Abomination: Devil Worship and Deception in the West Memphis Three Murders
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NARLENE: Ricky Hollingsworth, and he sure is scary, he’s scared somebody is going to kill him.
DABBS: What are his working hours?
NARLENE: Uh, from 7 in the morning to 6 in the evening, cause he gets home around 7, he gets off at 6 o’clock.
DABBS: Okay.
HESTER: Is there anything else?
DABBS: Is there anything else you need to tell us while we are writing all of this?
NARLENE: Well, only one thing, the day I run into L. G. the day at the police department, he begged me to go in there and sit down with his mother and I said, I can’t do that. He said that I wasn’t ain’t no laundry mat Wednesday night, I said, yes you was, he said, no I wasn’t, go and there and tell them that I wasn’t, I said, no I won’t, I said, cause you was up there at that laundry mat, he said, naw I wasn’t, I said, yes you was, cause Ricky Hollingsworth said that I had just missed you. I said, you better stop lying or they are going to get you for murdering these children, and they are going to want to know why[to know why] you lie, he’s said, alright, I was there, I said, I know you was. And I don’t know why.
DABBS: And that was Thursday.
NARLENE: And that was today.
DABBS: Today.
NARLENE: I went there to pay my husband’s fine of $25.00 that he got in trouble, and he got a DUI, I think.
DABBS: But, that was today.
NARLENE: Today I went down there to pay on his fine, L. G. come running out of the building where the police department, he said you go in there and tell them that you are mommy and I said, no, I won’t. I said where is your mother and he said, I don’t know but she won’t come up here with me, I said, well, I said, they will ask you some questions and you answer them, I said, they will let you go. And then if you start telling a bunch of lies and they catch you in them, he said, well uh, I wasn’t over there in that area that day, I said, yes you was L. G, and then he said, I was, I said, I know you was.
NARLENE: He said, if you start saying that about Damien, you’re going to get in trouble, I said, well, the mommy is up there saying stating that he was, Damien was with her all the time. I said, well the mommy is a liar ain’t she. He said, you seen him coming down the street, I said, yes L. G. and I am not lying for him. I am not scared of that boy. He said, well don’t you put yourself in that kind of trouble well, I’m going to take care of L. G.
DABBS: Okay, alright is there anything else that you know that we may need?
NARLENE: The thing that is bothering me is them coming down the street with that box, they claim L. G. had and they didn’t want to open it,
DABBS: But you said smelled horrible?
NARLENE: The kid did, the...
DABBS: And what day was that on?
NARLENE: It was real late Thursday, it was late cause it was after the school kids had already got out of school.18
May, 11th, 1993
Frankie Knight
Investigative Report
Frankie Knight stated to police that Damien Echols could have done the murders and that he was “crazy” and “into black magic.”19
“STONEHENGE”
An abandoned cotton gin
After analyzing the police discussion with Damien Echols, West Memphis police detectives thought it necessary to contact and interview Deanna Holcomb, the girlfriend referenced in Echol’s interview the day before.
May 11th, 1993
Deanna Holcomb
Police Interview
She said she met with Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin at “Stonehenge.” Deanna confirmed that she and Damien discussed the murder of their firstborn child. She also informed Detective Ridge that people in the occult tell inquirers that the form of magic they are involved in is “White”, knowing that what they do is “Black” Magic. She said Damien would repeat this response. She claimed she was a black witch, and that it started off as a game for the power “and stuff.” She added that Damien was a skilled manipulator of people. According to Deanna, the group would frequent the woods to take drugs. Consistent with the practices of witchcraft, she said that the month of May and the full moon phases were important to the coven. New members would be stripped (“skyclad”) for the witching hours: between 10:00PM and 1:00PM. Damien, she said, liked to play in the sewers, considered them “his special place” and would enter them through a local manhole. He told her a year before that “he had never killed anyone, but he wanted to know what it would feel like.” She let police know that Echols used to own a knife with a defined, serrated ridge and carried it in his trench coat.20
Deanna Holcomb was given a polygraph test, and when asked whether she knew who killed the boys, deception was indicated as seen below:
After the test, in the polygraph report, she told Detective Bill Durham that she thought Damien Echols was involved in the murders.21
Police then decided to interview Pamela Hutcheson, Damien Echol’s biological mother. She arrived at the West Memphis Police Department to be interviewed by Detective Bryn Ridge.
