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items of clothing, eighty-seven samples of hair, seventeen knives, three sticks, three hammers, three ropes, two razors, an ice axe, a candle, a hook, a mask, and a Mason jar full of water. Out of all that, the crime lab had reported finding only a few fibers that analysts said were “microscopically similar” to fibers found in the homes of two of the defendants. In light of the bloodiness of the crime, its hands-on physicality, and the number of victims and defendants, the discovery of a few mass-produced fibers from items available in Wal-Marts and other clothiers all over the country struck Lax as an infinitesimal amount of evidence, which was also highly circumstantial. But he knew that Fogleman would use it, just as he knew the prosecutor would use the part of Hollingsworth’s testimony that placed Damien near the scene of the crime.

As the outline of the case slowly became more clear, Lax tried to focus on elements that would be essential to Damien’s defense. He interviewed two girls in Memphis with whom Damien said he’d spoken by phone on the night the children disappeared.159Lax wrote that “both girls stated they did remember this and were positive of the day.” He interviewed Narlene Hollingsworth and noted that despite the apparent problems her account posed for both the prosecution and the defense—placing Damien at the scene, but with Domini rather than Jason—she seemed to be “unshakeable” in her recollections. On October 7, Lax met with Detective Bray in Marion. During their conversation, Lax noted, “Don Bray reached into his shirt pocket and produced a sheet of note paper. He held this up and told me that when he first learned of these murders and what had happened to the victims, he wrote down the names of people he knew to be responsible. I asked him how he came by this knowledge, and he stated he had been in this business a long time and in the area for quite some time and, because of the particulars of what happened to the victims, he knew the ones who were on the sheet and who were responsible.” Bray showed Lax the paper. There were eight names on it, including those of Damien, Jason, Jessie, and Domini. “Further conversation revealed Don Bray compiled this list after he spoke with Jerry Driver,” Lax wrote. “I continued to question Detective Bray as to the reason these individuals would have come to his mind in regard to this murder. He could not be specific, but he referred to rumors which had been circulating throughout the community.”

Lax next met with Gitchell and Ridge.160

I asked them how Damien Echols’ name had first been presented in connection with this investigation, and they discussed all the rumors and talk in the West Memphis area regarding Damien and his interest in Satanic worship. Further conversation revealed they spoke with Jerry Driver, who provided them with a great deal of information regarding Echols and Satanic cults…. At this point I asked Gitchell and Ridge what they found at the crime scene which was indicative of a cult killing. Their response was the fact that the scene was so clean, with no available evidence…. During the conversation, Ridge and Gitchell stated it was their impression that Jason Baldwin was a pretty good kid and had never been in trouble before, but Jessie Misskelley was “mean as a snake.” They also felt Damien was the ring-leader of the bunch. When I reminded them that Damien had no prior arrest record, with the exception of the problems he had with his girlfriend, they agreed to this fact, but cited Damien’s psychological problems. At this point, they expressed their expectations for Damien’s defense to be insanity. They are firmly convinced Damien is insane.

Chapter Eleven

The Pretrial Motions

THE WORDS“OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW IS LIBERTY” are etched in stone above the entrance to the Crittenden County Courthouse at Marion. On August 4, 1993, two police officers led Damien, Jason, and Jessie, all wearing handcuffs and shackles, into the heavily guarded building for their first pretrial hearing. The courtroom was called to order, and Judge David Burnett,