of his life and does not speak out to anyone about this, nor is he acquainted with the Moores. Terry Hobbs obviously does not support the WM3 defense, as his hair was found, as well as his friend's (David Jacoby), at the crime scene. He and Stevie's mother are now divorced. The Moores are the only ones still believing the WM3 are guilty. Rumor has it they are friends and have family involved in the WMPD and have great faith in the police force/Arkansas government. I efuse to speculate on that, though. My prayers are with the Moores, as they obviously still suffer over the loss of their son.
Last edited by Obscuregawdess on Sat May 24, 2008 11:02 am; edited 1 time in total
"Bratty Mama Leci"
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ObscuregawdessPosted:
Fri May 23, 2008 4:59 pm
The Original West Memphis 3
By RazorsEdge, published May 07, 2007
By now many of you are familiar with this grisly, fascinating and controversial case. The group making the most noise, of course, is the WM3 supporters. They have their own website, along with celebrities such as Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Margaret Cho, and others who proclaim the innocence of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. in the murders of the 3 victims. The bodies of the three 8 year old boys, Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore were found nude in a stream with their ankles bound to their wrists with their shoelaces. Byers had been castrated, and the other two were a bloody mess. In all the hue and cry about the West Memphis 3, or WM 3 for short, rotting away in prison for crimes they are supposedly innocent of, there is very little talk about the other West Memphis 3, the victims who were done the ultimate injustice.
The three boys were on two bicycles, with one riding on the back of his friend's rig. They either rode into a wooded area known as Robin Hood Hills, or were taken there after being abducted. Now, there are problems with the investigation of this case. There were no fingerprints found, little or no blood evidence, and no eyewitnesses, at least no reliable ones. There was much corruption alleged in the West Memphis Police Department, evidence was lost and sort of a half-ass investigation of a bloody man reported to be in the bathroom of a restaurant a mile or so away. Odd, because reports of a bloody black man near a murder scene normally brings the SWAT team or the National Guard. However, none of the corruption touched lead Det. Gary Gitchell. Gitchell retired shortly after the case and stated he would not have done so if he was not certain he had the right men.
I have viewed Paradise Lost I and II, read a book called Devil's Knot, and another called The Blood Of Innocents, and I still for the life of me cannot say 100% for sure that the WM 3 are guilty, given the problems with the case. Yet, I also can't say they should be turned loose. There was testimony that the confession was coerced, but Misskelley did confess 3 or 4 times, one with his attorney present. Having seen Misskelley on the video, I don't believe he is "retarded" as some claim. He definitely isn't the smartest individual, but appears to me to know right from wrong. His attorney, Dan Stidham, is still making the rounds claiming his client's innocence 13 years after his conviction. Stidham, now a Judge in Paragould, AR, was recently in Fayetteville, home of the state's flagship University, all the way across the state, giving a speech on behalf of his client.
The supporters of the WM 3 claim that Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were convicted based on them being "different", listening to Metallica, and wearing black. The prosecution brought "expert" witnesses, one of whom had a mail-order PHD, to say that the murders had "satanic trappings" or something like that. There was no real evidence of devil-worship at the scene, but police could hardly be blamed for looking for someone or ones "different". Whoever committed these murders is different. As for the whole Metallica, metal-head, fish out-of-water theme of the supporters, I was considered "different" myself. I listened to heavy metal when I was young, wore black quite a bit, and never quite fit in in most of the many schools I attended. However, I never admitted to drinking blood, threatened to eat my Father alive, or carried a knife concealed in a black trenchcoat, as Echols, the ringleader of the group, did.
The single most damning evidence in the trials of the WM3 was not anything put on by the prosecution. There was a lot of hearsay evidence, not remarkable by itself, but there was just so much of it. The "softball girls" who said they heard Echols bragging. The convict who claims Baldwin did the same. Later, after the trials, the officers who said Misskelley confessed yet again while being driven to prison. However, the single most damning evidence was the psychiatric records of Echols introduced by the defense in the sentencing phase. The prosecution had a field day with that, considering that Val Price, one of Echols' court appointed attorneys, allowed the prosecution to bring up testimony that otherwise would have been prohibited. It was brought out that Echols classified people as sheep and wolves, that he was a "wolf" and most of the world were "sheep", that wolves eat the sheep, that he "hates the human race", that drinking blood "makes him feel like a god" and on and on.
