www.midsouthjustice.com
*******************
*******************
“The Murder Weapon”
The above image is taken from the “case files” in
the West Memphis Police Department.
FACT: On
(Link to the statements made by Doug Cooper regarding the John Mark Byers Knife)
FACT: The filmmakers noticed that the “John Mark
Byers Knife” had traces of blood at the base of the blade. They brought the
knife to the attention of their HBO producers who instructed them to film the
knife and send it to the Chief of Police in
(Link to the signed statement made by Bruce Sinofsky)
FACT: On January 8th, Chief Inspector, Gary Gitchell received the “John Mark Byers Knife” via Federal Express from the filmmakers. Detective Gary Gitchell engraved his initials “GWG,” date “01/08/94,” and “E-178” on the handle and sent the knife to “Genetic Design” for DNA testing with only 10 days left before the Misskelley trial was scheduled to begin. Detective Gitchell also noticed another substance “glued” to blood on the base of the knife. (This “substance” turned out to be a single red fiber.)
(Link to the memo Gary Gitchell sent to Genetic Design regarding the John Mark Byers Knife)
The above image
of Inspector Gitchell holding the Byers knife is
taken from
FACT: On January 27th, Genetic Design
completed its tests on the traces of blood on the “John Mark Byers ‘Kershaw”
Knife.” The test results “scared” inspector Gary Gitchell.
The blood on the knife had a HLA DQ Alpha result of 1.1,4 but the more specific
D1S80 test did not provide a result due to the minor amount of blood on the
knife. Christopher Murray (also known as Christopher Byers), the supposed
stepchild of John Mark Byers also had a HLA DQ Alpha of 1.1,4. THE BLOOD ON
THE “JOHN MARK BYERS KNIFE,” MATCHES THE BLOOD OF CHRISTOPHER MURRAY (also
known as Christopher Byers).
(Link to the results of the DNA test on the “John Mark Byers ‘Kershaw’ Knife.)
FACT: The Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Frank Peretti performed the autopsies of the three victims. At the Echols trial he was asked to give his opinion regarding the injuries on Christopher Murray (also known as Christopher Byers). Dr. Frank Peretti testified that knife injuries on Christopher Byers were consistent with the “John Mark Byers ‘Kershaw’ Knife.”
(Link to Dr. Frank Peretti’s testimony)
(Download Quicktime Video Clip of Peretti testifying in Paradise Lost, Part 1) (Right Click and “Save As”)
The above image
of Dr. Frank Peretti giving his testimony in court is
taken from
FACT: A single RED fiber was “glued” to the blood on the base of the blade of the “John Mark Byers ‘Kershaw’ Knife.” A pair of child, Super Mario Brothers Nintendo underwear was recovered near the victims. The pair of underwear has red fibers on them. A separate single red rayon fiber was found on the clothes of the victims. Records could not be found of any comparisons made between the fiber found on the “John Mark Byers ‘Kershaw’ Knife” and the fibers found on the clothes of the crime scene.
FACT: After the results of the DNA tests on the Kershaw knife came in, the defense attorneys pleaded with Judge David Burnett to allow other officers not connected to the West Memphis Police Department to question John Mark Byers regarding the knife. Judge David Burnett ruled against the defense attorneys and allowed Detectives Gary Gitchell and Bryn Ridge of the West Memphis Police Department to question John Mark Byers about the knife he had given to Doug Cooper. The following facts will summarize what transpired during the course of the interview.
FACT: On the morning of
(Link to the entire transcript at the bottom)
2nd Image of the “John Mark Byers ‘Kershaw’ Knife” taken at the West Memphis Police Department
FACT: During the January 26th interview on page 3, Detective Gitchell asks John Mark Byers, “Had you ever taken that knife hunting or used it recently just prior to giving it to um, what did you say his name was cook?”
Byers – “I think cook, NO THAT KNIFE HAD NOT BEEN USED AT ALL, it just been kept up, put in my dresser and I didn’t use it and THE REASON WHY WAS BECAUSE OF THOSE SERRATED EDGES.”
(Link to the entire transcript at the bottom)
FACT: In regards to Cooper, Byers states, “and it kinda had a grip on it that felt like pachmayr’s on a gun, and he just really liked it admired it and I really didn’t like it so I gave it to him… but it had not been out in the woods or anything.” This statement contradicts Cooper’s statements that he didn’t want the knife but Byers insisted that he take it.
FACT: Detective Gary Gitchell never questions John Mark Byers regarding this contradiction in statements.
FACT: Page 4 of the January 26th interview:
Gitchell – “Oh, oh, I follow you he, Ryan did not cut himself with the Kershaw.”
Byers – “Correct, no one’s been cut with the Kershaw.”
FACT: Page 4 and 5 of the January 26th interview:
Byers again states – “…but no sir, no one’s ever been cut. That Kershaw was given to me as a Christmas present and I didn’t want to hurt the guy’s feelings so I told him how nice it was and put it up and after I used it a time or two you couldn’t keep the, you couldn’t get anybody to sharpen it cause of the serrated edge, this thing is worthless.”
Ridge asks – “Did you use the knife?”
Byers – “I never used it, I would have used it hopefully, I was going to use it for deer hunting. That’s all I do is deer hunt but I never had an opportunity to use it on a deer.”
FACT: Page 5 of the January 26th interview:
Byers – “…and that Kershaw stayed put up in top of my chiffarrobe in the top drawer. We got a big chiffarrobe you know and it stayed put up in the top drawer of it.”
Gitchell -“Did um, any of your kids, Ryan or Chris know where that knife may have been at? I mean could they have gotten it out?
Byers – “No sir, I don’t think they could have because they just didn’t come in our room that much you know.”