May 12th, 1993
Pamela Hutcheson (Echols)
Police Interview
Interviewed by Bryn Ridge
The report indicates Pamela Hutcheson is 5’6”, 200 pounds in wieght. She was 34 at the time of the killings. No high school, no GED. She lived with her mother, daughter and, supposedly, Damien. After a few details, Ridge questions Mrs. Hutcheson about her son. There are some elements of deliberate confusion. She also provides important insights into her sons character and confirms his interest in witchcraft. In my opinion, the following information provided to West Memphis Police Department knowingly provides an alibi for her son and indicates deception.
Ridge: Uh, after Damien was at home, did you see Jason?
Hutchison: No. I did not.
Ridge: Alright, so it was just Damien and Domini that you picked up?
Hutchison: Right.
Ridge: Alexander's Laundry?
Hutchison: Right.
Ridge: Okay, and this is about 3:45?
Hutchison: Uh, uh.
Ridge: And you took her home?
Hutchison: And i took him home with me.
Ridge: You took him home with you? And about what time did you get home?
Hutchison: It was about ten [?] minutes after four, cause I just went straight to Lakeshore and out, and came right straight home.
Ridge: Okay, what occurred next?
Hutchison: Uh, I can't remember exactly the times, but i think Wednesday, uh, some Detectives came out to the house and picked Damien up and brought, no, they talked to him at the house. There was...
Ridge: Wednesday?
Hutchison: Uh, uh, which, is it, Steve Jones came to my trailer. And another Detective came out, and they took pictures of Damien, standing outside the trailer, they went in his bedroom, well it's his sister's bedroom.
Ridge: I'm confused, cause at this point on Wednesday, nobody had reason to be looking for anyone.
Hutchison: They, uh, two officers, naw it was Thursday, you're right.
Ridge: Wednesday it was, we need to iron down Thursday, we are going to go through Thursday.
Hutchison: I had picked him up at the laundry mat and I carried Domini home and i carried Damien home with me.
Ridge: And you stayed home the rest of the day?
Hutchison: Um, um.
Ridge: Alright, he mentioned that you went to a Mr. Sanders house?
Hutchison: Right.
Ridge: Alright, when did that occur?
Hutchison: Um, I would say about 6:30 or 6:00 Wednesday night, Wednesday afternoon.
Ridge: That's when you went to that house?
Hutchison: Um, um.
Ridge: And about what time did you return?
Hutchison: Somewhere about an hour, if that long, uh, no longer than an hour, because she wasn't home. Her and her husband wasn't home, her daughter was there and we went in and sat down and talked to her for a minute.
Ridge: Okay, where did you go from the
re?
Hutchison: Home.
Ridge: Was Damien with you?
Hutchison: Yes.
Ridge: When you got home?
Hutchison: Yes, he was.
Ridge: Did he go anywhere else?
Hutchison: No.
Ridge: Did you go anywhere?
Hutchison: No.
Ridge: Did anybody come and visit?
Hutchison: No.
Ridge: Any phone calls?
Hutchison: Uh, yeah, there was a phone call from Damien's grandmother, uh, he answered the phone and then I talked to her. Uh, he talked to a girl that lives at Bartlett, I don't know what her name is, Jennifer is all I know, and he talked to Domini.
Ridge: About what time was the call from the grandmother?
Hutchison: Uh, i don't know, cause i had so...
Ridge: Is this the order basically, call from the grandmother, call.
Hutchison: Call from Jennifer and then a call from Domini, yeah.
Ridge: The call from Domini, I take it was later on in the evening?
Hutchison: Right.
Ridge: Well after dark?
Hutchison: Yes.
Ridge: And, about what time did you go to bed that night?
Hutchison: Gosh, I would say it was around 12 I guess.
Ridge: Was Damien in bed or...
Hutchison: Yes, he was in bed.
Ridge: And he didn't leave at all from the time you left the Sanders house until you went to bed.
Hutchison: No, he didn't.
Ridge: Uh.
Sudbury: Let me try and understand this, did he go with you to Susan's?
Hutchison: Yes, he did.
Sudbury: Did your daughter go also?
Hutchison: Yes, she did, and my husband...
Detective Ridge then turns the conversation to Damien’s religious beliefs and practices:
Ridge: As for time periods or whatever, we pretty well went over that, you know, pretty well have a response for those periods of times. As far as attitudes, uh, do you understand or are you aware of Damien being in a white magic group?
Hutchison: Yes, I am.
Ridge: Okay, how do you feel about that?
Hutchison: Uh, I am not real fond of it, but as long as, I don't see that he's hurting anybody, and he's keeps it mostly to himself, I don't have a problem with it.
Ridge: Okay.
Hutchison: Everyone has the right to practice religion.
Ridge: Yes, i agree.
Sudbury: That's his religion?
