Abomination: Devil Worship and Deception in the West Memphis Three Murders (23 page)

Fogleman- Okay. Do you know how he got started in it?

Pam- Not for a fact, I don't know, but my understanding is that the young lady he was seeing at the time, before he was hospitalized....

Fogleman- Is that Deanna Holcomb?

Pam- ...Was the one that introduced him to it.

Fogleman- Alright. Did he ever have any literature or anything like that about this....

Pam- I never saw any. I never saw any literature. Until over here at South Grove, and then I saw a little pamphlet.

Fogleman- Okay, what kind of pamphlet was it?

Pam- Um, it was a little pamphlet from a bookstore over in Memphis that told what kind of books you could get.

Fogleman- Okay. Do you remember the name of the bookstore?

Pam- No, I sure don't....

Again, Pamela Hutchison provides an alibi for her son
:

Fogleman- Okay, and then after you left the pharmacy, where did you go?

Pam- Home.

Fogleman- Home? Alright, and about what time did you get home?

Pam- Um, around 5, I guess it was around 5 when we got home.

Fogleman- Alright. And what did you do when you got home?

Pam- Fixed supper.

Fogleman- Okay, and....

Pam- And watched a little bit of T.V.

Fogleman- Do you know about what time ya'll ate supper?

Pam- Around 5:30 or 6.

Fogleman- Okay, and who all ate supper?

Pam- Mama, Damien, Joe, Michelle, myself.

Fogleman- Okay, and what...You said...Tell me again what time you said?

Pam- Around 5:30.

Fogleman- Okay, uh, and then you ate, did you clean up after you ate?

Pam- Yes, I always do.

Fogleman- Okay, and then what did you do?

Pam- Um, watched T.V. Until about 6:30.

Fogleman- Okay. Do you remember what you watched?

Pam- No, I don't.

Fogleman- Okay, then at 6:30 what did you do?

Pam- We left to go over at Susan and Randy Sanders.

Fogleman- Alright, and who all went?

Pam- Joe, Michelle, Damien and myself.

Fogleman- Okay, and did you go straight there?

Pam- Yeah.

Fogleman- Alright, about what time did you arrive?

Pam- A little bit before 7. Uh, probably 10 or 15 til.

Fogleman- Alright. And when you got there, you was there?

Pam- Jennifer Sanders.

Fogleman- Alright. How old is she?

Pam- 11.

Fogleman- Alright. Did you go in the house?

Pam- Yes, I did.

Fogleman- Alright. Who else went in the house.

Pam- All of us went in.

Fogleman- All of you?

Pam- Joe, Damien, Michelle and myself. All of us went in.

Fogleman- And what did you do when you went in?

Pam- I sat down at the kitchen table and asked Jennifer where was her Mom and Dad. And she told me that they had gone to Splash.

Fogleman- She didn't tell you before you came in the house?

Pam- Uh uh.

Fogleman- Okay, uh...Had ya'll been to splash with them before?

Pam- No.

Fogleman- Okay, um, have ya'll been to splash with them?

Pam- Yes.

Fogleman- Alright. How many times?

Pam- Um, I've been with Susan and Randy once, which was on the 3rd, because randy draws social security and we had to wait....

Fogleman- The 3rd of?

Pam- Um, June.

Fogleman- Of June, okay.

Pam- And that was the first time that all of us went together.

Fogleman- Okay.

Pam- And then one time, we've been, Joe and myself and my mother and Randy have been together. And then....

Fogleman- When was that?

Pam- That's been about a month ago.

Fogleman- Okay. Alright, now you got to the Sanders house and Jennifer, ya'll sat down at the kitchen table?

Pam- I sat down at the table.

Fogleman- You sat down.

Pam- Joe, Damien and Michelle were sitting on the couch.

Fogleman- And what were they doing, just....

Pam- Just sitting there looking at the T.V.

Fogleman- Do you remember what was on?

Pam- No, I don't.

Fogleman- Okay. And um, then what happened?

Pam- We got ready to leave.

Fogleman- How long did you stay?

Pam- Um, not...About 30 minutes.

Fogleman- Okay.

Pam- I wouldn't think it would be over 30 minutes.

Fogleman- Alright. Then what happened?

Pam- um, I wrote Susan a note on a piece of paper, because her purse was sitting on the table. And told her that we had been by there, and I rolled it up and stuck it longways in her purse.