The 2 Paradise Lost docs were somewhat slanted, especially the 2nd, which seemed to be hellbent on proving their innocence. Mara Leverett, the author of Devil's Knot, has written several articles for the Arkansas Times for years, proclaiming the innocence of the WM3. The book is well written and has tons of footnotes, but it is fairly obvious that even though Ms. Leverett includes some information that makes the subjects look bad, that she believes Mark Byers, the stepfather of Chris Byers, committed the murders. Mark Byers long criminal past is well documented, fair enough. The fact that Byers avoided jail time for so long in spite of a long list of transgressions, is suspicious. The man needs to be behind bars for something, whether or not he is a murderer. However, there are still as many or more questions about this case as there are answers. Here are a few, in spite of some research, I have been unable to find answers to:
What happened to the black trenchcoat Echols reportedly wore everywhere? In The Blood Of Innocents, which doesn't have an obvious agenda and lets the reader pretty much decide, it is written that the trenchcoat was never found. Echols either testified or told police that it was on the floor of his room. Could the WMPD have missed something that obvious? If Echols wore it everywhere, no matter the weather, he surely would have worn it that night. If he committed the murders, it likely would have been covered in blood. Did he destroy it?
Why did WMPD not look into the bloody man more seriously?
If the WM3 was arrested only for wearing black and listening to heavy metal, I am assured by a friend of mine from West Memphis, that there was no shortage of such suspects in the area. I find it absurd that elitists from outside the state haughtily subscribe to such nonsense. My friend knew 2 of the WM3, by the way. he believes them guilty. Not evidence, but more than most outsiders have to go on. Good old H.L. Mencken style-Arkansas bashing never goes out of style in some quarters, even though all 50 states and Puerto Rico have their warts, not to mention the bloviators in DC.
I can't help but wonder how many of the WM3 supporters believe in O.J. Simpson's innocence? Not very many, I suspect. Barry Scheck, famous for his work on behalf of Simpson in the 1994 "trial of the century" is now working on behalf of the WM3. Hmmm. There couldn't be injustice anywhere but Arkansas, right? Meanwhile OJ searches for the "real killers"....on every golf course in South Florida.
The WM3 has enlisted the services of a criminal profiler, Brent Turvey, who claims there was a bite mark on one of the victims' forehead. Part of the claim is that Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley's teeth don't match the mark and lo and behold, Mark Byers, stepfather of Chris Byers, has had his teeth pulled and gives varied reasons why. The problem with that theory is: the medical examiner concluded that it was NOT a bite mark. In PL II, you can see for yourself up close and it sure doesn't look anything like a bite mark to me. And if you're going to bite someone, the forehead seems like an unlikely place to do it. It looks like the imprint of a belt buckle to me. Turvey and the WM3 supporters are the only ones who seem sure it is a bite mark.
As for the rest of us, I would have a hard time sentencing anyone to death given the problems with this case, so until all avenues are exhausted as far as the evidence, in my opinion Damien Echols should be spared. There are reportedly DNA tests still being done, so hopefully something conclusive will be proven to determine once and for all whether the WM3 are guilty as charged, and if not, prove who did commit this horrific crime.
In the meantime to release the WM3, regardless of what Eddie Vedder, Margaret Cho, or Marilynn Manson think, along with the growing movement, would be to overturn the verdicts of 2 juries. It would be a terrible injustice for these 3 to be imprisoned if innocent, which is open to debate. What should not be open to debate is all the focus being on the convicted and so little on the West Memphis Three who were done the greatest injustice of all: Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. I know nothing will bring them back, and no one, except maybe Mark Byers, would want to take just anyone and blame them for these deaths, but I and others are not convinced that has happened.
