Devil's Knot_ The True Story of the West Memphis Three - Mara Leveritt [185]
40. Without suggesting a link to violence, detectives did ask Byers about the brain tumor he was reported to have. Byers told them he’d been aware of it for the past two years. “I’ve been having blackouts,” he explained, “and even though it’s cool in here, at times, I just break out in a sweat. A bad migraine headache starts. I start getting like, tunnel vision, and then it’s like somebody flashes a camera in front of you, and it’s just like spots in front of me.” At first, he said, “They thought I had epilepsy and then they thought maybe I had a brain aneurism. They found out at one time that I had meningitis, and they thought maybe that’s what caused it.” He said doctors had put him on Dilantin, “but it causes your gums to bleed, and it’s real bad on your teeth,” so he’d been unable to take it. Doctors then prescribed Tegretol instead. Byers said he had been hospitalized five times in one year because of the tumor, and that the problem had caused the loss of the jewelry store.
41. Christopher’s life had been hard from the start. He’d weighed less than four pounds at his birth, which was premature, and had had to undergo immediate abdominal surgery.
42. The neurologist, Dr. Donald J. Eastmead, reported that Christopher had “a great many problems…. He overreacts and has temper tantrums at home. He is aggressive on occasion with little remorse. Bedtime, morning, mealtime, riding in the car and various other social situations are a problem. He frequently interrupts.” The doctor prescribed Tofranil for Christopher’s hyperactivity. But on a visit three months later, he was dismayed to see that Christopher seemed to have regressed. Eastmead noted that the child seemed to be suffering from paranoia, complaining about “something being in his hair.” The doctor kept him on the Tofranil and prescribed, in addition, five milligrams of Ritalin twice a day. By the time Christopher was seven, the Tofranil had been stopped and the dosage of Ritalin quadrupled. But the boy’s problems did not abate.
43. During the visit shortly before Christopher’s death, Eastmead noted that he showed signs of “extreme impulsivity, destructiveness, opposition, defiance, hyperactivity, extremely low frustration tolerance and refusal to follow commands.” Eastmead reported: “I am in a quandary as to the reason. He has been on Ritalin 20.mg twice a day, which has improved his hyperactivity and inattention but has made no appreciable change in his poor social skills, including such things as playing with his feces and poor judgment in terms of self-care and self-help…. This is certainly a difficult child who may require in-hospital treatment to gain control of his behavior. I am increasing the medication and changing it to Dexedrine 5 to 10 mg morning and noon, 5 in the afternoon, as well as adding Tegretol.”
44. The case was handled by state police Investigator Steve Dozier. The ring that had been part of the shipment was apparently never recovered.
45. Gitchell to Kermit Channel, Arkansas crime lab, May 26, 1993.
46. Gitchell to deputy prosecuting attorney John Fogleman, May 28, 1993.
47. The deputy prosecutor who accompanied Fogleman to the crime lab was James “Jimbo” Hale.
48. When interviewed in April 2001, Fogleman said that he did not often take such measures but that he and Hale visited the crime lab in this instance “because it was a very difficult case.”
49. First two verses of an untitled poem by Damien Echols, date unknown.
50. General offense report, Marion Police Department, March 6, 1992.
51. Personal information about Jerry Driver in this chapter was drawn from an author interview with him conducted by phone on November 1, 2000.
52. General offense report, Marion Police Department, May 13, 1992.
53. Record of arrest, Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office, May 19, 1992.
54. Petition and detention order in the Juvenile Division of Chancery Court, Crittenden County, May 19,