Abomination: Devil Worship and Deception in the West Memphis Three Murders (14 page)

Jessie: No.

Gitchell: Now, tell us the truth

Jessie: No.

Ridge: Did you actually rape any of these boys?

Jessie: No.

Ridge: Did you actually kill any of these boys?

Jessie: No.

Ridge: Did you see any of the boys actually killed?

Jessie: Yes.

Ridge: Okay, which one did you see killed?

Jessie: That one right there.

Gitchell: Now, you're pointing to the Byers boy again?

Jessie: Yes.

Ridge: How was he actually killed?

Jessie: He choked him real bad and all.

Ridge: Choking him? Okay, what was he choking him with?

Jessie: His hands, like a stick, he had a bit old stick, kinda holding it over his neck.

Ridge: Okay, so he was choking him to the point where he actually went unconscious, so at that point, you felt like he was dead?

Jessie: Yeah.

Ridge: Okay, did any of the other two boys, were you there when they were actually killed?

Jessie: I don't know.

Ridge: You say that you got sick, so that's what you were saying, did you throw up or anything?

Jessie: Yes.

Ridge: Where did you throw up at?

Jessie: I got a little bit ways out of there and got half a mile up the road, is when I threw up, and couldn't hardly run and I just threw up.

Ridge: When you left from there, did you leave running?

Jessie: Yes.

Ridge: Were you hiding?

Jessie: No, I didn't hide.

Gitchell: Did you have some blood on your clothes?

Jessie: I didn't have no blood, I didn't get close to them.

After questioning Misskelley about his clothing and what Echols and Baldwin were wearing, Gitchell and Ridge return to the events of May, 5th:

Ridge: Okay, they killed the boys, you decided to go, you went home, how long after you got home before you received the phone call? 30 minutes or an hour?

Jessie: Uh, silent an hour.

Ridge: An hour after you got home, so they were there for a lot longer?

Jessie: Yes.

Ridge: When he called you on the phone, did he say that he had just got in?

Jessie: When he first called me, he said, how come you left, and said, I couldn't stand it, I had to do something else

Ridge: Okay, you couldn't stand it.

Jessie: And then Damien, I heard Damien in the background saying we done it, we done it, what we gone do if somebody saw us.

Ridge: Did anybody see you leaving?

Jessie: No.

Ridge: That you know of.

Jessie: That I know of

Ridge: Did anybody see Damien and Jason?

Jessie: I don't know, I left before them.

Ridge: But have you heard anybody say that they saw Damien and Jason?

Jessie: No.

Ridge: You haven't heard anybody?

Jessie: No.

Ridge: Okay, these initiations, you say that they eat part of the leg meat?

Jessie: Yeah.

Ridge: Does that involve eating part of the penis of the animal?

Jessie: No.

Ridge: Just the meat?

Jessie: Just the meat.

Ridge: Okay, has Jason and Damien talked to you since this happened?

Jessie: No.

Ridge: They haven't talked to you about this?

Jessie: They hadn't said nothing around me, when I was over to my friend's house, they didn't say nothing.

Ridge: When you've been by yourself, and I'm sure in the last three weeks you've been by yourself with them sometime

Jessie: You know Damien keeps asking me how come I left and stuff and hadn't anybody said anything to me about it.

Ridge: Okay, what did he say to you about it when you came to the police department, after seeing that boy in the woods? Up there behind the Goodyear place? What did he say about that?

Jessie: He didn't know anything about that.

Ridge: He doesn't know that.

Jessie: No.

Ridge: Okay, what about when you get with Jason by himself?

Jessie: He keeps on asking me what are we going to do next, I told him, I can't do nothing now cause I go to work with my daddy everyday.

Ridge: So, they are scared, is that right?

Jessie: They are scared cause after what they did, I told him that I was going to work with my daddy, I got to do something.

Ridge: So, what do you think ought to be done to them for killing these boys?

Jessie: They need to be put away for a while.

Ridge: Put away for a while. Do you think they are sick or just mean?

Jessie: I think they are sick.

Ridge: They are sick okay. Is there anything else that you want to add to this statement?

Jessie: No.

Ridge: Why did you not come forward with this information?

Jessie: Cause I was scared.

Ridge: Scared of Damien? Or scared of the police?

Jessie: Scared of the police.

Ridge: Are you scared of Damien now?

Jessie: No.