It was interesting that one of the first scenes in PLII was Damien Echols doing damage control like a politician concerning the statement he made at the end of PLI about being remembered forever as the "West Memphis Boogey-Man". That was a chilling statement he made, one that sounded almost like a confession. I just wonder if Baldwin attorney Paul Ford made a "Freudian slip" when he pleaded with the jury not to vote his client "Guilty by association", a statement for which Echols stated he wanted "to strangle" Ford in PLI.
It all adds up to one of the most convoluted, controversial cases this side of OJ Simpson. If DNA evidence can prove the WM3 innocent, the state cannot ever repay them for the loss of years of their lives and I would gladly admit to being wrong. Until then, the verdicts should be respected and May 5 should be given at least as much attention as the date in June marking the anniversary of the arrests, no matter what Margaret Cho or some celebrity thinks about it.
Last edited by Obscuregawdess on Sat May 24, 2008 11:04 am; edited 1 time in total
"Bratty Mama Leci"
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ObscuregawdessPosted:
Fri May 23, 2008 5:20 pm
from an article on bad police work
The victims' families have quietly left their unwanted limelight. The defendants' families have largely left town.
Jerry Driver, convinced that others probably knew about the murders before they happened, continues to find evidence of satanic cults operating in Crittenden County. He predicts that if anyone did get away with murder in West Memphis, they'll eventually land behind bars.
Detective Gitchell has taken down his framed office photos of Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone and Pretty Boy Floyd, retiring in April after 20 years with the West Memphis police. He's now working as managing director for Pinkerton Investigation Services in Memphis.
Prosecutor Fogleman parleyed his trial successes into a campaign for a circuit court judgeship, challenging voters in ads to elect someone "you know can make tough decisions in tough cases." He takes office in January.
Seventy miles from home, victim Steve Branch is buried beneath a gray granite monument in Mt. Zion Cemetery in Steele, Mo., about the same distance from I-55 as Robin Hood Hills are in West Memphis.
On the back of the stone shaded by a pecan tree, there's an inscription: ''Here lies a rosebud in the flower garden of heaven."
Michael Moore is buried in Crittenden Memorial Park in Marion.
Across the river, off Whitten Road in Bartlett, Chris Byers lies beneath a pink granite slab. Etched in the flat rock, his epitaph: "A Little Lamb of God."
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Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Fri May 23, 2008 6:34 pm
Pam Hobbs - Mother of Stevie Branch Arrested
Posted by coltonleviclark on November 20, 2007
Pam Hobbs, Stevie Branch’s mother was arrested yesterday on domestic battery against her sister Shelia Muse. Shelia has bruises and marks all over her body and claims that Pam and Pam’s daughter Amanda beat her up and tried to attacker their elderly mother.
Shelia claims Pam and Amanda were on drugs. They were both due in court today. Pam may have an outstanding warrant on an unrelated charge.
In related news, a revelation came out recently that hairs at the scene of the crime in the deaths of Christopher Byers, Steven Branch and James Michael Moore may actually clear the three dubbed the West Memphis 3, who were also just kids at the time and were convicted on hysteria of the belief that these boys were devil worshipers. The three teenagers — Damien Echols, who was 18 at the time, Jessie Misskelley, then 17, and Jason Baldwin, then 16 at the time were found guilty in the death of the three 8 year old boys.
Pam Hobbs is now in support of a new trial for the West Memphis 3 and publicly states her ex husband Terry Hobbs may have something to do with the murders.
“Do you think honestly in your heart that he might have had something to do with this,” I asked. “Honestly in my heart…I have to be honest. Possibly,” replied Pam Hobbs.
Damien Echols’ lawyers maintained that it’s not their job to solve the crime, only to show that their client wasn’t involved. But the defense team said two hairs found at the crime scene could belong to one of the victim’s stepfathers and the man’s friend.
“The new DNA evidence is that one hair that was found in the ligature of the shoelaces that bound Michael Moore is consistent with the DNA of Terry Hobbs, who is the father of Stevie Branch,” Lax told CNN.
He continued: “Another hair that had been found at the crime scene, which had been unidentified for all these years, has just recently been tested. And the DNA on that hair is consistent with the DNA of David Jacoby. David Jacoby is a good friend or was a good friend of Terry Hobbs, and Terry Hobbs was at his house just that afternoon and evening.”