Fogleman- Okay.

Pam- And then we left and went back home.

Fogleman- Straight home?

Pam- Uh huh.

Fogleman- Okay, and what did you do when you got home?

Pam- Watched T.V.

Fogleman- Okay, do you remember what you watched?

Pam- No, I don't. Most of the time, I don't pay that much attention to it.

Fogleman- Alright, who all was watching t.V.?

Pam- Joe, Michelle, and myself and my mother. She sits in her bedroom and watches T.V.

Fogleman- Okay, where was Damien?

Pam- He was in my bedroom on the telephone.

Fogleman- Do you know who he was talking to?

Pam- He talked to Jason.

Fogleman- Do you know about what time he talked to Jason?

Pam- Uh, no, I don't. I know he got on the phone um, around 7:30, I guess.

Fogleman- Okay.

Pam- And from 7:30 until about 10:30 or until a quarter to 11 he was on the phone the whole time.

Fogleman- Okay. Um, we've got a statement from somebody who said that they had seen Damien in the trailer park with dog intestines wrapped around his neck, or something like that. Have you ever heard...Seen anything like that or heard anything like that?

Pam- No, I haven't.

Fogleman- Alright. Do you know anything about Damien having cat skulls and carrying them around?

Pam- It wasn't a cat skull. It was a dog skull.

Fogleman- Alright. Where was that?

Pam- It was hanging on my clothes line in the back yard where I made him leave it out there to dry before he carries it to school.

Fogleman- Okay. Leave it out there to dry. What had he done to it?

Pam- He found it on the side of the road.

Fogleman- Okay, but I mean, what did it needed to dry from?

Pam- It just smelled bad and I made him hand it out there in the sun.

Fogleman- Okay. And you don't know of him carrying a cat skull at school.

Pam- No.

Fogleman- Okay. Do you know of him having any other skulls?

Pam- No.

Fogleman- Okay. Do you know why he carried a dog skull to school?

Pam- Um, he had told me that he was going to carry it to school for, something like they had show and tell. Or some type of science project.

Fogleman- Okay.

Pam- And he only carried it the one day.
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September 10th , 1993

Diane Teer, Domini (Alea) Teer’s mother

Interview with Prosecutor Fogleman

In this excerpt from Prosecutor Fogleman’s interview with Domini Teer’s mother, additional inquiries into witchcraft were made.

Fogleman- Mm, what do you know about a magazine, or group called S.O.U.N.D.?

Diane- Uh, one of my nieces in California started it.

Fogleman- And what does that stand for?

Diane- I don't know what all of it stands for. It's Secret Order of the Undead.

Fogleman- Okay. What's the magazine about?

Diane- Just whatever they feel like putting in it? Like vampires and things like that.

Fogleman- Okay, and this is one of your nieces?

Diane- Yeah.

Fogleman- Okay, what is the nieces name?

Diane- Tammy Jo Teer.

Fogleman- Tammy Jo Teer?

Diane- Yes.

Fogleman- And this is on, I take it it's on your husband's side.

Diane- Yes.

Fogleman- Were you aware that your daughter was and Damien were involved in some of this witchcraft stuff?

Diane- They weren't to my knowledge.

Fogleman- You didn't know anything about it.

Diane- I know a little about witchcraft, but they never did anything like that as far as i know.

Fogleman- You didn't know anything about it.

Diane- No.

Fogleman- Well, you said that you knew something about witchcraft. Have you at some point been involved in the occult?

Diane- I used to read about a lot of it when i was in California.

Fogleman- Did you ever participate in any of it?

Diane- No.

Fogleman- It's not against the law, you understand to...

Diane- Oh yeah, I know that.

Fogleman- But you never participated in any of it/

Diane- No.

Fogleman- Are you sure?

Diane- Yeah, i've read a lot of books about different things, and I used to have a pack of Tarot cards, and rune stones.

Fogleman- Hh huh. Okay. What kind of stones?

Diane- Rune.

Fogleman- Okay.

Diane- R-U-N-E.

Fogleman- What do you do with the rune stones?

Diane- You have somebody touch 'em and put them out on the table, and pick out ever how many you need to and tell them, um, like their fortune, or something that's ongoing in their life. I also have a deck of Rune cards.

