Abomination: Devil Worship and Deception in the West Memphis Three Murders (18 page)

Photo of where Damien Echols stared at two girls, aged 9 and eleven, and “dug for something in his pockets.”

June 11th, 1993

Jackee Medford

Police Report

Two weeks ago I heard Damien say that he killed the 3 little boys. We where at the girls club and he was with several people were around hem. I do not know who all of these people where. I was with my best friend Christi and my sister Jodee.
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June 11th, 1993

Jessica Medford

Investigative Report

I was at the girls club about 2 weeks ago. I was sitting with my mom. I heard him say he did kill the 3 boys. My cousin asked him. I heard her voice and turned around. I then heard him say it after she asked him. My cousin Katie Hindrix. And he is Damien, there was another boy with him but I don't know who it was.
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June 11th, 1993

Karen McAteer

Investigative Report

On a Sunday morning approximately 2 to 3 weeks before the triple murder occured my daughter & a friend were outside playing in my front yard at 515 Belvedere. They came into the house & said there was a man watching them from a bush one house away. I immediately went to the door & when I opened it he got up from a squatting position & started to run toward Balfour Rd. I called my husband & he & I immediately started looking for the man. We looked all over the neighborhood & the Bayou behind Balfour. He just disappeared & we could not see him. The guy behind the bush was Damion Echols. I saw him clearly & there is no doubt. I was told later that at that time he was staying with a family on Balfour. My daughter said the guy had something in his hand. My daughter believed that he was taking pictures of her & her friend at that time.
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June 14th, 1993

Joe Houston Bartoush

Investigative Report

Detective Bryn Ridge took a statement from Jason Baldwin’s uncle, Hubert Bartoush, regarding Jason’s alibi. Jason’s cousin, Joe Houston Bartoush (age 12 or 13), was present and volunteered a story about Damien Echols.

On 10-27-92, I was at Lakeshore Trailer Park with Damien Echols when he killed a Black Great Dane. The dog was already sick and he hit the dog in the back of the head. He pulled the intestines out of the dog and started stomping the dog until blood came out of his mouth. He was going to come back later with battery acid so that he could burn the hair and skin off of the dog’s head. He had two cat skulls, a dog skull and a rat skull that I already knew about. He kept these skulls in his bedroom at Jack Echols house in Lakeshore. He was trying to make the eyeballs of the dog he killed pop out when he was stomping. Damien had a camouflage survival knife to cut the guts out of the dog with.
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Bartoush was sure of the date, as he had skipped school with Damien and got caught.

June 15th, 1993

Jeffrey Hood

Handwritten Statement

It had to been on a Saturday it was after the murders, me & my cousin Jason Fraizer were in front of the old Belvedere Apartments, it was in the morning time about 11 or 12 and Garrett Swarting [Schwarting] was on a bike & he pulled up on his bike & asked for a cigarettes & started talking about White Which Craft & said the Jason Baldwin & Damien Echols did the murders. He studied which craft & said it came to him. When he told me I didn't believe him.
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June 15th, 1993

Barbara Ann Detteart

Investigative Report

In an investigative report to police, she stated that in March on a Sunday at 5:30 PM, she interrupted two white males trying to steal her dog. After the murders, she recognized Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin as the attempted thieves after seeing their pictures in the Evening Times.
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June 16th, 1993

Brandy Wilson

Police Interview

This is Detective Mike Allen of the West Memphis police Dept. today's date is 06-16-93 presently in the Detective division with Brandy Wilson who 12 years old and mother Penny Cummings they reside at 616 Baylor in West Memphis, Ar. It has be brought to my attention from another officer Don Bray that you may have knowledge in reference to this homicide that were working involving the Byers, Branch and, Moore. The time is now 3:00 P.M. Brandy if you would explain to me i understand you over heard or heard a conversation at the skating rink here West Memphis can you exactly who it was you over heard and what you over heard?

Wilson - Damien Echols was sitting next to me and my sister was sitting nest me also on the other side but she was not listening, she was talking to her other friend and i was listening to his conversation and him and Jason were sitting at the table together with.

Allen - Okay when do you...

Wilson - Dominick [Domini], Dominick, and Jason's girl friend I think.

Allen - Okay Jason who are you referring to when you say Jason?

Wilson - I don't know, it might have been one of the boys who did it, but he looks just like him, Terry told me Jason my sister did.

Allen - Okay, and this Damien did you know of his name also?

Wilson - Yeah, because I heard it from Jennifer (inaudible) she told me at school and stuff.

Allen - Okay, uh, I'm sure you have seen the TV and newspapers this person your referring to as Jason and this person you are referring to a Damien have you seen them on TV or in the newspapers?

Wilson - (inaudible)

Allen - Okay is this the same.

Wilson - Damien Echols I knew who he was before they even showed his name on the screen it showed 3 pictures and my mom ask me which one was it and I pointed it out before it even showed his name?

Allen - What color hair did the one have that your calling Damien?