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Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Fri May 23, 2008 11:13 pm
The victims.
BASIC INFORMATION
Steve Edward Branch, eight-years-old, 4 ft. 2, 65 lbs, blonde hair. Last seen in blue jeans, white t-shirt on a black and red bicycle.
Christopher Byers, eight-years-old, 4 ft., 52 lbs, light brown hair. Last seen in blue jeans, dark shoes, and white long sleeve shirt. Last seen carrying his skateboard.
Michael Moore, eight-years-old, 4 ft. 2, 55 lbs, brown hair. Last seen in blue pants, blue Boy Scouts of America shirt, orange and blue Boy Scout hat on a light green bicycle.
[sources: Missing person reports, autopsies. The clothes found were slightly different.]
Time of disappearance.
Last seen by family members 5:30 to 6:00 pm, May 5th, 1993. Missing person reports filed 8:30 and 9:30 pm. Last seen by neighbors 6:00 to 6:30 pm.
Time of discovery.
The bodies of the three were found naked, sunken in a ditch at approximately 1:30 pm, May 6th, 1993.
Acknowledgments
For all those researchers who have helped with this information and all those interested in the case. Thanks to OpenSource WebDesign, Jasper van der Meer (webdesignstudio) and Michael Devore of Devore Software & Consulting.
Copyright 2006-2008, Martin Hill
jivepuppi can be contacted at quackenpuppy @ yahoo_com | XHTML
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ObscuregawdessPosted:
Sat May 24, 2008 10:56 am
Sometimes people forget these three little babies who were killed, fueling this entire tragedy. To leave messages or comments in regards to them and their lives or their families, this is the place for it... Pictures of the boys, for the boys... This is strictly for them. Also, anything about their parents is also welcome, as they are most certainly victims too and, IMO, have not seen justice. God bless their souls. May the rest in absolute peace.
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'WATCH OVER YOUR CHILDREN'
SLAIN BOY'S MOM ADDRESSES SCHOOL
By: John Beifuss
June 3, 1993
Pam Hobbs is leaving the town where her son Steve Branch spent the last five of his eight years of life.
Wednesday, she had a final message for the parents, teachers and children assembled in the cafeteria of Weaver Elementary School in West Memphis, where Steve was posthumously awarded three certificates for academic achievement.
"Parents please, always, always be a little overprotective of your children," she said, ignoring the exact wording of the handwritten speech she had unfolded from her pocket. "I'm not saying tomorrow, next week, but always, forever, forever - watch over your children."
The beaten and bound bodies of Steve, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers were discovered May 5, submerged in a ditch near their school and homes. The 8-year-old classmates had been missing since the evening before. West Memphis police have reported no breaks in the case.
Hobbs, 29, said thinking about her son's death makes her "fighting mad."
After the murders, she quit her job at Catfish Island, a restaurant not far from where the bodies were discovered. Now, she and her husband, Terry Hobbs, are leaving the house they rent in West Memphis and moving in with her mother, Marie Hicks of Blytheville. The house is not far from Steve's grave in Steele, Mo. The families of the other children plan to remain in West Memphis.
Mrs. Hobbs was a room mother for the second-grade classroom her son shared with Chris Byers. She spoke Wednesday to Steve's classmates as she cleaned out her son's desk.
"We were blessed with a child as great as Steve was," she said.
She told the children that even if they are not honor students as Steve was this year, they can be next year. Afterward, drying her eyes, she said: "I try not to cry, because I don't want the children to think something bad when they see me."
Steve wasn't the only child honored during the awards ceremony in the cafeteria. Others also received certificates of recognition. Mrs. Hobbs gave each one a standing ovation.
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ObscuregawdessPosted:
Mon May 26, 2008 5:29 pm
CA 5/9/93, Pain Tells How Much Life 3 Slain Boys Had
The Commercial Appeal
PAIN TELLS HOW MUCH LIFE 3 SLAIN BOYS HAD
Date: May 9, 1993
Section: News
Page: A1
Illustration: photo (2)
Source: John Beifuss The Commercial Appeal
Edition: Final
One of the great tragedies in the short lives of Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore is that most people will know them only as victims. To friends and relatives, the 8-year-old classmates whose murdered bodies were found Thursday in a brush-choked bayou were something far nobler. They were children whose personalities and spirit will never die.
