Abomination: Devil Worship and Deception in the West Memphis Three Murders
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Ridge: Okay, alright the point I've tried to make is that Damien is 18 years old. He considers himself to be a man okay, and he was asking to speak to you after we did the hospital examination, the test.
Hutchison: Right.
Ridge: Alright, do you fell that maybe as a mother you may be, do you feel like there's anyway that you may be projecting yourself as too much of a mother at this point in his life?
Hutchison: No, I don't. I think he needs me right now, very much.
Ridge: That's what I'm trying to get to.
Hutchison: And I don't as far as dominating him, and telling him you can or can not do this or that, I don't but he has enough respect for me.
Ridge: I'm not saying he doesn't respect you, because I know he does.
Hutchison: But he'll ask me even while his 18 years old mama can I do this?
Sudbury: Legally because he's 18 years old. Do you feel like he needs your protection?
Hutchison: Uh.
Sudbury: Not that is really matters per se, I don't mean you have.
Hutchison: To a certain extent I feel like he does.
Ridge: We are aware that Domini is with child?
Hutchison: Yes.
Ridge: Alright, how has that stress on, I'm sure there is not no one that there's not a stress for, knowing that a child is coming. How is that stress come out in Damien?
Hutchison: Um, the only thing Damien ever says about it is that he is kinda scared.
Ridge: He's scared. What are his plans to take care of the child?
Hutchison: Um, I think he is more or less counting on me to help him take care of that child.
Ridge: Okay, and you are planning to this?
Hutchison: Yes, I will.
Pamela Hutchison talks about some extraneous issues and then Detective Ridge asks a question about Deanna Holcomb:
Sudbury: Okay, are you aware there was, the name slips my mind, a girl your son dated before?
Hutchison: Deanna Holcomb.
Sudbury: Deanna, did your son ever make mention about he and she wanting to have a child?
Hutchison: Well yes he did, yes they did. They were in hopes she would get pregnant because the girl’s mother had forbidden Damien to see her and they thought if she got pregnant she couldn't keep him away.
Sudbury: Okay.
Ridge: Was that, I understand their split was that split a big conflict or was it sorta just she went her way and he went his way?
Hutchison: No, it was a big conflict, it was not between Damien and Deanna, but between her parents and Damien. They did not like him and they didn't want him around.
Sudbury: How did he accept that after. I understand they ran away together?
Hutchison: Yes, they did.
Sudbury: After that is when she put an end to the relationship, how did he accept that?
Hutchison: He was put in the hospital.
Sudbury: He was pretty upset about that?
Hutchison: Yes he was, at that point and time he didn't care if he lived.
Sudbury: Is that the only time he's been in the hospital?
Hutchison: No, he's been in the hospital 3 times I believe.
Sudbury: Now we are talking medical or...
Hutchison: No, mental at Charter, Maumelle at Little Rock. He has been there 2 or 3 times and was in also in St. Vincent's Hospital in Oregon.
Sudbury: Was that the first time he had been in that...was in Oregon?
Hutchison: Um, what do you mean?
Sudbury: In mental?
Ridge: The time is 11:07, uh, I understand that he has been in and out of the hospital. Has he ever been what you would try to be violent?
Hutchison: To himself.
Ridge: To himself, never outward?
Hutchison: m-m-m no, maybe verbally at the time we were in
Oregon, he was, but it was only an incident that happened between him and his Dad. It was a lot of screaming and hollering, but that was all that took place.
Ridge: Your attitude for being here today, do you resent being here?
Hutchison: Yes, I do.
Ridge: Do you mind telling us why?
Hutchison: I feel like, I feel we are under watch. Because my son has mental problems and I think that every which way he turns, somebody is going to blame him for anything that happens.
Ridge: Okay.
Sudbury: Are you talking about this particular incident or anything.
Hutchison: Anything in general, that happens in West Memphis. And I know, that Jerry Driver does not like him. Jerry Driver, when the incident with Deanna Holcomb took place, where Damien and Deanna had run off, Jerry Driver would not listen to anybody side but the Holcombs, and I just...
Sudbury: Do you personally feel that your son has nothing whatsoever to do with the death of these boys?
Hutchison: I know for a fact that he doesn't.
Sudbury: Okay, you feel very strong about that?
Hutchison: Yes, I do, and not just because he's my son, but because I know his whereabouts, and everybody else knows his whereabouts.
Sudbury: Do you feel like your son needs an attorney?
Hutchison: Um-m because of him being questioned repeatedly, yes I do. I notified him before I came down here.
Sudbury: You notified him, are you talking about before you came down here today?
