Show Notes
In this deeply emotional and difficult episode of Crooked Tree, hosts Paul Day (forensic geologist and victim advocate) and Kristin Rich (criminologist and victim advocate) confront the heartbreaking reality at the heart of the case—the discovery of the bodies of Christopher Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore.
This episode takes listeners into the wooded area near Robin Hood Hills and the unnamed creek on May 6, 1993. Paul provides a detailed, vivid breakdown of the challenging terrain—from the pipe bridge and Turtle Hill to the crooked tree, triple tree, ivy tree, and hollow tree—helping you visualize exactly where and how the search unfolded.
Through crime scene audio, officer accounts, and careful narration, Paul and Kristin walk through the grim discoveries made by Detectives Mike Allen and Bryn Ridge, the coroner’s on-scene observations, the recovery of the boys’ bicycles from the bayou, and the devastating moments when the families learned the truth.
This is the episode the hosts have been dreading most. They approach the subject with respect, humanity, and raw honesty, acknowledging the lasting trauma inflicted on the families, first responders, and the entire community. No detail is shared gratuitously, but nothing essential is avoided—the horror must be confronted to truly understand the case.
A heavy, essential listen for anyone seeking the truth about what happened to these three boys. Listener discretion is strongly advised.
Crooked Tree is dedicated to honoring the victims and seeking justice for Christopher, Stevie, and Michael. Support the families and the continued fight for answers.
More from Crooked Tree: A West Memphis 3 Podcast
In this Q&A episode of Crooked Tree: A West Memphis 3 Podcast, victim advocates and researchers Paul Day and Kristin Rich dig into detailed listener questions drawn from the case files surrounding the May 1993 murders of Christopher Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore.
On May 10, 1993—the day that never ends—Damien Echols leaves a grueling interrogation with Detectives Ridge and Sudbury and walks straight into a polygraph with Detective Bill Durham. What follows is a tense, unrecorded session of pretest questions, ten carefully crafted polygraph queries, and a high-pressure post-test interview that would haunt the West Memphis Three case for decades.
In this pivotal episode of Crooked Tree, forensic geologist and victim advocate Paul Day and criminologist and victim advocate Kristin Rich take a meticulous, slow-crawl look at one of the most consequential moments in the West Memphis Three investigation: the May 10, 1993, interview of Damien Echols at the West Memphis Police Department.
In this episode of Crooked Tree, hosts Kristin Rich and Paul Day turn their focus to Murray Farris, an 18-year-old West Memphis resident whose name appears on Jerry Driver’s list of possible occult-linked individuals. On the evening of May 9, 1993—hours after Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin were questioned—Farris walks into the West Memphis Police Department.
In the hours and days after the bodies of Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers are recovered, West Memphis investigators begin receiving tips steeped in the era’s widespread fears of satanic ritual abuse. A call from a Texas Child Protective Services worker about alleged ritualistic killings in Gilmer, TX sets an early tone. Lieutenant James Sudbury and juvenile officer Steve Jones quickly zero in on Damien Echols, interviewing the teenager at his family’s trailer on May 7 based on their shared belief that the crime shows “overtones of a cult sacrifice."