They had funny nicknames like ''Wormer'' and ''Bubba.'' They swam like fish and kicked like Ninja Turtles. They had smarts and heart and smiles and wiles.
They lived in the same northeastern neighborhood, near the interstate and swampy Robin Hood Park. They were in second grade together at Weaver Elementary School. They were in the same Cub Scout pack at Holy Cross Episcopal Church, where the Moores were members, and all had passed the rank of ''Wolf.''
And yet, as their loved ones know so well, each boy was unique.
Michael was a leader, respected by the others.
Christopher was always asking ''Why?''
Steve already was a heart-breaker, with ''snow white hair and blue eyes,'' according to second cousin Angela Graham, 33. ''It was blond, but it turned white in the summertime.'' She said it had just begun to lighten when the boys disappeared Wednesday.
The boys' paths couldn't help but cross frequently. Michael and Christopher lived across an intersection from each other, at 1398 and 1400 E. Barton, respectively. And Steven Edward Branch - ''Stevie,'' as he was called by family and friends - considered himself the boyfriend of Michael's 9-year-old sister, Dawn. He recently bought her a birthstone ring for $5 at Wal-Mart.
''He liked older women,'' joked Terry Hobbs, 35, who had been Steve's stepfather since the boy was a year old.
Steve's mother Pam Hobbs, 29, said her son had taught himself to do backflips and forward-flips. He liked to practice Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle- style karate moves, and he liked to sing.
''He was going to be my little Elvis someday,'' she said. ''I told him how Elvis bought his mama a Graceland, so he'd have to buy me a Promised Land.'' Stevie promised he would.
The family lived in a comfortable ranch house at 1601 S. McAuley, with log reindeer in the front yard and Steve's chow, King, in the back. Another pet - a turtle caught by Steve in one of the watery ditches that vein the neighborhood - has been adopted by a cousin.
''He loved animals. He was all the time keeping something he had caught,'' Terry Hobbs said. ''We had some fish, but his little sister got into the fishbowl, and now we no longer have fish.''
Four-year-old Amanda called her big brother ''Bubba.'' ''That's all she knows, that he's gone to heaven,'' Angela Graham said.
Steve's father, Steve Branch, lives in Osceola, Ark.
Andy Taylor, 34, a longtime friend of the Byers family who had been designated ''official spokesman'' by the distraught parents, said Christopher Byers was nicknamed Wormer, '' 'cause he was such a squirmer.''
Taylor said he had known Christopher ''ever since he was a curtain crawler. He was the kind of little kid who could climb in your lap and make you feel good right off the bat. He not only could do it, he would do it.''
''He was every inquisitive, and I think along with that comes creativity.''
He said Christopher was interested in motors and moving, mechanical parts.
''He always asked a thousand questions - 'Why do you drive that kind of car?' 'Why are you doing that?' ''
And Christopher liked to swim.
''During the summer, we couldn't keep him out of the pool,'' Taylor said. ''We think he was part fish.''
It's hard for the parents, like John Mark Byers and Melissa Byers, to keep from crying, Taylor said. Everywhere in the house is some toy, some drawing held in place by a refrigerator magnet, or some similar memento of their son.
''She might look and just see a book out of place and remember Christopher touched it,'' Taylor said.
It's particularly tough for Ryan Byers, 13, who shared a room with Chris.
''Right now, the only thing that's in our mind is Christopher - the Worm,'' Taylor said. ''Please, pray that our children are being taken care of, and that nothing like this could ever possibly happen to anybody again.''
A relative who did not identify himself said Todd and Diana Moore, the parents of Michael Moore, and other family members did not want to discuss Michael with a reporter.
Terry Hobbs said Michael was more of a natural leader, while Stevie could sometimes be shy. But the quietness was perhaps a sign of his relative maturity. Stevie was an honor student at Weaver and took the job of big brother seriously.