Hutchison: Right, I called and notified my attorney and Damien's attorney.
Sudbury: Okay.
Ridge: Do you understand that you're not under arrest at all?
Hutchison: Right, I understand, I understand.
Ridge: We haven't forced you to come here. We asked you?
Hutchison: Right, I understand that.
Ridge: Okay, um, is there anything else that you want to add to this interview?
Hutchison: M-m.
Sudbury: Something that you think we need to know, that you want to tell us?
Ridge: Do you think that there is anything we should be checking into, that maybe we haven't checked?
Hutchison: I think that you should be checking on something other than these young teen age boys. I think these boys are, maybe a little mischievous or something like that, but as for as doing anything like murdering these boys, I don't think that there is any right.
Sudbury: I'm going to ask you something and it's not to anger or insult you, I've asked other women this question, and me too, uh, and i've gotten both yes and no responses, if you felt like your son, not necessarily had anything to do with this, but had some knowledge of it, or perhaps he had something to do with this, would you feel that you would lie for him?
Hutchison: No, I would not. Uh, he if knew anything about it, if I felt like he knew anything about it, I would suggest to him, that he tell.
Sudbury: Do you feel like the person that did this, would need some type of help, rather than to be just locked up?
Hutchison: Oh, yes. I don't actually know what happened, all I know...
Sudbury: It just rumors.
Hutchison: Right.
Sudbury: And I imagine that you've heard just about everything in the world?
Hutchison: Yes, I have, yes I have. But, uh, I think it's going to be some really sick person out there.
Ridge: I do too. Can I ask you your opinion, our polygraph examiner has expressed to him, that your son flunked the test, would you be willing to encourage Damien to take another polygraph by another examiner, would you allow that?
Hutchison: I would have to speak with his attorney and see what the attorney suggest.
Ridge: Okay.
Hutchison: Or recommend.
Ridge: We are making every effort to run down all and any alibis, uh where Damien was, the time periods and everything. Are you fairly certain of each of these time periods?
Hutchison: Yes.
Ridge: That you have given?
Hutchison: Particularly Wednesday.
Ridge: Particularly Wednesday, where I to inform you that the time period of when you picked him up at
Alexanders has been explained other, by other methods and other witnesses to say that, what time was between 7:30 and 8:00, are you steadfast that it happened at about 3:30?
Hutchison: That I picked him up about 3:30?
Ridge: Yes.
Hutchison: About fifteen till four.
Ridge: Alright, and so, these other people are in error when they say that it was closer to 7:30 or 8:00.
Hutchison: Most definitely, they don't know what they are talking about.
Ridge: Okay, so you are steadfast in your time?
Hutchison: Yes.
Ridge: Okay, alright at this point as for as I can tell I think that we are ready to conclude this interview.
Sudbury: Unless you have anything else to add?
Hutchison: M-m-m no.
Ridge: Okay, you are aware that this entire conversation was taped.
Hutchison: Yes.
Ridge: Alright, that is not problem with you?
Hutchison: No.
Sudbury: And you did talk your attorney before came here?
Hutchison: Yes, I did, well I did not speak with an attorney, he was in court, so I guess it was his secretary was notifying him that I was coming down here.
Ridge: Do you feel that you personally need an attorney?
Hutchison: Uh, no I don't feel personally that I need an attorney, as to represent me for anything, or as for as that goes to represent Damien for anything.
Ridge: Is there anything about our attitude made you feel like you're a suspect of anything?
Hutchison: No.
Ridge: Okay.
Sudbury: Do you feel comfortable talking with us this morning?
Hutchison: Yeah.
Sudbury: Do you feel threatened by us or anything?
Hutchison: No, I don't feel threatened and it makes me a little nervous that, like I'm suppose to remember Tuesday and the exact times, that bothers me a little bit, because I'm not one to remember time exactly, but I can come pretty close.
Ridge: okay, I appreciate that and understand what you're saying. I guess we are going to conclude this interview, the time is 11:14.22
May 13th, 1993
The next day, after the interrogation of Pamela Hutchison, the West Memphis Police Department received a call from attorney Michael Everett stating he represents both Damien Echols and his mother. He insisted in writing that his clients make no statements to police about the murders without legal representation.
