A Criminal Profile prepared for the murders of James Michael Moore, Steve Edward Branch, and Christopher Mark Byers PDF

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REPORT PREPARED FOR WEST MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT

Prepared By

Kaitlyn Walker [email protected]

A Criminal Profile prepared for the murders of James Michael Moore, Steve Edward Branch, and Christopher Mark Byers

Report prepared 16 November 2018;

Table of Contents Profiling Approach ........................................................................................................... 1 Appropriate Use of Profile ............................................................................................... 1 Competency ...................................................................................................................... 1 Victimology ...................................................................................................................... 2 Life-Style Risk.............................................................................................................. 2 Incident Risk ................................................................................................................. 3 Offender Risk ............................................................................................................... 4 Crime Reconstruction ....................................................................................................... 4 Crime Classification ......................................................................................................... 7 Motivation ........................................................................................................................ 7 Signature ........................................................................................................................... 8 Offender Characteristics ................................................................................................... 8 Physical Characteristics ................................................................................................ 9 Lifestyle Characteristics ............................................................................................... 9 Since the crime ........................................................................................................... 10 Recommendations for Investigative Strategy ................................................................. 11 Reference List ................................................................................................................. 12

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Profiling Approach Criminal investigative analysis (CIA) is an approach to criminal profiling formalised by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). CIA was first developed in the 1960’s by Howard Teten, with an intuitive and subjective approach that relied on the experience of the profiler (Douglas, Ressler, Burgess, & Hartman, 1986). In 1980 Roy Hazelwood developed typologies for serial murder and serial rape offenders based on interviews with known offenders (Douglas, Burgess, Burgess, & Ressler, 2013). This further developed the approach to rely on the assumptions of behavioural consistency, behavioural distinctiveness, and homology (Douglas et al., 1986). A profile, using this approach, is developed using evidence collected from the crime scene, witnesses, and victims. The profiler then analyses this and develops a profile on the unknown offender, their characteristics and traits, and makes investigative suggestions (Douglas et al., 1986). This profiling approach was applied to this crime due to its extended use across multiple jurisdictions of law enforcement.

Appropriate Use of Profile Profiling is not an exact science and as such this profile has relied on the inferences of the profiler and not solely on evidence. The profile has been prepared as an investigative aid to assist in narrowing the suspect pool and not to identify a particular person. However, no person of interest should be excluded from the investigation solely because they do not fit this profile. Also, this profile should not be used in a court of law or to convict a suspect.

Competency I am currently an undergraduate student studying a Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University. My experience in profiling is that I am currently studying a second-year university course in criminal profiling. I had no prior knowledge of the case and took all possible precautions to remain objective.

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Victimology The information in this section was taken from the case material supplied by the West Memphis Police department, 1993.

Life-Style Risk Characteristics Sex Age Height Weight Hair Colour Eye Colour Activities

Moore Male 8 years 4 feet 1 inch 55 pounds Brown Blue Student Cub Scouts

Victims Branch Male 8 years 4 feet 2 inches 65 pounds Blonde Blue Student Cub Scouts

Byers Male 8years 4 feet 0 inches 52 pounds Brown Brown Student Cub Scouts

James Michael Moore’s lifestyle risk is low. The only known event that would heighten this risk is his young age, however the following are all indicators of low risk events; - Body is well developed and healthy, teeth in good condition. No drugs in his blood tests. - No signs of previous abuse or trauma injuries. - Lived with both his mother and father, who were quick to know James was missing and were out searching for him. - Known in the area, regularly went by himself to play at other kids houses and shared a close relationship with the other two victims.

Steve Edward Branch’s lifestyle risk is low. The only known event that would heighten this risk is his young age, however the following are all indicators of low risk events; - Body is well developed and healthy, teeth in good condition. No drugs in his blood tests. - No signs of previous abuse or trauma injuries. - Lived with his mother, step-father, and younger sister (4), who were quick to know Steve was missing and were out searching for him. Biological father and grandparents also lived in the area.

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- Known in the area, regularly went by himself to play at other kids houses and shared a close relationship with the other two victims.

