having been first duly sworn to speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, then testified as follows:
DIRECT EXAMINATION
BY MR. FOGLEMAN:
Q: Will you please state your name and where you currently live?
A: Pam Hobbs. I’m staying in Blytheville, Arkansas.
Q: Who are you living there with?
A: I’m staying with my parents for now.
Q: Back in May of 1993, where were you living?
A: In West Memphis, 1601 South McCauley.
Q: What is your relationship to Steve Branch?
A: I’m his mother.
Q: How old is Steve?
A: He was eight.
Q: What grade was he?
(p. 695)
A: Second.
Q: Where did he go to school?
A: Weaver Elementary.
Q: Do you remember who his teacher was?
A: Miss Jones.
Q: On May 5th, 1993, do you know where you were that day?
A: Where I was?
Q: Uh-huh.
A: At home before I had to get ready to go to work.
Q: What time did you go to work?
A: I left for work at 4:50.
Q: And then you worked up into the night?
A: Until 9:25.
Q: Were you at work when you discovered that Steve was missing?
A: Uh-huh.
Q: I want you to if you can to take this marker and highlight on this State’s Exhibit Two the location of where you lived at that time.
A: (MARKING)
Q: You have highlighted an address with an arrow to the location?
A: Um-hum.
Q: Did Steve have a bicycle?
A: Yes, he did.
(p. 696)
Q: I want to direct your attention to what I have marked for identification as State’s Exhibit Four. Do you recognize that?
A: Yeah.
Q: Whose bike was that?
A: Stevie’s.
Q: How long had he had that?
A: About two weeks.
MR. FOGLEMAN: Offer State’s Exhibit Four.
THE COURT: Any objection?
MR. STIDHAM: No objection.
THE COURT: It may be received without objection.
(STATE’S EXHIBIT FOUR IS RECEIVED IN EVIDENCE)
BY MR. FOGLEMAN:
Q: I want to show you what I have marked for identification as State’s Exhibit Three and ask if you can identify that?
A: That’s my son, Stevie.
Q: Was that a fairly recent photograph?
A: His second grade picture.
MR. FOGLEMAN: Offer State’s Exhibit Three.
MR. STIDHAM: No objection, your Honor.
THE COURT: It may be received without objection.
(STATE’S EXHIBIT THREE IS RECEIVED IN EVIDENCE)
BY MR. FOGLEMAN:
Q: When was it that you first found that Stevie was missing?
A: At 9:25.
(p. 697)
Q: How did you discover that?
A: My husband come to pick me up from work and went and called the police.
Q: Did you make a report to the officer?
A: Um-hum.
CROSS EXAMINATION
BY MR. STIDHAM:
Q: What time did your son get home from school that day on May the 5th?
A: What time did he go to school?
Q: What time did he get home?
A: We got home around 2:55.
Q: Did you pick him up?
A: Yeah.
Q: Did he skip school that day?
A: No.
Q: He was at school the entire day?
A: Um-hum.
Q: Ma’am, there was a time when you were upset with the West Memphis Police Department. Isn’t that correct?
A: Sir?
Q: There was a time when you were upset with the police department?
A: Yes, I was.
Q: You also made a statement that you would be mad at them (p. 698) until the day you die because you were out there doing their job. Did you tell the Commercial Appeal those words?
A: I did make that statement at one time.
Q: Why did you feel that way?
A: I felt like they didn’t start searching when they should have.
Q: You felt like they had a slow response?
A: No, they showed response, but I wished they would have started earlier than what they did.
REDIRECT EXAMINATION
BY MR. FOGLEMAN:
Q: Were you in the courtroom when the opening statements were given?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: Were you aware prior to today and - - although I didn’t go into a lot of specifics about the injuries - - were you aware of what specific injuries the boys had had?
A: No.
Q: Nobody’s told you?
A: Uh-uh.
Q: Had you heard any information that was accurate as to what the boys had?
A: As to what now?
Q: Did you hear any rumors or anything that were accurate as to the injuries that the boys had?
(p. 699)
A: Uh-uh.
Q: So before today you didn’t know what the injuries were?
A: No, other than at the time of the funeral I knew that his face was messed up pretty bad.
Q: That was because you could see his face?
A: Yeah. On his face was the only thing I could tell.