''He was more grown-up than his age would indicate,'' said second cousin, Ronnie Graham, 37, of Gosnell, Ark. He said Stevie and his mother were ''more like buddies,'' and Stevie emulated that relationship with his sister.
Mrs. Hobbs said she hoped people would remember her son's life, not his death.
''I just would like everybody to remember him like he was - remember his smile, his karate moves.''
Caption: By Steve Jones
(Color) Pam Hobbs, with husband, Terry, hopes people will remember the life of her son, Steve Branch, and not only his death.
By Michael McMullan
Jimmy Elmore was one of the many to donate money Saturday to help pay for funeral arrangements for the three slain West Memphis youngsters.
"Bratty Mama Leci"
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ObscuregawdessPosted:
Mon May 26, 2008 7:22 pm
Fund for Slain Boys' Families Tops $19,000
THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL
FUND FOR SLAIN BOYS' FAMILIES TOPS $19,000
Date: May 29, 1993
Section: Metro
Page: B2
Edition: First
A church-sponsored bank account to aid the families of three West Memphis youths murdered this month raised $19,770 before it was closed Friday, according to a church secretary. The Trinity Missionary Baptist Church account was set up to help the families of the three 8-year-olds found murdered May 6 near their homes.
Kim Spears, church secretary, said $5,865 had been disbursed to the families of Michael Moore, Steve Branch and Christopher Byers. The final distribution is scheduled for Tuesday.
Rev. Fred Tinsley, rector of Holy Cross, said Friday that contributions to his church's account for the families contained slightly more than $26,000.
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ObscuregawdessPosted:
Mon May 26, 2008 7:24 pm
Counselors Help School Deal With Grief
The Commercial Appeal
COUNSELORS HELP SCHOOL DEAL WITH ITS GRIEF
Date: May 8, 1993
Section: News
Page: A1
Illustration: photo (2)
Source: John Beifuss The Commercial Appeal
Edition: Final
The memorials erected for three murdered children at Weaver Elementary School on Friday weren't cold marble or granite. These tributes were made by classmates with crayon and construction paper, cut-and-paste paper chains and Valentine's hearts and placed on the desks of Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore, the 8-year-old boys whose bodies were discovered Thursday in a bayou just blocks from their school and homes.
"The children were crying and I was crying, and I just told 'em, 'Y'all go ahead and cry,' " said Lila S. Lovely, one of almost 20 guidance counselors, psychologists and mental health experts on hand Friday for the first day of class after the deaths of the three students.
"I told them when someone dies, they're still our friend, they're just not here with us," she said.
"This is the worst tragedy that probably this community has ever faced," said Gary Adams, 43, assistant superintendent for elementary schools for West Memphis Public Schools. "We're going to make the counseling available for as many days as needed."
Sarah Kirkley, principal at the northeast West Memphis school for 19 years, said she wanted the school day to be "as normal as possible."
Nevertheless, when the bell rang about 8 a.m., each teacher started the day by talking with students about the tragedy. And many students who had been walking to school unescorted for years were now chaperoned by concerned parents.
"I just told my son, you're going to have to quit riding your bike, even around the block, unless someone's with you," said Brenda Haycraft, 31, who cried as she hand-delivered sympathy cards to the boys' families Friday.
She was accompanied by her son Ernie, 4, who added: "You don't know. Kids could die."
The school on Barton, which is adjacent to the Moore home, has about 335 students in kindergarten through sixth grade - including only about 44 in second grade like the three boys.
The students are unusually close because almost all of them live in the neighborhood. They play with each other after school as well as studying side by side.
Ramona Taylor, Crittenden County administrator for the Arkansas Department of Health, said nine West Memphis guidance counselors, about five state mental health experts and Dr. William J. Burke, a West Memphis child psychologist, were on the Weaver campus Friday.
"All have had extensive training in grief counseling," she said.
Ironically, the school district just last week completed an extensive crisis plan for counselors, which included sections on divorce, suicide, and "The Death of a Classmate or Teacher."