Ridge: Are you scared of the police now?

Jessie: No.

Ridge: You are not, so we've treated you well?

Jessie: Yes.

Ridge: Alright, I am going to conclude this interview, the time is 3:18pm.
⁸⁷

By the end of this interview, Jessie had been at the police station for over six hours. In a colossal oversight by the presiding officers, only thirty minutes of the questioning was recorded. These were not full, clear-cut confessions; Jessie intended to distort the record. Misskelley said the murders took place at 9:00 a.m. and that they skipped school. Another interview took place immediately after the initial confession concluded at 3:18 p.m. to clear up the inaccuracies, discrepancies and distortions from the earlier interview:

JUNE 3rd, 1993

INTERVIEW OF JESSIE MISSKELLEY, JR. SECOND INTERVIEW CONDUCTED TO CLARIFY PREVIOUS STATEMENTS

Gitchell: Jessie, uh, when when you got with the boys and with Jason Baldwin when you three were in the woods and then little boys come up, about what time was it? When the boys come up to the woods?

Jessie: I would say it was about 5 or so 5 or 6.

Gitchell: Know, did you have your watch on at the time?

Jessie: Huh uh. (no)

Gitchell: You didn't have your watch on?

Jessie: Huh uh. (no)

Gitchell: Uh, alright you told me earlier around 7 or 8, which time is it?

Jessie: It was 7 or 8.

Gitchell: Are you...

Jessie: It was starting to get dark.

Gitchell: Ok, it...

Jessie: I remember it was starting to get dark.

Gitchell: Ok, well that clears it up. I didn't know, that's what I was wondering, was it getting dark or what.

Jessie: We got up there at 6:00 and the boys come up and it was starting to get dark.

Gitchell: Ok, so you and Jason and Baldwin uh, Damien you all got there right at 6.

Jessie: About 6 yeah.

Gitchell: Is that a normal time that you all meet at 6?

Jessie: Yeah.

Gitchell: Ok, when you do your cult stuff does 6 mean something, I mean is that a time you normally do meet?

Jessie: Yeah.

Gitchell: Ok, so you all met out there at 6 and then the boys come up about what time?

Jessie: About 7.

Gitchell: About 7:00, Ok. So you all were out there with the boys and all this stuff going on and until you noticed it starting getting dark. Is that correct?

Jessie: Yeah.

Gitchell: Ok, now are you sure about that?

Jessie: Yes.

Gitchell: Ok, uh, Ok, hold on just a minute. (Pause) Ok Jessie uh, I asked you about your clothing and you said that uh, what what were you wearing?

Jessie: I was wearing uh, Blue jeans, and a white shirt with some kind of basketball deal on it. Some tennis shoes Adidas.

Gitchell: Alright, your shirt was it a, uh, what kind of shirt was it?

Jessie: It was a white shirt with a basketball on around it.

Gitchell: Is it a shirt like you got on now?

Jessie: Uh huh (yes).

Gitchell: What kind of shirt is it like you have on now? That is what, a t-shirt?

Jessie: Uh huh (yes).

Gitchell: Ok, so you had a white t-shirt with a basketball design on it.

Gitchell: Ok, uh, what about shoes, what kind of shoes did you have on?

Jessie: White and Blue Adidas.

Gitchell: White and Blue?

Jessie: Uh huh (yes).

Gitchell: And who has those shoes now?

Jessie: Buddy Lucas.

Gitchell: And how old is Buddy?

Jessie: He is about 18 or 19.

Gitchell: Why does he have your shoes?

Jessie: We went we was coming home one day and it was raining and he didn't have nothing else to wear so he put on one of my shoes.

Gitchell: Ok, and where does he live at?

Jessie: In Lakeshore.

Gitchell: Is there.

Jessie: By, uh the church.

Gitchell: Is there a street or anything?

Jessie: It is a street but it ain't got no names on it though.

Gitchell: What street is the church on?

Jessie: On uh, as soon as you get off of Cherry Street. Uh, Cherry Street right in front of it.

Gitchell: Off of Cherry Street?

Jessie: Uh hu. (yes)

Gitchell: Ok, are there any vehicles around close by that I could recognize that trailer?

Jessie: It should be a green truck and a brown van and there is a basketball goal right there where the green truck is at by the basketball goal.

Gitchell: Alright, who tied the boys up?

