Q - Would you state your name and occupation for the jury?
A - Yeah, my name is Shane Griffin, I'm a narcotics detective for the West Memphis Police Dept.
Q - Uh, Detective Griffin, I want to direct your attention to May the 6th, 1993. On that date were you, at that time, also assigned to the narcotics unit?
A - Yes Sir, I was.
Q - And uh, were you called upon to play some part in the search for uh, Michael Moore and Steven Branch and Chris Byers?
A - Yes Sir, I was.
Q - Alright. And when did you become involved in, in this search?
A - Um, I usually come at work, to work around 8 o'clock in the morning. Uh, when I came in, they notified me on the radio that there were 3 young men missing. And, uh at that time I started helping in, looking for the boys.
Q - Were other narcotics officers looking too?
A - There were several of us out looking.
Q - Alright. And um, where were you assigned to look?
A - There were uh, there was a field north of the interstate, north of 55 and 40 that I was in. That I went and looked in initially.
Q - Ok. Is it, if you could look at exhibit 101 and tell us if that area is shown on there, on that photograph?
A - Yes Sir, it's this field right here, or the trees and stuff like this. Somebody called in on the radio said there was a report that they might have been seen over in this area. So this is a huge wooded area with a lot of mud, a lot of water, so it took us a lot of time to go through all of this.
Q - Were you alone or with others?
A - I started out alone. There were others riding 3 wheelers around, cause back further north there's a huge field out in that area, and they were checking the field when i was in the woods n stuff like that.
Q - Alright. And about how long did you spend searching in that area?
A - Uh, in that area... Uh, approximately a couple of hours looking around.
Q - And then after you searched that area, where'd you go?
A - Um, after that area we got called in. And uh, we had a search warrant we had to execute. And then...
Q - That was related to your narcotics..
A - Yes it was.
Q - Alright. And after, after you got through, about how long did that take?
A - Approximately 30 minutes, 45 minutes, somewhere along there.
Q - Then after you did that, where did you go?
A - After we did that, just when we were finishing up, that's when Inspector Gitchell called up my captain on the radio and advised us that they had been found.
Q - Alright. And then where did you go?
A - At that time we were called to the scene to assist.
Q - I want to show you what I've marked for identification purposes as States exhibits 56, 57, and 58. And ask if you can identify those?
A - Yes Sir, I can.
Q - Alright. Do those fairly and accurately portray the scene as it appeared to you that day?
A - Yes Sir
Q - Your Honor we would offer States exhibits 56, 57 and 58.
THE COURT: (inaudible) There's some that i don't recall... Is there any.. No objection to those?
STIDHAM: No objection.
THE COURT: They may be received without objection.
((Fogleman continues))
Q - Your Honor, may Detective Griffin step down and exhibit the photographs to the jury and explain?
THE COURT: Yes, he may.
((S Griffin indicating))
A - In picture number 58, we have a pipeline that runs across the Ten Mile Bayou. Right here, just North of this area, right here's the Robinhood area, the area where the bodies were found. On this pipeline right here, this is the East side. As we're looking... These are the bicycles that were reported that the boys were riding that day. We found the bicycles right here on the East side of the pipe. About mid ways on the pipe. Both of them right there close to each other.
Q - Alright.. What was the level of the water in relation to the pipe?
A - The water was probably about 3 or 4 foot underneath the pipe.
Q - And is that where... At that time, did you... After the bicycles were removed, did you take charge of the bicycles?
A - Yes sir. I carried one and I don't really recall who carried the other one. We carried them and received them into evidence.
Q - Now I want to show you... Now lets just do it on the paper... Look at States exhibit 101 and point to the jury, for the jury the pipe where these, the area where these bicycles were found?
A - This is the pipe area right here.
Q - Tell you what, take my.... Take Barbara's pen and circle that area and put your initials by it.
((Griffin does so.))
((Fogleman continues)) You can retake the stand.
((Griffin retakes stand.))
Q - Detective I'm gonna show you what is introduced as States exhibit 6. That other one is 4. Do you recognize these?
A - Yes Sir I do.
Q - What do you recognize them to be?
A - Those are the bicycles that I pulled out of the bayou.
Q - I don't have any further questions your Honor.
STIDHAM: I have no questions for this witness your Honor.
THE COURT: Any reason to keep him here?
STIDHAM: I see none your Honor.
THE COURT: You're free to go.
FOGLEMAN: Oh! Your Honor, I do. I take it back, I do have a couple more questions I forgot.
Q - Did you also participate in doing some measurements for the crime scene diagram?
A - Yes Sir, I did.
Q - Alright. If you could look at States exhibit 13 and point out the areas that you measured and what those distances were. And take Barbara's pen again and write on there the distances?
A - Ok. Myself and Detective Durham were uh, took measurements of the area from where the victims bodies were found. The tree on the East side and the tree on the West side of the bank, which are these two trees right here, were our reference points that we used to make the measurements from. The first body was found 14 foot 7 inches South East of the tree. Or [I mean] South West of the tree on the east side of the bank. And 10 foot 6 inches South East of the tree on the West side of the bank. Victim 2 was found straight down the ditch area 27 feet South of victim 1 and victim 3 was found 32 foot South of victim 1 in the ditch bank.
((Fogleman)) You can retake the stand.
((Griffin does.))
((Fogleman continues))
Your Honor, I don't have any further questions.
STIDHAM: Neither do we, your Honor.
THE COURT: Any reason to keep him?
FOGLEMAN: Uh, Let me do some flipping real quick, to make sure. No Sir, your Honor.
THE COURT: You're free to go.
GRIFFIN: Thank you Sir.
THE COURT: Call your next witness.
FOGLEMAN: Your Honor, I think we've gone through ten or eleven witnesses and we frankly didn't anticipate getting this far this fast. And the next witness that we had planned on calling is Dr. Peretti, and he'll be here in the morning.
THE COURT: You say you wanna recess now?
FOGLEMAN: Yes sir.
THE COURT: Alright ladies and gentlemen, we're gonna take a little bit early recess. We probably won't recess this early tomorrow so be prepared to go at least till five o'clock. But with the usual admonition not to discuss the case with anyone, and it's particularly important again at this point that you not read newspaper accounts, watch the TV accounts, or listen to radio accounts, or let anybody discuss the media coverage of the case with you or in your presence. Doesn't mean you can't watch your favorite TV program tonight, obviously you can do that. But it means if the news is on, you can watch the news, but don't watch the news when it relates to this case. And I think all of you understand the need and importance of that. You need to have your mind made up by the evidence that you hear in the court, not from any outside influences. And with that reminder you're free to go until in the morning at 9:30. We're gonna try real hard to start right at 9:30 in the morning instead of 10. But we've been working when we've been having you out here cooling your heels. Take your notes with you. Remember to bring them back in the morning. Those notes are your personal possession. You just take the whole pad with you. Leave your little tag unless you can promise me that you'll remember to bring it back tomorrow. So you're free to go until in the morning at 9:30. Alright, court will be in recess until 9:30 in the morning.
