the boys were nude and bound with their own shoelaces. i run up there and one look at my ex-husband and i knew it was stevie, and i hit the ground screaming, god, no. almost immediately word spread that these murders were the work of the devil. that was the first thing everybody started saying, that it was a ritualistic killing, satanic killing. i overheard people saying they d been trying to let the police know there s been groups of teenagers out there practicing satanic rituals and things like that. satanic killing? an idea not so farfetched for the time. this is a community steeped in religion. a chump is never far away. and it was a time before the goth look or the notion of a romantic teenage vampire became fashionable. and this was a crime so horrendous it was easy to
goth look or the notion of a romantic teenage vampire became fashionable. and this was a crime so horrendous it was easy to believe it was committed by a monster. when you re hearing all of this, what s going through your mind? exactly the same thing, that that s what happened. that the devil actually come and got my baby. everybody was a suspect. i would have thought you did it back then. i mean, anybody i looked at i was mad at. i went into a world of my own and i hated people. damien echols tells me he was also in his own world. just beginning, he says, to hear about the three young boys found in west memphis. tonight investigators found the children beaten to death. do you remember the first time you heard about this murder? getting up that morning. i mean, it was everywhere. you couldn t not hear it. it was on every news channel, the newspaper, the radios. what were you thinking?
almost immediately, word spread that these murders were the work of the devil. that was the first thing everybody started saying, that it was a ritualistic killing, satanic killing. i overheard people saying they d been trying to let the police know there s been groups of teenagers out there practicing satanic rituals and things like that. satanic killing? an idea not so farfetched for the time. this is a community steeped in religion, a church is never far away. and it was a time before the goth look or the notion of a romantic teenage vampire became fashionable. and this was a crime so horrendous it was easy to believe it was committed by a monster. when you re hearing all of this, what s going through your mind? exactly the same thing, that that s what happened. that the devil actually come and got my baby. everybody was a suspect. i would have thought you did it
this is a community steeped in religion, a church is never far away. and it was a time before the goth look or the notion of a romantic teenage vampire became fashionable. and this was a crime so horrendous it was easy to believe it was committed by a monster. when you re hearing all of this, what s going through your mind? exactly the same thing, that that s what happened. that the devil actually come and got my baby. everybody was a suspect. i would have thought you did it back then. i mean, anybody i looked at i was mad at. i went into a world of my own and i hated people. damien echols tells me he was also in his own world. just beginning, he says, to hear about the three young boys found in west memphis. tonight investigators found the children beaten to death. do you remember the first time you heard about this murder? getting up that morning. i mean, it was everywhere. you couldn t not hear it. it was on every news channel, the newspaper, the radios.