FACT: Page 6 of the January 26th interview:
Byers – “I never saw any evidence or signs that they had (used the knife) and there was never any signs that they cut theirself with it, it was pretty sharp so there was never any evidence that they had cut or it ever being moved you know.”
Gitchell then gives Byers the
knife and Byers identifies the knife as the one he gave to the fellow from
FACT: Page 7 of the January 26th interview:
Gitchell – “Okay, let me explain a problem we had”
Byers – “Okay”
Gitchell – “And you need to answer this for me… we have found blood on this knife.”
Byers – “I can tell you where I might assume it might have come from”
Gitchell – “Alright”
Byers – “Uh, I got a deer this year”
Gitchell – “uh huh”
Byers – “and I was cutting it up to make some beef jerky and I had a filleting knife, a ginsu filleting knife and I thought of that knife and I tried to cut some of the deer as thin as possible and when I found out that it wouldn’t cut as think as the skinning knife was, I put it up. But that would be the only time it’s been around anything bloody it was would I was cutting some deer meat at home.”
FACT: Page 7 and 8 of the January 26th interview:
Gitchell – “Okay, alright, let me, let me go a little bit further and say there’s a problem with that, I mean I’m not saying that’s not true, the problem is we have sent this knife off and had it examined and it was the blood type of Chris on it.”
Byers – “Well
Gitchell – “That’s our problem.”
Byers – “I have no idea how it’s on there.”
Gitchell – “Why, why would this knife have his blood on it?”
Byers – “I have no idea
Gitchell – “That’s what scares me.”
Byers – “I have no idea, I have no idea, how it could have any human’s blood type on it at all. I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER KNICKING MYSELF WITH IT cutting the deer meat or anything.”
Gitchell – “We’ve had it checked and it’s not animal’s blood, it’s what is called a higher ape, in other words of the ape human family category.”
Byers – “Gary, I have no idea how he could have got a hold of it, I have no idea when he could ever even touched it, matter of fact I don’t remember him ever touching it and I have no idea how it got on there.”
Gitchell – “That’s why I was asking about…”
Byers – “
Ridge – “When was the last time you saw the knife?”
Byers – “The day I gave it to that fellow from
Ridge – “Do you remember the circumstances when you gave him the knife?”
Byers – “Yes, he was there at the house and we had eaten and he was lying on the couch and um, he had made a comment uh, how he liked knives you know and things like that and I had made a comment about the one that I had, and I went into the bedroom and got it and I said I would like to give you this, just as a Christmas gift. It’s getting close to Christmas. During all this filming you’ve been very nice to me and you’ve been very polite, you know we’ve become just friends, and I said I just you know, give it to you as a gift, and that’s all there was to it, oh, he said thank you very much, you know and he put it in his pocket.”
FACT: Page 9 of the January 26th interview:
Gitchell – “um, I need to account for this blood you see what…”
Byers – “I’ll be glad to try.”
Gitchell – “I got to, I got to ask you point blank, I’ve got to ask you point blank Mark, I’ve got to ask you point blank, were you around are participated in the murder of these boys?”
Byers – “No, not in any shape form or fashion, close as to them that I must have got, was when Officer (John) Moore and I was yelling in the woods, which they were across the ditch you know and down from us. That’s as close as I must have ever got to them that night, absolutely not, positively not, unequivocally not. No not at all.”
Gitchell – “Well there are other tests being run on this knife and we should, may have the results right now, where we’ve been waiting on them the last several days.”
Byers – “
Gitchell – “You know we had blood taken from Melissa?”
Byers – “Right”
Gitchell – “We had blood taken from um Ryan.”
Byers – “Ryan, he had mine.”
Gitchell – “We already had yours, so that’s what we’re trying to do is see if I could have been, If you have similar blood. We don’t know, we don’t know if there is a similarity blood. We don’t know.”
FACT: Page 12 and 13 of the January 26th interview:
Byers – “There’s not way, there’s no way, I have no idea how any part of Christopher’s blood got on that knife, but I there’s no way, there’s no way I would have anything to do with it at all and I’ve told exactly where that knife’s been to the must of I can remember it was not missing. It wasn’t been missing. I have no alternative reason for giving it to him other than he was a friend. He had admired it and I gave it to him as just a gift of kindness and that was all.”
Gitchell – “Okay, is there anything you want to mention while I’ve got the tape on? Because I’m going to conclude unless you have anything else?”
Byers – “Other than no shape, form or fashion was I involved in the murder of my son or his friends, or had anything to do with it, or knew anything about it, or participate in anyway, or had any type of piece of knife, tool, equipment, murder weapon to harm any of those children.”
Gitchell – “Okay, okay the time
is approximately
FACT: Detectives Gary Gitchell and Bryn Ridge NEVER question John Mark Byers regarding his statements to Dough Cooper or the inconsistencies in their stories. According to statements by Doug Cooper, Cooper told Byers that he didn’t want the gift and he couldn’t understand why Byers was insisting that he take the knife. Byers insisted that he take the knife and told him that it was “sharp” and he proceeded to cut a piece of paper with it.
Doug Cooper claimed that John Mark Byers told him, “IT’S BETWEEN US.”
Doug Cooper ALSO claimed that John Mark Byers told him, “I
want to keep it (the knife) in your car.” Refer to the top of the page for
a more complete summary of Doug Cooper’s statements.
(Link to the statements made by Doug Cooper regarding the John Mark Byers Knife)
FACT: After Detective Gary Gitchell
informs Byers that there is blood on the knife, Byers begins changing his
story, stuttering and addressing Gitchell as “
The
above image of John Mark Byers holding the knife is taken from
The above image
is taken from
*******************
*******************