ON 060393 OFFICER RIDGE HAD OCCASION TO BE PRESENT IN AN INTERVIEW OF JESSIE MISSKELLEY JR. IN THE WEST MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT. IT HAD BEEN LEARNED THROUGH PREVIOUS INTERVIEWS THAT JESSIE HAD BEEN A FRIEND TO DAMIEN ECHOLS AND JASON BALDWIN WHO WERE CONSIDERED SUSPECTS IN THE ABOVE NOTED CASE. IT HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY DISCOVERED THAT JESSIE, DAMIEN, AND JASON WERE MEMBERS OF A CULT LIKE GROUP OF YOUNGSTERS WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD MEETINGS IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN THE STATE.
DETECTIVE SGT. MIKE ALLEN HAD ASKED JESSIE MISSKELLEY SR. IF IT WERE POSSIBLE FOR HIM TO TALK TO JESSIE JR. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT JESSIE SR. WENT AND PICKED JESSIE JR. UP AT WHICH TIME HE TURNED HIM OVER TO DETECTIVE SGT. MIKE ALLEN AT APPROXIMATELY 9:45 A.M. ON 060393.
DETECTIVE SGT. ALLEN BEGAN THE INTERVIEW WITH MISSKELLEY JR. AND THE STANDARD QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS NAME, BIRTH DATE, AND OTHER STATUS QUESTIONS CONTAINED ON A SUBJECT DESCRIPTION FORM WERE BEING ASKED AS I ENTERED THE ROOM WHERE THE INTERVIEW HAD BEGUN.
SGT. ALLEN WAS TAKING NOTES AS QUESTIONS WRE BEING ASKED ABOUT MISSKELLEY’S WHEREABOUT ON THE DATE THE VICTIMS WERE MURDERED. MISSKELLEY STATED THAT HE WAS WORKING THE WEEK THAT THE BOYS WERE KILLED AND THAT HE HAD BEEN AT WORK ON THE DAY THAT THEY WERE KILLED. HE FURTHER STATED THAT HE HAD GOTTEN OFF WORK THAT DAY AT APPROXIMATELY 5:00 PM AND THAT HE WENT HOME AFTER WORK WHERE HE STATED THAT HE STAYED AT HOME THE REST OF THE DAY. HE STATED THAT HE HAD NO FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOMICIDE. AS HE WAS MAKING THESE STATEMENTS HE WAS NERVOUS AND FAILED TO LOOK AT ME IN THE EYES AND HAD THE GESTURES THAT HE WAS BEING DECEPTIVE IN THE INTERVIEW.
JESSIE STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THAT DAMIEN HAD COMMITTED THE MURDERS WITH A FRIEND OF HIS BEING A PARTNER IN THE MURDERS. AGAIN HE WAS NERVOUS THROUGHOUT THE INTERVIEW FROM THIS POINT AND HE APPEARED TO BE WITH HOLDING INFORMATION. JESSIE STATED THAT HE KNEW THAT DAMIEN WAS SICK AND THAT HE BELIEVED THAT HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MURDERS. HE STATED THAT DAMIEN’S BEST FRIEND WAS JASON BALDWIN AND THAT HE KNEW THAT JASON WAS WITH DAMIEN ALL THE TIME. HE STATED THAT HE KNEW THAT DAMIEN HAD A GIRL FRIEND NAMED DOMINI WHO HE DID NOT KNOW THE LAST NAME OF AND DESCRIBED HER AS BEING A RED HAIRED, SKINNY, LIGHT COMPLEXIONED, AND LIVES IN LAKESHORE TRILER PARK NEAR JASON.