Hutchison: Yes, I do, that's his religion.
Sudbury: Do you encourage him with that or you just don't have a opinion?
Hutchison: Uh, I have an opinion, but I try to understand the way he feels.
Ridge: What is your religion?
Hutchison: Baptist.
Ridge: Baptist, alright, and as for as your religion...
Ridge: (con't) have you tried to get him to understand your religion?
Hutchison: Yes, I have, he was raised in church.
Ridge: Ykay, has he attempted to get you to understanding his religion?
Hutchison: Yes, he has.
Ridge: And, in the explaining of this, I understand from other people that he may have animal skulls or something symbolism in this?
Hutchison: This animal skulls that he had, when I lived at Lakeshore, was just a skull that had been found laying on the side of the road. It had been there for I don't know how long, and he picked it up.
Sudbury: Not that you're aware of, is there a special celebration days, a special times of the year that...
Hutchison: Not that i know of.
Sudbury: Do you go to church regularly now?
Hutchison: No, i don't.
Ridge: The group, I say that loosely, because I don't know that Damien is a member of a group, but if there is a group, of this white magic or whatever the name is meka,
Hutchison: No, wicker [Wicca]
Ridge: Wicker, okay i'm sorry, who does that group consist of.
Hutchison: I have no idea.
Ridge: You've never met any of them?
Hutchison: No, I haven't.
Ridge: meka. [Wicca]
Hutchison: Not, that I know are wickers [Wicca], I know most of Damien's friends, but who I could say is...
Ridge: Or is not.
Hutchison: Or is not, i can't. I have no idea.
Ridge: Who are some of his friends?
Hutchison: Uh, Jason, like I said, is his closest friend, uh, a young man by the name of Murray (Murray Farris), that I don't really know, I never invited him inside of my house, and somebody by the name of Chris, and I don't know who he is either.
Ridge: Okay.
Hutchison: And, that's basically Damien more or less keeps to himself, other than Jason. He doesn't have a lot of friends, he leans toward girls, as for as being friends.
Ridge: Okay, basically if he to profile his personality, do you understand the term introverted or extraverted?
Hutchison: Uh, I've heard it, but I don't know what it means.
Ridge: Introvert would be more or less that he's a home body, he's a person within himself, he maybe deep in self thought, uh, wants to take care of himself, wants to do things for himself, where extraverted person would think of other people and would like to get out and communicate and take part in activities.
Hutchison: He's most to himself, he would be the more introverted.
Ridge: So, he would be the more introverted person?
Hutchison: Right.
Ridge: What would you consider his I.Q. to be. Normal, above, below normal?
Hutchison: It's very much above normal.
Ridge: Okay, he dropped out of school, was there a reason?
Hutchison: He could not stay interested in school.
Ridge: His attention span was very short?
Hutchison: Right, and he couldn't stay interested.
Sudbury: Unless it really interested him?
Hutchison: Yes, uh, and it would go according to the teachers that took up time with him and they would have to interest him, just depends on the way they...
Sudbury: Did he have any particular hobbies or sports?
Hutchison: He doesn't have any sports, he loves to read.
Ridge: What was his best class?
Hutchison: Uh, the last year he was there.
Ridge: Math, English, History?
Hutchison: I can't remember what the subject was. I could not remember the teacher, but I don't remember what the subject was.
Sudbury: You mentioned earlier or something about, he was suicidal. Do you know what brought that on or what he considers himself what to be?
Hutchison: Uh, it's lot better now. I feel like, than what it use to be. Uh, at one time about a year ago, it didn't make him any difference that he was dead or alive.
Sudbury: Do you know what brought that on?
Hutchison: I feel like because he had been through so much. I think he had been through more physical abuse with his stepfather that what I realized he was going through.
Ridge: Physical abuse?
Hutchison: Uh, well, it's mental, they call it mental abuse. But to me, like I said, whenever he trips over a phone cord, and he would jump off the couch like he was going to reach and hit him, I felt like, had I not been there, it would have resulted.
Ridge: The apprehension of being beat up.
Hutchison: Right.
Ridge: Even though it may been.
Hutchison: Right.
Ridge: Okay, the other day, I know, I'm aware that you became upset when we had Damien in here. On the polygraph examination?
Hutchison: Yes I was very upset.
Ridge: Okay, you, were you made aware of the fact that he failed the polygraph examination?
Hutchison: Yes, I was, I was not notified that he was being taken to the hospital for samples.
Ridge: Okay.
Hutchison: My son was kept here from approximately 11:30 that morning until a
fter 7 that afternoon when we left here he did not receive a bite of food.