Jessie: Uh, Damien.

Gitchell: Did Damien just tie them all up or did anyone help Damien or...

Jessie: Jason helped him.

Gitchell: Ok, and what did they use to tie them up?

Jessie: A rope.

Gitchell: Ok, what color was the rope?

Jessie: Brown.

Gitchell: Did you ever see the boys in the water?

Jessie: Uh, yeah, down by the water.

Gitchell: Alright, how did the boys get into the water?

Jessie: They pulled them there into the water.

Gitchell: Alright, when you say they who is it that pulled them into the water?

Jessie: Jason and uh, Damien.

Gitchell: Do you wear a belt?

Jessie: Nope.

Gitchell: Does Jason where a belt?

Jessie: Unt uh (no).

Gitchell: Does Damien wear a belt?

Jessie: Yeap.

Gitchell: What kind of belt does he wear?

Jessie: A black leather belt with uh, beads uh, like little beads around it.

Gitchell: With beads around it?

Jessie: Like little beads you know stubbies with

Gitchell: Ok, about how thick is the belt?

Jessie: It's about 4 inches.

Gitchell: Now, do you know what 4 inches looks like?

Jessie: About like that, the belt was about like that. (Using hands to show width)

Gitchell: Ok, I don't think that's quite 4 inches, but uh, probably about 3 something like that.

Jessie: Uh huh.

Gitchell: Which, which boys were raped?

Jessie: Uh, Byers and the Branch.

Gitchell: Ok, so you know them by name and face, well enough to call them by name?

Jessie: Uh huh.

Gitchell: Ok, did you, did you see the Moore boy, was he raped?

Jessie: No.

Gitchell: Alright, who raped those two boys?

Jessie: Jason and Damien.

Gitchell: Do you know which one raped which boy, or how did that happen?

Jessie: Damien raped the Byers by hisself and, and Jason and Damien raped uh, the Branch.

Gitchell: Alright, give that to me again now.

Jessie: Damien raped uh the Byers by hisself and Jason and Damien raped uh the Branch.

Gitchell: Did anyone have oral sex with the boys?

Jessie: Yes, Damien and Jason.

Gitchell: How many of them did they do that to?

Jessie: Just two, Branch and Byers.

Gitchell: How did they keep the boys quiet?

Jessie: Put their hands over their mouths.

Gitchell: Did they do anything else other than put their hands over their mouths? How did they finally keep them from being quiet, cause the boys bound to have been hollering?

Jessie: They stuck their hands over their mouths first, and then they stuck their shirts to their mouth.

Gitchell: Ok, did they do anything else to them to make them be quiet?

Jessie: They stuck their thang in their mouth.

Gitchell: Ok, did they, were they hitting them before that or afterwards?

Jessie: Before and after, just trying to keep them off of them.

Gitchell: Just all of the time?

Jessie: Just trying to keep Jason and Damien off of them.

Gitchell: Now they put their, whose shirts did they put in their mouth?

Jessie: Damiens.

Gitchell: Ok, alright hold on just a minute, -pause- Let me ask you something else, Jessie, I'm sorry, I keep coming back and forth, but I got people that want me to ask you some other questions, uh talking about oral sex, did you see, you know we had talked earlier about how Jason and uh Damien do each other, have sex with each other did they, did they have oral sex on the boys?

Jessie: Yeah, they, they, one of them stuck their thang in one of the boys mouth while the other one got the other one up the butt and stuff.

Gitchell: Ok, but did, did anyone go down on the boys and maybe suck theirs or something?

Jessie: Not that, I didn't see nothing neither one of them do that.

Gitchell: You didn't see that?

Jessie: Uh, uh

Gitchell: Ok, did, did they pinch their penis in anyway or were rough with it or anything like that?

Jessie: I didn't see nothing like that, not rough with them, I just seen um

Gitchell: You didn't see anyone go down on the boys?

Jessie: Uh, uh.

Gitchell: Are you sure?

Jessie: Yeah.

Gitchell: Ok.

Pause--Police Gave Jessie a Coke.

Gitchell: That Coke was kind of cold huh?

Jessie: Uh huh.

Gitchell: I tell ya it tasted pretty good to me though.

Gitchell: Um, Jessie when, now the boys hands were tied up right?

Jessie: Right.

Gitchell: How did, how did, they force these boys to have oral sex on them? How did they have a hold of them?