JESSIE STATED THAT HE HAD LAST SEEN DAMIEN ABOUT THREE WEEKS PRIOR TO THIS INTERVIEW AND THAT HE HAD NEVER TALKED TO HIM ABOUT THE MURDERS. HE THEN STATED THAT HE HAD SPENT THE NIGHT OF 060293 WITH A VICKI WHO HAS A SON NAMED AARON WHO LIVES IN
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THE HIGHLAND TRAILER PARK NEAR HIM. HE STATED THAT HE HAD INTRODUCED VICKI WHO IS A 34 YEAR OLD FEMALE WITH RED HAIR BECAUSE SHE HAD A PROWLER THE NIGHT BEFORE AND SHE WAS AFRAID FOR HER AND HER SON’S SAFETY. JESSIE THEN STATED THAT HE HAD TALKED TO DAMIEN AND HAD EVEN INTRODUCED HIM TO VICKI.
JESSIE HAD THEN STATED THAT HE HAD HEARD RUMORS THAT DAMIEN AND ROBERT BURCH HAD COMMITTED THE MURDERS. JESSIE AGAIN STATED THAT HE WAS CERTAIN THAT DAMIEN WAS CAPABLE OF COMMITTING THE MURDERS BUT THAT HE DID NOT KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT ROBERT BURCH.
AT THIS TIME I ASKED IF JESSIE WERE WILLING TO TAKE A POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION TO DETERMINE THE TRUTHFULNESS OF HIS STATEMENT AND HE STATED THAT HE HAD NEVER HAD A POLYGRAPH TEST BEFORE BUT THAT HE WOULD TAKE ON. MIKE ALLEN THEN BEGAN TO GET THE INFORMATION TOGETHER FROM THE POLYGRAPH EXAMINER BILL DURHAM AS TO WHAT PERMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE OBTAINED TO PERFORM THE EXAMINATION. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT JESSIE MISSKELLEY SR. WOULD HAVE TO GIVE PERMISSION TO PERFORM THE TEST AND DETECTIVE SGT. MIKE ALLEN TOOK JESSIE JR. TO FIND HIS FATHER AND OBTAIN THE PERMISSION.
JESSIE WAS READ HIS RIGHTS ACCORDING TO THE MIRANDA RULE IN MY PRESENCE IN WHICH HE STATED THAT HE UNDER STOOD AND SIGNED AGGREEING TO MAKE THE STATEMENTS CONCERNING HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOMICIDES.
DETECTIVE SGT. ALLEN OBTAINED THE PERMISSION FROM JESSIE MISSKELLEY SR. ON N. MISSOURI STREET AT MCDONALD’S RESTAURANT AT ABOUT 10:30 AM ON 060393.
DETECTIVE BILL DURHAM BEGAN THE INTERVIEW OF JESSIE MISSKELLEY AT ABOUT 10:30 AM AND HE CONCLUDED HIS LAST TEST AT APPROXIMATELY 12:30 PM ON 060393. SHORTLY AFTER DETECTIVE DURHAM HAD COMPLETED HIS TESTING HE CAME OUT OF HIS OFFICE AND APPROIACHED DETECTIVE SGT. MIKE ALLEN AND INFORMED HIM THAT THE TEST HAD SHOWN THE JESSIE JR. WAS
BEING DECEPTIVE IN HIS RESPONSES ABOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE MURDERS, HIS PARTICIPATION IN THE MURDERS, AND ABOUT BEING IN THE AREA KNOWN A ROBIN HOOD HILLS AT THE TIME OF THE MURDERS.
WE THEN TOOK A FEW MINUTES TO DETERMINE WHO WOULD NOW BEGIN AN INTERROGATION. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT MYSELF AND INSPECTOR GITCHELL WOULD TAKE OVER THE INTERROGATION AT THIS POINT SINCE IT HAD BEEN FOUND THAT HE WAS BEING UNTRUTHFULL UP TO THIS POINT.
MYSELF AND INSPECTOR THEN BEGAN AN INTERVIEW OF JESSIE MISSKELLY AT ABOUT 1:30 PM. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT HE HAD RECEIVED PHONE CALLS FROM JASON BALDWIN SOMETIME ON THE MORNING OF THE HOMICIDES. THE CONVERSATION HAD BEEN ABOUT WHETHER JESSIE WAS GOING TO GO WITH DAMIEN AND JASON THAT EVENING OR NOT AND JESSIE STATED THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO GO
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WITH THEM AND THAT HE KNEW WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO.
