My name is Angela Gail Grinell, I am Jason Baldwin’s mother. Jason’s
biological father is Charles Larry Baldwin. We were divorced and I later married
Terry Ray Grinell when Jason was about four. (BMHR 2223).
Jason is my oldest child. The next is Larry Matthew, and my third son is
Terry Grinell. Terry Grinell passed away.
In 1993 we were living at the Lakeshore Trailer Park. That is located
between West Memphis and Marion. (BMHR 2224). My three boys lived with
me. Terry Grinell was living in the house off and on. On May 5 and 6, 1993, my
three boys and I were living in our trailer, as was Dennis Dent. (BMHR 2225-6).
He was around at that time, though I later asked him to leave.
Jason was 16 at the time. He was going to Marion High School. He would
ride the bus to school, as would my second son Matthew. Jason and Matthew rode
the same bus. Terry was between 8 and 9 and would have gone to elementary
school. (BMHR 2227-8).
Jason was not the kind of kid who skipped school.
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When he was not at school he would play Nintendo. He liked to go fishing.
He had a TV in his room. We had a VCR. At the time Jason was really small,
barely my height. He was not the kind of kid who would get into fights or pick on
people.
I knew of nothing that would have indicated that my son was involved or
interested in witchcraft or satanism. (BMHR 2229).
Jason did not have a car at the time. I was trying to get him one, but he did
not have one.
At the time I was working in Memphis at a business called Customized
Transportation, Inc. I had been working there for a number of years. It was a
trucking company. (BMHR 2230-31).
I would always call my boys from work.
In 1993, I was working between 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. It would usually take
me about 30 minutes to get home. May 5 and 6 of 1993 were in the middle of the
week. My boys would usually get home from school after I had left to go to work.
I would check in with them by phone. (BMHR 2232-33). I would call and talk to
my kids and ask them how they were doing.
When I got home I would check on my kids. I normally left dinner for them
and all they had to do was heat it up in the microwave. Jason’s job was to make
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sure that the younger ones got fed. The boys were always in bed when I got home.
(BMHR 2234-35).
After I got home, I would prepare myself some dinner and watch TV for a
while. It would take me a while to wind down from work. I would usually fall
asleep on the couch at about 3 or 4 in the morning. (BMHR 2235-36). I did have
another place to sleep, but I would fall asleep on the couch two to three days a
week.
Jason would get up at 6 to 6:30 in the morning. He had to be at school by 8.
He would help his younger brothers get ready. (BMHR 2236-37).
We had some heavy construction plastic that had been stapled over our
windows, so the only way to get in and out of the trailer was through the doors.
Jason would not go anywhere. He did not go out at night. For them to do that,
they would have to sneak by me after I came home from work. (BMHR 2239).
I remember the day they found those three boys dead. I know that Jason had
gone to school on May 5 of 1993, the day before, because I got his school records.
The police had told me that if I got his school records they would let him go. He
was a punctual student. He did not miss school. I remember I went to the
principal’s office and I said I needed my son’s school records. (BMHR 2240-41).
Jason was arrested one night and I went the next day. I went back to the
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school the day after he was arrested. (BMHR 2242-43).
The records show that Jason was in school on May 6, 1993 as well. I
remember I called the Chief of Police the night of the arrest and he’s the one who
told me that if I brought Jason’s school records they would let him go. (BMHR
2243-44). I talked to the officer and I brought him the school records.
After they didn’t let him go, I tried to find out where Jason had been those
days. I talked to my uncle, and my uncle said that Jason had come over and
mowed his lawn in West Memphis. My uncle’s name was Hubert. Jason had also
gone to Walmart and played some video games. My uncle’s name is Hubert
Bartoush. Also, he had been with Ken Watkins, I think, playing video games.
(BMHR 2245-46).
I had also talked to Dennis Dent, who said that Jason was home on the night
of May 5, 1993. I remember that I had called home that night and I confirmed that
he was at home. I do not remember exactly whether I talked to him or not.
(BMHR 2245-46).
I never found any bloody clothing at my house. (BMHR 2247).
Jason did not change after the killings. I remember that we were worried
after those children died. We were all hoping that someone would be caught. I
never dreamed that they would arrest Jason for this crime. Before he was arrested,
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I had told him to watch his younger brothers because nobody knew who had done
it. (BMHR 2248).
I had no reason to suspect that Jason was involved. He said he didn’t know
anything about it. He did not even know the people who were killed.
Jason, Damien, and Jessie were not all friends. At one point they had been
friends, but at some point there had been some problems with t-shirts, and then
Jessie had tried to steal a necklace of Jason’s. In May of 1993, Jessie was not one
of Jason’s friends. He didn’t come by to our house, except once right before the
murders he came to our house and said he had just come back from California.
(BMHR 2250-51). Jason and Damien did hang out together.
When Jason got arrested, I did give the police the information about my son
being in school. I remember that the night he was arrested he had gone to spend
the night at Damien’s house.
I also told the police about Jason playing video games at Walmart, and about
his being at my uncle’s place. (BMHR 2253).
I also told them about Jason baby-sitting for his younger brothers. (BMHR
2254).
After Jason was appointed lawyers I did meet with Paul Ford a lot of times.
I did not meet with Robin Wadley much. I told them about Uncle Hubert and the
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mowing of the lawn. Hubert gave them a statement. I also think I told them about
Jason playing video games. I gave them names of witnesses. I also talked to them
about my calling the house. I told them exactly what happened that night. (BMHR
2256-57).
I was never called as a witness in the case. I have no idea what was
presented in my son’s trial, I was never allowed in the courtroom. (BMHR 2259).
This whole event placed a lot of stress on me. It caused me emotional
problems. I ended up losing my job, and I had a lot of distress and anxiety. I
needed medication, and I had to go to the hospital. But at the time of Jason’s arrest
I had a good job and I was a very good employee, and then things fell apart. It was
so traumatizing for me to see my son like that. (BMHR 2262).
CROSS EXAMINATION BY KENT HOLT
I did meet with my son’s lawyers. I told them what I knew about the
situation. I told them about my son’s whereabouts as far as I knew them.
[Testimony of Angela Gail Grinell ends at BMHR 2264].