The plan includes such advice as, "The child's or teacher's desk should not be removed. Leaving it as it was for several days will help to acknowledge the death. Some classrooms have voted to keep the desk through the remainder of the year."
Lovely spoke to the class where Steve and Christopher were students.
"We looked at their desks and looked at their pictures, and put some things on there, and wrote some stories to give to the families."
She said each child in the class had planted a tree seedling in a small Styrofoam cup. The children want to plant the boys' trees outside the school, Lovely said.
"We tried to reassure them and give them a hug," said Lynette Moore, the regular guidance counselor at Weaver.
She said she asked the children to reveal what emotions they felt about the tragedy. Many said sadness and fear.
But, "One little girl said, 'Anger. I'm really angry about this.' "
As the children left the school about 3 p.m., many of them passed a sign outside Second Baptist Church, which read: "Good Friends Are Like Toothpaste - They Come Through in a Tight Squeeze."
Said Rev. Stacy Tommy, 48, church pastor: "Every church in town is praying."
Caption: Photographs By Dave Darnell
(Color) Students leave Weaver Elementary at the end of school Friday. Principal Sarah Kirkley said she wanted the school day to be "as normal as possible."
Christopher Byers's desk is covered with decorations and cards from his classmates and friends.
Date: September 26, 1993 Section: Metro Page: B1 Illustration: photo-only Source: Dave Darnell Edition: Final
Ground was broken Saturday for a reading grove at Weaver Elementary School in West Memphis, where three boys killed May 5 had attended school. The project is in memory of 8-year-olds Steve Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers. Todd and Diana Moore, the parents of Michael, attended the ceremony.
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ObscuregawdessPosted:
Mon May 26, 2008 8:26 pm
CA9/25/93, Slain W.Memphis boys remembered
The Commercial Appeal
SLAIN W. MEMPHIS BOYS REMEMBERED
Date: September 25, 1993 Section: Metro Page: B2 Source: Bartholomew Sullivan Dateline: WEST MEMPHIS
Memo: METRO & MID-SOUTH BRIEFS Edition: Final
A ceremony marking the groundbreaking for a ''reading grove'' at Weaver Elementary School, where the victims of last May's murders were second- graders, will be held today, a school official said. The project, which will include a covered pavilion and benches, will be dedicated to the memory of 8-year-olds Steve Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers, who were killed after attending school there May 5.
The grove is being sponsored by local Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts as well as local businesses, said school principal Sarah Kirkley. Parents of two of the boys are expected to attend.
WEST MEMPHIS MOURNS SLAIN BOYS
FUNERAL, VISITATION RECALL JOYFUL LIVES TRAGEDY CUT SHORT
Date: Wednesday, May 12, 1993
Section: Metro
Page: B1
Illustration: photo
Source: By John Beifuss The Commercial Appeal
Staff reporter Rob Johnson contributed to this story.
Edition: Final
Two Christmas holidays ago, jeweler John Mark Byers made a special ring for his adopted son.
The small, 14K gold circle is adorned with the hand-crafted image of a tiny, smiling worm, in honor of the ever-squirming boy nicknamed 'Wormer.'
"I knew, through the years, I could size the ring, make it larger," Byers said. "I hoped as he got older he could wear it, and maybe he could pass it on to his own son."
Today, 8-year-old Christopher Mark Byers will wear the ring during his funeral, his adoptive father said before attending a visitation Tuesday at Roller-Citizens Funeral Home.
This week, West Memphis officially mourns Christopher, Steve Edward Branch and Michael Moore - the three boys who were bound and killed some time after they last were seen together the evening of May 5.
The boys' submerged bodies were found Thursday in swampy Robin Hood Park near their homes in the northeast part of town.
Funeral services for Michael Moore were held Tuesday at Holy Cross Episcopal Church here. About 200 mourners filled the small church, including teachers, some two dozen children and family members. Michael, the son of Todd and Diana Moore, was buried in Crittenden Memorial Park in Marion, Ark.
West Memphis police detectives videotaped those who entered the church. Police said Tuesday that while they are pleased with the progress of their investigation, they now expect it will be a long haul.