Wilson - Black.

Allen - As far as you know what kind of clothing he was wearing that night?

Wilson - I don't remember, he was wearing dark clothing and he had on a devil sign necklace.

Allen - Go ahead with what you heard?

Wilson - We were sitting down there and Dominick was sitting next to him, I was sitting here in the chairs are arranged to where there's like four half of a chair.

Allen - Are you talking about a table?

Wilson - No it was a round table, its a round table.

Allen - Okay its a round table.

Wilson - Yeah.

Allen - Does it have chairs like this?

Wilson - Yeah, and my sister was sitting here, and someone was standing here and my sister was talking to that person and them I was sitting here and Damien sitting like right here except a little bit closer, Damien sitting here and Dominick was sitting here and I guess Jason was sitting here and his girlfriend and then some other people were turn around at the other tables that are over here.

Allen - Okay, now this, are this isn't out by the floor this is up near the pool table and refreshment stand area.

Wilson - Yeah, that, okay, I was sitting there and just listening and he said that he had something to do with these three boys and him and Jason just started giggling and laughing

Allen - What exactly, I mean who was he talking to?

Wilson - He was talking to Dominick and Jason he was just like showing off that he did it and I was listening the this whole time and my sister was holding me down and she was talking to another person and I was listening this whole time and said he had something to do with them and that that he did it.

Allen - Okay, did he ever talk directly to you? Are is this just something you over heard?

Wilson - I over heard him talking to Dominick and Jason and...

Allen - Okay, was, you said there was a girl there with Jason do you know who she was?

Wilson - Jason I'm not sure I don't have any idea what her name was, but I know, I think it was Dominick with Damien because, because I've heard that name and stuff, and Mr. Bray ask me what was her name and I went over to my friends house and we were just talking about it you know and then she said Dominick is his girlfriend so I assumed that must be Dominick because you know unless he was...

Allen - Okay, this night you were at the skating rink and heard this do you know in relationship to when they found the 3 little boys, do you know how long after that this, what night it was you were at the skating rink?

Wilson - It was on a Friday night.

Allen - Was it on a Friday night.

Wilson - Yes sir. Cause everybody always goes up there.

Allen - Okay, do you know how long after they discovered the boys had been killed in relationship, was it a week, two weeks, three weeks...

Wilson - I'm not sure, i wasn't thinking about the time that they were found.

Allen - Did you tell your mother about what you had heard?

Wilson - Yes sir.

Allen - When did you tell your mother about that?

Wilson - A while later after, I mean I just forgot all about it until a while later Mr. Bray called me, called my mama went up to my sister's school and talked to her but she didn't hear it.

Allen - Your sister didn't hear it?

Wilson - There's lots of rumors that went around the high school, so...

Detective Allen then turns to Brandy Wilson’s mother, Penny Cummings. He discusses the date of the event and the frequency of their attendance at the skating rink. Allen begins to conclude the statement, and asks Mrs. Cummings for any additional information:

Allen - Okay, have you heard anything from Jennifer about anything she knows?

Brandy - No, I just talked to her just that one time and she told me a whole bunch of rumors and a whole bunch of stuff her friend had told her.

Allen - Okay

Penny - About the ear and the jar and he keeps locks on doors...tell him Brandy.

Brandy - She said her friend, Damien told her friend that he keeps locks on his doors and he keeps people out and doesn't let his parents in his room.

Allen - You were saying something about in some jars?

Brandy - They said, a human ear and a testicle

Allen - Okay in a jar?

Brandy concludes the discussion implicating LG Hollingsworth as another participant in the cult.
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June 16th, 1993

Ricky Don Climer

Investigative Report

Detective Ridge found out about an old friend of Damien Echols, Ricky Climer, who knew him as Michael, prior to his name change. Climer was also familiar with Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. Ridge had to travel 250 miles to Shelbyville, Tennessee for the interview, as Climer was incarcerated at the time. He revealed startling information about the West Memphis Three, but his statement was not entirely coherent and included some unbelievable parts that only he understood, including a statement that at cult meetings members were attacked by Smurfs:
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Ridge: Okay, what did you know about them?

Climer: Uh, I knew they were in the occult, uh let’s see, I knew they raped some people, uh you know they was, they always, you know they always made barn fires uh in the woods. Uh, I know that they jumped a cop, they cut, you know, they cut a pig’s head off, you know put it on a porch.

Ridge: You’re saying, occult, you mean satanic type occult.

Climer: Yeah, occult, a satanic type, it’s pretty much the same thing.

Ridge: Alright, you put alot of graffito in some different places?

Climer: Yeah, you know

Ridge: Okay, and some of the symbolism, you showed me a few minutes ago, was a pentagram.

Climer: Pentagram, yeah.

Ridge: Alright

Climer: Where it change and says, Occult, you know.

Ridge: Okay

Climer: With the symbol being all black, you know it suppose to be an upside down cross look like somebody’s hanging from it.