Terry Hobbs, stepfather of West Memphis murder victim Stevie Branch, thought he was in for a big payday after filing a federal defamation suit against Natalie Pasdar (Maines) of the Dixie Chicks for comments she made during a press conference in Little Rock in 2007.
Unfortunately for Hobbs, Judge Brian Miller of the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas wasted little time in summarily dismissing the lawsuit, but not before Hobbs was deposed for two days by Maines’s attorneys. In the past, Hobbs had stated that he never saw the three boys the day they were murdered, but during depositions taken on July 21, 2009, he reiterated for the first time under oath that he never saw his stepson, Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers or Michael Moore at any time on May 5, 1993.
“It’s your testimony that you did not see Stevie Branch at all the day of May 5th of 1993. Correct?” Hobbs’s answer: “Correct.” “Did you see Stevie at all that day, May 5th?” Answer: “No, I did not.” “Did you see any of the three boys that day?” Answer: “No, I did not. No I never seen Stevie that day.”
Hobbs’s actions and whereabouts the night of the murders have always been suspect, and his explanations have never been consistent. Now, three new eyewitnesses have submitted sworn affidavits to the Arkansas Supreme Court contradicting Hobbs’s own words under oath and identifying him as the last person to have custody of the children immediately before their disappearance and murders. According to these eyewitnesses, Hobbs lied when he stated that he had not seen the three children that evening. Their sworn affidavits state unequivocally that Hobbs was with the three children at approximately 6:30 p.m.
Hobbs’s statements under oath are of immense importance to the innocence claims of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. Hobbs’s alibi is completely undermined by these witnesses.
Other statements taken under oath during discovery in the lawsuit included those of Pam Hobbs, her sister and mother; David Jacoby, Hobbs’s friend, whose own DNA was found at the crime scene; and Mildred French, a woman who was sexually assaulted by Terry Hobbs. These witnesses paint a rather shocking picture of the life of Terry Hobbs, which not only raises questions of his guilt, but also points to the actual innocence of the West Memphis 3.
Terry Hobbs’s DNA was found at the crime scene of the murders of Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. He was last seen with the three boys immediately before they disappeared and were murdered. Stevie Branch’s mother, Pam Hobbs, believes that her husband at the time, Terry Hobbs, was involved in the murder of her child.
Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley had strong alibis of their whereabouts the evening of the murders. They did not know the three children, never were seen with them, did not live near them or have any connection whatsoever to their families. Their DNA was not at the crime scene. A knife was not used to kill the three boys according to the country’s leading forensic pathologists, and most of the wounds on their bodies were postmortem animal bites, completely contradicting the prosecution’s own theory of the causes of death.
Natalie Maines is a hero. Not only did she come to Little Rock, Arkansas, to help publicize the new DNA and forensic evidence uncovered in the effort to free the West Memphis 3, but she made a courageous decision to defend against Terry Hobbs’s defamation suit. She, and the Dixie Chicks, could have easily paid Hobbs off to avoid any embarrassment over the bogus defamation claims. But they chose to defend against his allegations, not in their own self -interest, but in the interests of Damien, Jason and Jessie.
Some deride the motives of famous people when they come forward and speak out on issues of importance. Natalie Maines, more than most, knows the perils of taking an unpopular public position. What she has done in the efforts to free the West Memphis 3 is nothing short of selfless.
Lonnie Soury