Fogleman- Okay. But you say that you've never participated in any kind of group...

Diane- No.

Fogleman-...That practiced this kind of stuff.

Diane- No, the only kind of group that I was ever in like that was the Rocky Horror Picture Show?

Fogleman- Okay. What kind of group is that? What do they do?

Diane- They act out the movie while the movie is on.

Fogleman- And when was that when you participated in that?

Diane- In California.

Fogleman- [Fogleman flips over tape] Were you aware that Damien had a pentagram on his chest? A tattoo of a pentagram on his chest.

Diane- No, I never saw it.

Fogleman- You never saw it?

Diane- No.

Fogleman- Okay.

Diane- He had a pentagram necklace.

Fogleman- Were you aware that Damien claimed to be involved in witchcraft?

Diane- They never did around me. He liked to read some of the books, cause I had some books that I loaned him too.

Fogleman- Okay. Are these white magic or black magic?

Diane- White.

Fogleman- Okay. But you’ve never known Damien to participate in any of those activities?

Diane- Not that I know of.

She says she didn’t know Damien was a magician, when he has all the signs of witchcraft on him. She added that LG Hollingsworth was around her trailer on May 5th, and May 6th.
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September 16th, 1993

Kenneth Watkins

Police Statement

This is Det. Ridge with the West Memphis police department, currently in the West Memphis Police Department. Today's date is 9/16/93 the time is 1:47 P.M. Currently in the office with Kenneth Watkins and his mother and Bill Durham. Okay Kenneth, we've already done one statement today. In that statement, you went through the events that took place on 5/5/93, which was on a Wednesday. You skipped school that day, correct?

Kenneth- Yes sir.

Ridge- Okay. On Friday, or excuse me, on Thursday, the following day. What happened on that day?

Kenneth- I went to school, Jason went to school. All day until we got home from school. Then we all, we was all sitting over at damion's waiting for Jason, at his house. Then, me..Then, uh, Carl came over...

Ridge- you say Carl. Carl who?

Kenneth- Smith. Right across the road.

Ridge- From Jason.

Kenneth- Yeah. And we were sitting there listening to some music and playing Nintendo, some of it. Then Jason's mom calls and says that three kids have been murdered, and uh, behind the, uh, woods back there. Behind the trailer park. Then, none of us believed it. Well, I did, and Carl didn't. Then, the cops came back, that came to Jason's house.

Ridge- What did Damien have to say about that?

Kenneth- Damien didn't say nothing. He was just sitting there being quiet.

Ridge- So when his mother called..When Jason's mother called and Damien heard the news that three boys had been killed, did he react at all?

Kenneth- He just sat back there and just did nothing.

Ridge- Okay. What occurs next?

Kenneth- Then, about two hours later, the cops came. His probation officer and a cop came to his house and wanted to talk to him. Then they asked where his mom was, and so I guess they went to court the next day.

Ridge- Now you said him, at that time you're talking about Jason?

Kenneth- Yeah, Jason. The cops talked to Jason.

Ridge-Okay.

Kenneth- They went up and knocked on the door, and asked if Jason was there. And Jason, it was his probation officer. And they wanted to take him downtown for questioning.

Ridge- Does Steve Jones sound familiar, being that Probation Officer.

Kenneth- Yes, I think it was, I'm not positive.

Ridge- Now, you mentioned when a tape was brought into the house. When does that occur?

Kenneth- Carl bought, next door to his house, they got a tape, and he came back and me and him went in there to put it in. And Damien and Jason went in the living room to talk.

Ridge- Okay, and when you came out of the bedroom...

Kenneth- They stopped talking and started talking about something else.

Ridge- So they were obviously talking about something they didn't want you to hear.

Kenneth- Yeah.

Ridge- Is that what you're saying? Okay. Now, did anything else happen that day.

Kenneth- Nun uh.

Ridge- Okay. The next day on Friday.

Kenneth- Friday, we was walking...

Ridge- Okay, you say we. Who do you mean, we?

Kenneth- Me and Damien.

Ridge- Alright, what time was it?

Kenneth- About 4. To get Domini.

Ridge- Okay. You were walking from...

Kenneth-...Lakeshore cause we had to go get...Yeah.

Ridge- And where were you going?

Kenneth- Wal-Mart.

Ridge- Okay.

