Where The Monsters Go: The Case Against the West Memphis 3 Killers, Volume II

by Gary Meece

There is the myth of the West Memphis 3 -- innocent teenagers railroaded by malicious police and prosecutors into murder convictions because of the way they dressed and the music they listened to, there being no evidence against them except the prejudices of Southern white Christians. And then there is the reality --- three criminally inclined young thugs involved in occultism who gleefully tortured three 8-year-old boys and then brought the justice system down upon them based on multiple factors, including a series of confessions, failed lie detector tests, failed alibis, eyewitness sightings and a history of violence. The second volume in this series, following "Blood on Black," continues to examine the evidence against Jessie Misskelley Jr., Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols in the murders of Christopher Byers, Michael Moore and Stevie Branch on May 5, 1993. Misskelley, Baldwin and Echols met up that afternoon just outside Lakeshore Estates Trailer Park, according to the multiple confessions of Misskelley. Echols and Baldwin were drinking beer. The plan was to go to West Memphis and beat up some boys. They walked about two miles into woods known as Robin Hood or Robin Hood Hills. Echols knew the woods well, having lived in the nearby Mayfair Apartments, frequently walking through the area as a shortcut between his home in West Memphis and his friends in the trailer parks and having been spotted in the woods recently by an acquaintance. Michael, Stevie and Christopher Byers, all second graders at Weaver Elementary School, lived south of the woods and visited the woods frequently to play. That afternoon they were spotted heading toward Robin Hood around 6, close to the time their killers entered from the north. When Echols heard the children approaching, he began making sounds to lure them in, while Misskelley and Baldwin hid. Then, according to the confessions of Misskelley, and indicated by the blood patterns at the scene and other evidence, the teens jumped the 8-year-olds, beat them viciously, stripped them of their clothes, mutilated Stevie's face, castrated Christopher, sexually molested them, hogtied them and dumped them in a muddy ditch, where Michael and Stevie drowned. Christopher already had bled out from his wounds. Misskelley quickly left the scene, which was scrupulously cleaned up. Echols was spotted walking along the service road near the crime scene later that evening in muddy clothes. After frantic parents sparked an extensive search for the missing children, their bodies were discovered the next afternoon by law enforcement officers. Tales of strange rituals held in the woods by mysterious strangers spread quickly among the crowd gathered near the crime scene. As detectives and other officers gathered information and talked to witnesses or potential suspects, Echols quickly drew the scrutiny of officers. Besides the talk among the boys' neighbors, the ritualistic aspects of the murder -- including the way the boys were bound, and timing possibly influenced by setting, proximity to a pagan holiday and celestial events -- furthered suggested occultism as an impetus for the killings. Local officers were familiar with Echols as a dangerous, mentally ill teenager immersed in witchcraft. Among the many tips coming into police were reports that Echols had been seen near the crime scene that night and that he was heavily involved in a cult. A series of police interviews with an all-too-knowing Echols did nothing but deepen suspicions. Echols failed a lie detector test, thereafter refusing to talk. Police heard that Echols had been telling friends about his involvement in the murders. Vicki Hutcheson, an acquaintance of Misskelley, decided to "play detective." Soon police brought in Misskelley for routine questioning. After he, too, failed a lie detector test, he gave the first of a number of confessions. The case was solved, but the questions continue.

Genres: True Crime

Audible Audio

Published March 6, 2024

Reviews

[Joey R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 stars—“Where the Monsters Go—The Case Against The West Memphis 3 Killers” —Volume 2 by Gary Meece is the second book in the 2 part series where the author takes the position that the West Memphis 3 were actually guilty as charged of the murders of three young boys. Book 1 was a very detailed account of the large amount of evidence that the national media ignored which pointed to the West Memphis 3 as the killers in this case. Book 2 continues with even more evidence of the defendants’ guilt. The book begins with detailed accounts and transcripts of multiple confessions made by Jessie Miskelly, one of the West Memphis 3. These were made after he was convicted to multiple individuals, including his own attorneys. They are very detailed accounts of what he and the co-defendants did to the three boys and is by far the most compelling evidence against them. It removed any doubt that I had that the authorities arrested the wrong people for the horrific crimes perpetrated against the three murdered boys. Most of the remainder of the book was the author’s detailed (and very boring) attempt to show that the alibi witnesses each of the WM3 presented were unreliable. He is able to do this but it is so detailed and long, it is very difficult to follow and not written in an organized manner. For those that are interested in this case, this book is a must read just for the confessions alone. Unfortunately, they will leave you with the belief that 3 dangerous criminals are now roaming the streets after committing 3 of the most gruesome, horrible child murders of our time.

