Q&A #3: DNA Testing, Overlooked Leads & Other Listener Questions
Crooked Tree: A West Memphis 3 PodcastShow Notes
In this Q&A episode, West Memphis Three researchers and victim advocates Paul Day and Kristin Rich answer a wide range of listener questions submitted through their Facebook group. From the status of ongoing DNA testing and whether pressure exists to reopen the case, to crime-scene logistics, law-enforcement perceptions of the original investigation, case numbering oddities, overlooked persons of interest, family timelines and alibis, evidence handling, and why certain leads (including those involving Terry Hobbs) received limited early scrutiny—Paul and Kristin tackle the topics listeners are most curious about.
They share insights drawn from case files, discuss how the investigation is viewed today (including its use as a training example of what not to do), clarify common misconceptions, and offer updates while emphasizing patience on pending scientific results. As always, the conversation stays grounded in the documented record and the hosts’ long-term research.
Whether you’re new to the case or a longtime follower, this laid-back yet substantive episode delivers thoughtful answers, context, and a preview of deeper explorations still to come. Join the discussion in the Facebook group and keep your questions coming for future Q&As.
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.
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