JESSIE THEN STATED THAT HE HAD BEEN TO SEVERAL MEETING OF SATANIC WORSHIPPING WITH DAMIEN IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS IN THE STATE. ONE LOCATION WAS AN AREA THAT WAS BEHIND LAKESHORE IN THE FIELDS WEST OF THE TRAILER PARK AND ANOTHER LOCATION WAS IN THE ROBIN HOOD WOODS. WHEN ASKED TO DESCRIBE THE WOODS KNOWN AS ROBIN HOOD HE STATED THAT THE WOODS BEHIND THE BLUE BEACON TRUCK WASH WERE WHAT HE KNEW AS ROBIN HOOD AND THAT WAS WERE THE MURDERS HAD TAKEN PPLACE AT THE LOCATION AND HE STATED THAT HE HAD BEEN TOLD THAT INFORMATION.
JESSIE WAS ASKED IF HE KNEW ANY OF THE BOYS AND HE STATED THAT HE DID NOT BUT THAT HE HAD SEEN PICTURES OF THE BOYS. HE STATED THAT AT ONE OF THE MEETINGS THAT HE HAD SEEN A PHOTOGRAPH, A POLAROID, OF THE THREE BOYS IN A BRIEF CASE THAT ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS HAD BROUGHT TO THE MEETING. HE STATED THAT ALSO IN THE BRIEFCASE WAS DRUGS AND A GUN THAT WERE BEING USED IN THE MEETINGS. HE STATED THAT THE DRUGS WERE COCAINE AND MARIJUANNA. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE PICTURE WAS OF THE THREE BOYS STANDING IN A YARD NEAR A HOUSE BUT THAT HE DIDN’T KNOW WHERE THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN. JESSIE STATED THAT DAMIEN WAS THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE PICTURE BUT WOULD NOT SAY HOW HE KNEW THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN BY DAMIEN.
JESSIE JR. THEN STATED THAT HE HAD RECEIVED A CALL FROM JASON BALDWIN AND THAT HE A DAMIEN WERE TOGETHER BECAUSE HE HEARD DAMIEN IN THE BACK GROUND OF THE CONVERSATION. THE CALL WAS THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO “IT” AND WHEN JESSIE STATED THAT HE HAD TO WORK DAMIEN HAD SPOKEN UP IN THE BACKGROUND SAYING THAT THEY GOING TO GET SOME GIRLS TOO AND THAT JESSIE NEEDED TO COME ALONG. JESSIE STATED THAT HE MADE AN EXCUSE THAT HE HAD TO WORK AND HUNG UP THE PHONE WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING ELSE. JESSIE STATED THAT LATER THAT NIGHT HE HAD RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM JASON STATING THAT THE HAD DONE IT. JESSIE STATED THAT HER HEARD DAMIEN IN THE BACK GROUND AND THAT DAMIEN HAD SAID “WE DID IT. WE DID IT. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO IF SOMEBODY SAW US.” JESSIE STATED THAT HE THEN KNEW THAT DAMIEN AND JESSIE HAD KILLED THE BOYS THAT DAMIEN HAD BEEN STALKING.
JASON STATED THAT WEDNESDAY WAS A SPECIAL DAY FOR THE RITUAL OF THE SATANIC CULT HE WAS IN AND THAT WAS THE DAY THAT THE BOYS WERE KILLED AND THAT THE KILLING HAD TO DO WITH THE SATANIC WORSHIPPING.
AS THE INTERROGATION PROGRESSED WE WERE GOING BACK TO PARTS OF HIS STORY AND ASKING HIM TO RELAY WHAT WAS BEING SAID BY DAMIEN AND JESSIE DURING THE PHONE CALLS AND WHAT TIME THE CALLS TOOK PLACE. HE THEN STATED THAT THE CALL FORM JASON IN WHICH HE HEARD DAMIEN TALKING ABOUT WHAT THEY HAD DONE WAS AT ABOUT 9:30 PM OR LATE IN THE EVENING AFTER THAT.