[Sandy Priester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood on Black: The Case Against the West Memphis 3, Volume I
and
Where The Monsters Go: The Case Against the West Memphis 3 Killers, Volume II

This two volume study is the most thorough and definitive case study of this crime in book form.
Numerous books have been written about the murder of three 8 year old boys in West Memphis, TN in 1993

Gary Meece had the opportunity to draw upon all of the accumulated knowledge available at this time
and he was able to make a thorough and logical analysis of this puzzling case.

The pronouncements of celebrities who have inserted themselves into the drama surrounding this case served
to mislead a portion of the public into believing three innocent teenagers were unjustly convicted of the child murders.
Four documentaries about this case with selective editing have garnered great sympathy for the convicted killers.
Now they are out of prison and have taken advantage of their infamy to continue to weave tall tales that paint them as
the victims in this case.

If you are interested in finding out the facts, presented in a very readable and intriguing manner, I highly recommend this two volume set.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ignorance and Bias

This is a disgusting OPINION... ignorance and bias about the case is evident in the first 2 pages. Innocent innocent innocent... anyone reading the actual transcripts, police reports and case info knows this

[Sandy Priester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood on Black: The Case Against the West Memphis 3, Volume I
and
Where The Monsters Go: The Case Against the West Memphis 3 Killers, Volume II

This two volume study is the most thorough and definitive case study of this crime in book form.
Numerous books have been written about the murder of three 8 year old boys in West Memphis, TN in 1993

Gary Meece had the opportunity to draw upon all of the accumulated knowledge available at this time
and he was able to make a thorough and logical analysis of this puzzling case.

The pronouncements of celebrities who have inserted themselves into the drama surrounding this case served
to mislead a portion of the public into believing three innocent teenagers were unjustly convicted of the child murders.
Four documentaries about this case with selective editing have garnered great sympathy for the convicted killers.
Now they are out of prison and have taken advantage of their infamy to continue to weave tall tales that paint them as
the victims in this case.

If you are interested in finding out the facts, presented in a very readable and intriguing manner, I highly recommend this two volume set.

[John McNally · Rating 3 out of 5]

book and its predecessor deal strictly with the evidence and eyewitness accounts which tear apart the common fallacies that the wm3 were imprisoned by a kangaroo court in the grip of satanic panic and happy to blame three outcast kids who dressed in black and listened to heavy metal.
Instead we are informed of the highly disturbed mental state of Damien Echols, his controlling relationship over Jason Baldwin, his interest in the occult, animal torture, violence and threats. The Web of contradictions and lies that surround the alibis (or lack thereof) their behaviour before and after the murders and the confessions they themselves made about the crime.
Forget the ridiculous bias and fairytales told in the 'Paradise lost' documentaries and instead use these meticulously researched books as a starting point to go down the WM3 rabbithole. It won't leave you in any doubt who the guilty parties are.

[ForenSeek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether you believe the "West Memphis Three" are guilty or not, this book is essential reading for everyone with an interest in the "Child Murders of Robin Hood Hills". The idea that the three guys were arrested simply because they were into metal and wore dark clothing is simply not true, as this book shows. Damien Echols especially comes across as a manipulative, sociopathic creep, the kind of dude I would have arrested, too, if I was a cop in West Memphis in the early 90s. "Blood on Black" is very detailed, so I wouldn't recommend this book to newbies, but to more, let's say, advanced students of the case this is a must - especially to those who believe the Paradise Lost film trilogy says all there is to be said about guilt and innocence in the case.

[Lexi Sølvhammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read that gives the reader a different perspective than the series Paradise Lost.