"I think we're looking at a long investigation," Inspector Gary Gitchell said Tuesday. "It's moving along. We're going to solve it."
Mrs. Lou Cook, 35, who attended Michael Moore's funeral with her sons, said the shock of the murders hasn't worn off.
'It's just hard to imagine that something like this has happened in our small commnity, where almost everybody knows each other," she said. "It just doesn't seem real yet."
Cook, a longtime substitute teacher at Weaver Elementary School, said she knew all the boys, and they were good friends with her son, Jonathan Hedrick, 8.
"He said he didn't want to go to school Friday because his best friends had been killed, and he didn't have any friends left."
Aaron Hutcheson, 8, said he also lost his best friend in Michael. "We always played together."
Vicki Hutcheson, 30, Aaron's mother, said the boys had invited Aaron to accompany them the afternoon they disappeared, but she wouldn't let Aaron go out. She cried at the memory.
Rev. Fred H. Tinsley Jr., rector at Holy Cross, told mourners at Michael's funeral to stop blaming themselves for not watching out for the boys. "Such self-deprecation and blame at this particular time only serve to draw our attention away from why we are here . . . celebrating the gifts of Michael's life."
The murders continue to disturb West Memphis residents.
Charles Norris, 23, an ice cream truck driver for Frostee Treats, said even the popsicle business is at a standstill.
"On the east side of West Memphis, kids weren't even coming out, and if they did, parents were watching 'em from the window. I think everyone's suspicious of everyone."
He said his daily cruises of neighborhoods once frequented by children have been like visiting a ghost town. "There's no more pickup games of basketball, no kids tossing the football."
"My two little ones won't hardly leave the house," said Cook, whose father, W. T. Williams, was murdered five years ago in Memphis. "They don't want to be out of my sight at all."
She said on Mother's Day, the family had a fried chicken picnic in the backyard, "But as soon as that was over, they wanted to go back in the house."
Despite the fear, the murders have brought out the best qualities in some citizens.
Some parents volunteered to watch classes at Weaver in the afternoon, so that teachers could attend the funeral. "This is just an example of how our town's pulling together," said Sarah Kirkley, principal of the school where the three 8-year-olds attended second grade.
Services for Christopher Byers are at 1 p.m. today at Ingram Boulevard Baptist Church in West Memphis, with burial in Forest Hill Cemetery East in Memphis. He will be buried at the foot of his grandmother's grave, his father said.
Steve Branch will be mourned during services at 2 p.m. Thursday at Bradshaw's German-Aumon Funeral Home in Steele, Mo., with burial in Mt. Zion Cemetery in Steele.
"Bratty Mama Leci"
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ObscuregawdessPosted:
Mon Jun 23, 2008 1:52 pm
CHRIS BYERS
He would have been 24 years old today, had he not been murdered.
"Bratty Mama Leci"
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paxPosted:
Mon Jun 23, 2008 3:41 pm
Happy Birthday Chris Byers.
May truth be revealed and justice served.
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ObscuregawdessPosted:
Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:27 pm
pax wrote:
Happy Birthday Chris Byers.
May truth be revealed and justice served.
A little late, but amen to that.
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Posts: 11754
Location: Kentucky
NoorPosted:
Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:18 pm
Oh Gosh, my son is that age, and has grown, he's got a college degree, has an awesome job, a great girlfriend, he's self sufficient, and he's a happy person.
How sad that Chris's life has been cut short.
Marco
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ObscuregawdessPosted:
Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:37 pm
marco wrote:
Oh Gosh, my son is that age, and has grown, he's got a college degree, has an awesome job, a great girlfriend, he's self sufficient, and he's a happy person.
How sad that Chris's life has been cut short.
Yes, so so so sad. I have brothers 22 and 25. They are both fairly successful and daddies and happy and productive... The what-ifs kill me when it comes to children who have died senselessly, hell dying in general.
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God bless their souls. May the rest in absolute peace.
I have brothers 22 and 25. They are both fairly successful and daddies and happy and productive... The what-ifs kill me when it comes to children who have died senselessly, hell dying in general.