Kenneth- Then we walked on the overpass, which Damien, and Damien said that he was there, and a couple of other friends. A few people.

Ridge- Now what's he talking about when he says he was there.

Kenneth- He said that he knows who killed the little kids, cause he was there, with a couple of people.

Ridge- Okay.

Kenneth- And i started talking about something else.

Ridge- You mentioned a few minutes ago that Damien said he wanted to be part of a group or had been being picked on. When did that conversation come up?

Kenneth- It was before that conversation came up. Cause, everybody was picking on him and laughing at him and all that. And talked about him, and he said he wanted to do something that no one would pick on him or talk about him or anything. He wanted to do something.

Ridge- You used the word drastic a while ago.

Kenneth- Yeah, drastic.

Ridge- What were his words?

Kenneth- He wanted to do something drastic, so no one would talk about, or, you know, tease him.

Ridge- Okay.

Kenneth- Then we got in that conversation, where he said that he was there, and he know who done it.

Ridge- Okay. The conversation where he says, people were talking about him, people were picking on him, and he wanted to do something drastic so that they wouldn't do that anymore.

Kenneth- Yeah...

Ridge- Where were you at when that conversation took place/

Kenneth- On the bridge. On the overpass, going to Wal-Mart.

Ridge- Okay, the he said he wanted to belong to a cult?

Kenneth- He said he wanted to belong to something.

Ridge- Wanted to belong to something. Alright, was something said about a cult?

Kenneth- Nuh uh. Then a few days later, I was talking to a girlfriend of mine. She said that he used to be in a cult, but he got out of it. I guess he wanted to join, again.

Ridge- Okay. About what time was it, you were on the overpass and he told you he was there when the boys were killed?

Kenneth- About 4.

Ridge- 4 in the evening.

Kenneth- Yeah.

Ridge- Okay. And did you go to Wal-Mart?

Kenneth- We went to Wal-Mart and got Domini and came back.

Ridge- Okay. How long were you at Wal-Mart?

Kenneth- Not very long, we just came and got her then we left again.

Ridge- Okay. Damien spends a lot of time at Wal-Mart, and you spend a lot of time there with him. What does he do when he's there?

Kenneth- We...Me...Usually play video games there.

Ridge- Well, what does he do?

Kenneth- He just sits back and watches. Cause, Jason has that Super Nintendo at home, and he has Streetflight II and he always goes to Wal-Mart and plays.

Ridge- Of course it's been on the news, reports have been out that Damien has done a lot of shoplifting from Wal-Mart. Do you know of any of that?

Kenneth- Nuh uh. Cause I never went in with him. Me and Jason just stayed out in front and played video games.

Detective Ridge asks Kenneth Watkins about the group’s habits at Wal-Mart. He then queries Watkins about what happened when news of the murders reached Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin.

Ridge- Okay. Do you remember giving that phone call? Okay. And Damion didn't react?

Kenneth- Uh uh.

Ridge- About the three boys that were found killed.

Kenneth- He didn't do nothing. He just sat there.

Ridge- What about Jason? How did he react?

Kenneth- He was going crazy. Like, oh my God and all that. Like he couldn't believe it.

Ridge- Or was scared?

Kenneth- Well, I don't know if he was scared. Either one. He just got scared.

Ridge- Okay. Then Friday, you're walking from Lakeshore to Wal-Mart with Damien and he tells you that he's tired of being picked on.

Kenneth- And after that, talked about...

Ridge- And that he had done something drastic, and then a few minutes later he tells you that he was there with a couple of buddies when...

Kenneth- ...When it happened.

Ridge- When it happened. He's talking about the murders.

Kenneth- The murders.

Ridge- Is that what he said?

Kenneth- He said, i was there when the three little kids got killed.

Ridge- That's what he told you?

Kenneth- That's what he told me
.
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October 1st, 1993

Christy Dawn Jones

Handwritten Statement

Know Jason from school but not in classes.

Know Damien from classes 2 years ago in classes with

Knew Jessie, Lived next door to him in trailer Park.

About two years ago while in school with Damien in

Marion, I saw him cut his arm with something and he then sucked the blood out of the wound. I had heard

that Damien was weird and part of a satanic cult.

