(Marion, AR) At a hearing held today regarding evidence in the West Memphis 3 murders, the names of several new possible suspects were released by attorneys for the mother of one of the victims.
Several documents were handed out naming new possible suspects in the 1993 murders of three 8-year-old boys.
One of those named is Terry Hobbs, her ex-husband and the stepfather of victim Stevie Branch.
Also on the lists David Jacoby, LG Hollingsworth and Buddy Lucas.
A witness says several years after the killings, Buddy Lucas admitted he and the three others took part in the murders.
The paperwork says Hobbs and Jacoby invited Lucas and Hollingsworth, who were teens at the time to go with them and get high.
It says the four were drinking and smoking pot when Hobbs saw several kids spying on them.
The affidavit claims Jacoby grabbed one of the children and beat him severely while Hobbs ordered Lucas and Hollingsworth to grab and hold the other two boys.
The witness says Lucas told him Hobbs killed the boys with a pocket knife and mutilated their bodies.
Lucas, who is described as being mentally ‘slow,’ was reportedly sent away from the area for several years immediately after the incident.
The witness states once he learned what happened he contacted the West Memphis police but no one returned his call.
Judge Victor Hill is hearing from parents of the three victims who want access to evidence in the murders of Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers in 1994.
Pam Hicks, the mother of Stevie Branch, wants to examine some of the items that belonged to her son and were found at the murder scene.
Hicks previously told us, “I do want to know that it has not been contaminated if they need it, if something [were] to come out of this,” said Hicks. “I definitely don’t want to touch it. I just want to have a peace of mind and ease of knowing that they still have it.”
Police Chief Donald Oakes says they still have it, all of it, and most of it is sealed.
Oakes said Hicks requested to see all of the evidence.
He said they probably could have let her see some of it, had the prosecution and the defense agreed, but giving anyone access to the evidence outside of forensic testing could compromise a future prosecution if there ever were one.
Last year, all three men in the case, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin were released when they made a deal with prosecutors where they maintained their evidence but plead guilty.
Pam Hicks has publicly said she no longer thinks the WM3 are guilty and was glad they were freed.
Learn more about this case: http://digital-stage.wreg.com/tag/damien-echols/