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DURING THE CONVERSATION I STILL FELT THAT JESSIE JR. WAS NOT BEING COMPLETELY TRUTHFULL ABOUT WHAT HAD BEEN SAID DURING THE CONVERSATIONS ON THE PHONE AND HIS TIMES ABOUT WHEN HE HAD GOTTEN OFF WORK ON THE DAY OF THE MURDERS. WHEN ASKED AGAIN ABOUT THOSE TIMES HE STATED THAT HE DIDN’T HAVE A WATCH ON AND THAT HE WASN’T SURE ABOUT THE CALL TIMES OR OF WHAT TIME HE HAD GOTTEN OFF WORK. HOWEVER HE WAS SURE THAT THE PHONE CALL HE HAD GOTTEN FROM JASON WITH DAMIEN IN THE BACKGROUND HAD BEEN AFTER DARK ON THE NIGHT AFTER THE MURDERS.
I ASKED IF HE WERE WILLING TO TAKE A POLYGRAPH ABOUT THE STATEMENT HE HAD JUST GAVE HE STATED THAT HE NEEDED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT HE HAD TOLD.
JESSIE TOLD OF ON ONE OCCASION HE HAD GONE TO THE SCENE OF THE MURDERS AND SAT DOWN ON THE GROUND AND CRIED ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THE BOYS. HE HAD TEARS IN HIS EYES AT THIS TIME TELLING ABOUT THE INCIDENT. I FELT THAT THIS WAS A REMORSEFUL RESPONSE ABOUT THE OCCURRENCE AND THAT HE HAD MORE INFORMATION THAN WHAT HE HAD REVEALED UP TO THIS POINT.
AT ABOUT 2:20 PM JESSIE TOLD INSPECTOR GITCHELL THAT HE WAS PRESENT AT THE TIME OF THE MURDERS AND BEGAN CRYING ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED. JESSIE SEEMED TO BE SORRY FOR WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND TOLD THAT HE HAD BEEN THERE WHEN THE BOYS WERE FIRST COMING INTO THE WOODS AND WERE CALLED BY DAMIEN TO COME OVER TO WHERE THEY WERE.
AT THIS TIME MYSELF AND INSPECTOR GITCHELL GAVE JESSIE SOME TIME TO COMPOSE HIMSELF AND FOR ME TO COMPOSE MYSELF DUE TO THE EMOTIONAL SITUATION THAT HAD JUST BEGAN. WE THEN PREPARED FOR THE INTERROGATION TO BE TAPED DUE TO THIS BEING THE FIRST INDICATION THAT JESSIE HAD ACTUALLY TAKEN A PART IN THE MURDERS AND WAS PRESENT IN THE WOODS AT THE TIME. JESSIE WAS ASKED IF HE WANTED ANYTHING TO EAT OR DRINK WHEN HE REGAINED HIS COMPOSURE AND HE REFUSED STATED THAT HE DIDN’T WANT ANYTHING.
A TAPE RECORDER WAS SET UP IN THE OFFICE AND IT WAS EXPLAINED THAT THE REST OF THE INTERROGATION WOULD BE TAPED FOR RECORDS AND JESSIE JR. STATED THAT HE HAD NO PROBLEM WITH THAT PROCEDURE. A TAPED INTERROGATION WAS THEN STARTED WITH THE BEGINNING AT 2:44 PM IN WHICH JESSIE’S RIGHTS WERE READ TO HIM AND HE ACKNOWLEDGED HE UNDERSTOOD AND SIGNED THE RIGHTS FORM BEFORE THE INTERROGATION HAD BEGAN.
JESSIE JR. DURING THE COURSE OF THE INTERVIEW GAVE SPECIFIC INFORMATION THAT ONLY A PERSON WITH FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE COULD HAVE HAD. JESSIE MISSKELLEY JR. STATED THAT HE DID TAKE PART IN THE APPREHENSION OF THE VICTIMS AND THAT HE WAS AN EYE WITNESS TO THE MURDERS OF THE VICTIMS BY JASON BALDWIN AND DAMIEN ECHOLS.