May 17, 1993
Daniel Keith Baxter
Investigative Report
Baxter’s grandmother and legal guardian Bonnie Harvey was present for the police interview. Baxter said that he knows Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols. He also stated that he heard that Jason Baldwin and Murray Farris killed those boys. He denied any first hand knowledge.23
Additional teenagers came to the attention of police in connection to the murders. One was Murray Jay Ferris, a 250 pound teen who worked as a carnival barker and wore a pentagram medallion around his neck. He told police that Damien’s original girlfriend (Deanna Holcomb) was a black witch, and was the one who got him involved in the occult. Ferris took and passed a polygraph and his alibi for the night of the murders checked out. Police took his fingerprints and let him go. Bob Loomis, a sixteen year old who infrequently attended Jim Agee’s First Baptist Church came to the attention of police as being scared of something and that he might know who committed the murders.
May, 18th, 1993
Laura Maxwell
Handwritten Statement
Dated Damien Summer of 1991. He was a good person at that time. After we stopped dating my best friend Ashley Smith told me about Damien talking to her [???] we broke up. He told he used to be a knight in his past life that killed all these people and he has written some books on witchcraft. He told me that he liked to get raw steak meat and suck the blood out. This one boy told me one time Jason Baldwin busted his nose & blood was all over the ground so Damien got down on the ground & started licking the blood up. He used to say that if he was out walking or something & he got thirsty that he would just like to take a baseball ball bat & knock somebody out & take a bite out of their neck & drink their blood. I'm not sure if he ever did this, that's just what he told me. He never liked my brother. He told my friend he was going to kill him /// he had it all planned out what was going to happen. And he told my friend & I that if we told Donnie about this that he would kill us too, if that's what he had to do. And if our parents found out & they tried to get involved that he would just kill them too. He told my friend that he used to watch my house every night & he knew everything that happened in my house every night. He also told one of his friends that one night while I was asleep he snuck in my house & came in my room & did all this stuff to me. I'm not sure if any of thats true though. He used to always talk about how much he hated little kids & he used to always say this saying about cutting all of your fingers & toes off one by one. We still talked alot after we broke up but when school started he started going out with this other girl Deanna Holcomb. And when she broke up with him he went to her house & kept saying he was going to kill her if she didn't go back out with him. After a while that stopped seeing each other & he starting liking this girl named Dominique. (Domini Alia Teer) She's in 10th grade & lives in Lakeshore. Damien was living with her in her house. She's pregnant. I know he had a lot of family problems. His real Dad lives somewhere in California.24
May 20th, 1993
Tabitha Hollingsworth
Police Statement
DABBS: I am Det. C. Dabbs, of the West Memphis Police Department, taking a statement from Tabitha Hollingsworth. Todays date is 5/20/93, it is 3:26PM. Tabitha, I want you to tell me, a brief statement on what all occurred on Wednesday, 05/05/93.
TABITHA: Well, first that night, we were going to get my aunt from work, and L.G. seen Damien nem walking, walking back from over there by that place where them kids that got killed at.
DABBS: Robin Hood, Robin Hood Lane over there.
TABITHA: Yeah.
DABBS: Approximately where were they when you saw them.
TABITHA: They were coming down by Luv's, they right beside the place, cause they were walking back this way, walking back towards Luv's.
DABBS: Toward Luv's?
TABITHA: Yeah.
DABBS: On the Service Road or the shoulder?
TABITHA: On the, yeah.
DABBS: Okay, uh could you tell what they were wearing?
TABITHA: Well, Damien had, uh Dominic [Domini] had black pants on with holes in the knees, and she had on a long black shirt and he was wearing all black, he had black boots on black shirt, black pants on, and they were muddy.
DABBS: Okay, who were in the car with you that night?
TABITHA: Mommy, Anthony, me, Daddy, just our family.
Dabbs asks Tabitha a few questions about the general vicinity of where she was on May 5th, 1993, and then returns to who she saw that night:
DABBS: Okay, that would be west, did you notice anything about the way that they were dressed or anything, could you get a real view of them, there's no doubt that you saw them?
TABITHA: No doubt in my mind, I seen them, they were all muddy.
DABBS: They were all muddy?
TABITHA: Muddy.
DABBS: What about Damien?
TABITHA: I know him, she showed me him.
DABBS: She introduced you to him?
TABITHA: Yeah.
DABBS: Where at her house?
TABITHA: Yeah.
DABBS: Does he come over there a lot?
TABEHTA: Yeah, he just live right around behind us.
DABBS: Live right behind you, here?
TABITHA: Yeah.
DABBS: What do you think about Damien?
TABITHA: I think he's a devil worshiper, I don't like him.
DABBS: How do you know that he's a devil worshiper?
TABITHA: He makes signs on the street and all of that, and he' go back under the bridge and makes of th
e devil.
DABBS: Has he ever tried to talk you into joining with him?