I was told this by other kids but I never knew if

any of it was true. About the Middle of May, a

Vickie Hutchison who lived in Highland trailer Park asked

Jessie if he knew Damien. Jessie said that he knew him

from school. Vickie asked Jessie to introduce her to

Damien. This all took Place at Vickie's house. Me,

Jessie, Christie Anderson, Vickie, and her son Aaron were

all present during this conversation. I was working at

Shoney's Restaurant during the evening hours from the last

of April for about six months.
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October 5th, 1993

John Mark Byers

Sometime between end of February 1993 & 1st half of March of 1993. My wife Melissa & myself went to grocery store at Flash Market on Ingram around 4:00. We were gone about 15 to 20 minutes. When we returned home Christopher was inside. When we came in he started telling us about a man taking his picture. We asked what did he look like Chris said he was wearing a black coat & black pants & shoes black & had sort of long black hair. He said the man was driving a green car. Chris was playing under car port when man drove up. He said that he ran out into the yard because the man scared him and we asked what happened and Chris said he just took my picture then got in his car and left.
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October 7th, 1993

Tiffany Allen

Police Interview

On October, 7th, 1993, Tiffany Allen, who had been punched by Jessie Misskelley earlier in the year, was brought to the West Memphis Police Department by her mother and grandmother for questioning. She was asked about the fight with Jessie, and about whether a Satanic group existed in Lakeshore.

Ridge: Okay, and you heard that a group exist's?

Allen: Uh-huh.

Ridge: Satanic group?

Allen: Yes, sir.

Ridge: And you believe one exist's, but you don't know who those members are is that correct?

Allen: Yes, sir.

Ridge: Okay, um you also mentioned that you observed a fight that Jason Baldwin had on one occasion?

Allen: Yes sir, with John Perschka.

Ridge: That's who Jason was fighting with?

Allen: Uh-huh.

Ridge: What occurred during that fight?

Allen: Well, John hit him hard and he started bleeding and then after the fight and everything Damien bends down put his finger in, dips into the blood and then sticks it in his mouth.
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Concluding the interview, Detective Ridge noted in his Investigative Report that Tiffany seemed apprehensive about providing information about occult activities in Lakeshore due to concerns for her safety.

October 13th, 1993

Charlotte Ann Bly

Police Interview

Charlotte Ann Bly (married name Bolois) was interviewed in Parkin, Arkansas about 10 miles east of West Memphis. She had informed the Police Chief in Parkin about satanic rituals in the city, and he contacted Detective Ridge. She told of sacrifice of a dog and that her cousin, Buddy Lucas, had the bloody shoes Jessie Misskelley wore on the night of the murders. Charlotte Bly’s aunt, Irene Wilson, told her that Buddy Wilson left the house the night the three boys died and did not return until the next day. According to Irene Wilson, Buddy Lucas left the night of May 5th, 1993 to meet Jessie Misskelley at Lakeshore. Detective Ridge asked Bly a straight forward question:

Ridge: Okay, are you certain the he’s involved in this homicide by his actions?

Bly: Most likely.

Ridge: Okay, uh, you’ve known Jessie for a long time?

Bly: Yes

Ridge: If Jesse and Buddy got together do you think that Jessie and Buddy have something to do with this homocide?

Bly: Yes

Ridge: Do you know Damien?

Bly: Yes

Ridge: What do you know about Damien?

Bly: He’s a weird person. I know he uses drugs and he’s a devil worshiper, I know that much.

Ridge: How do you know he’s a devil worshiper?
Bly: He...He...He does stuff in school...Like he was...Like he said he was.

Ridge: He just openly admitted to you that he was the Devil?
Bly: Not openly

Ridge: Well, what is it that makes you certain of that, that’s what I’m trying to get to?

Bly: He asked me if I was a Devil Worshiper, and I said no. He said “well, you’re hanging around one.” That’s exactly what he said.

Ridge - Okay, do you know of anybody that says he has been out there?

Bly - Chris and Greg Wilson.

Ridge - They have told you that Buddy has been out there with them?

Bly - Yes.

Ridge - Okay, do...

Bly - That was Halloween of last year when he went out there

Ridge - It was okay, so Halloween should be a big night for Devil worshiping?

Bly - Oh, yea.

Ridge - It all sounds like it would be, um do you have any idea what was done with these shoes that Buddy’s mother was suppose to have found?

Bly - No.

Ridge - Okay.

Bly - She's probably still got them.
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