Christopher Mark Byer’s lifestyle risk is medium. The following are all indicators of low risk events; - Body is well developed and healthy, teeth in good condition. - No signs of previous abuse or trauma injuries. - Lived with mother, step-father, and older brother (14). - Known in the area, regularly went by himself to play at other kids houses and shared a close relationship with the other two victims. Events that increased Christopher Byer’s risk were; - Low levels of drugs, used by his step-father for his illness, were found in his blood. - For some time prior to the crime he would leave for several hours, stating he was playing with George, however parents do not know who George is and suspected he was in the Robin Hood Hill Woods where he was not allowed to be. - Did not follow the rules set by his parents on where Byers was and was not allowed to go. His step-father had disciplined him, the afternoon of the crime, after being caught riding his skateboard in an area he was not allowed to be. - Friends with older children and would spend time at their home, including 16-yearold TJ.

Incident Risk The incident risk of all three victims was high. The following are all indicators of highrisk events; - It was early evening when the three victims were last seen. - None of the parents were aware of what the victim’s plans were that afternoon. - The victims went to a secluded area of the woods, that at least on victim was not allowed to be in. - Between the three victims they were riding two push bikes which gave them no easy or quick way to escape the offender.

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Offender Risk Based on the above information the risk of the offender was medium. The indicators that lower this risk are; - Lured one of the victims into the woods, this would limit his exposure and chance of being seen with the victims at the time of the crime. - The offender was familiar with the area, able to leave the crime scene undetected by the searchers in the area. The indicators that heightened this risk are; - The offender lured one victim into the woods however three victims went into the wood together. The offender was not prepared to control three children. - Searchers in the area yelling and honking car horns from about 08:30pm, two hours after the victims were last seen.

Crime Reconstruction The information in this section was taken from the case material supplied by the West Memphis Police department, 1993. This crime reconstruction is an approximation of events and should not be read with certainty.

- For some time prior to the crime the offender had been gaining the trust of and building a relationship with Byers. ▪ Byers left home the afternoon of the crime with his billfold and money after he had been told to stay at home and finish cleaning the garage. ▪ The victims rode their bikes into an area knowing they were not meant to be there. - Victims were last seen riding two bikes toward Robin Hood Hill about 06:30 pm May 05, 1993. Moore and Branch riding their bikes and Byers on the back of Branch's bike. ▪ Verified by a witness statement. - Victims meet up with a single offender at the creek in Robin Hood Hill. Offender lured Byers with some type of rouse, then had to improvise when Moore and Brach were there as well.

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▪ The offender had to improvise with the restraints he used to restrain the victims, the offender has been prepared with one rope and then had to improvise by using to victims’ shoelaces. ▪ Mark Byers, Brett Smith, and Ryan Byers found two sets of bike tyre tracks heading to the location where the victims were found. ▪ No evidence of a blitz attack, no blood or tears in the victim's clothes. - Victims removed their own clothing quickly, possibly to go for a swim. ▪ No blood or tearing on clothes. ▪ Three pairs of child blue jeans recovered from the creek, all turned inside out. ▪ May is a warm time of year in West Memphis, and that night was warm according to witness statements. - Offender removed laces from each of the victim’s shoes, while they were swimming. ▪ The laces were used to hogtie each of the victims. - The victim's bikes and clothes were thrown into the creek. ▪ Police investigators found the clothes and bikes in the creek. ▪ Prevented the victims running away while a single offender restrained three victims. - The offender got each of the victims out of the creek one at a time and hogtied each one with their shoelaces. The offender could have used a rouse such as offering to show the boys how to do something or asking for their help with something. ▪ When the victims were found by searchers, they were still hogtied. ▪ Bruises on the chest and face of each victim possibly indicating they were struggling against the offender while face down on the ground. - After being hogtied each victim was then placed in distinct areas near each other. Byers most likely tied to the tree root. ▪ Three areas of blood were indicated by investigators. ▪ Byers tied up because he was the victim the offender expected and therefore the one the offender wanted to take his time with. - The blunt force trauma wounds were caused to Moore and Branch.

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▪ These injuries were consistent with a hammer or similar weapon. ▪ Injuries to the face, skull, and torso of both victims. ▪ Blood was found on the bank in three areas, these injuries would account for the areas identified as one and two. - Moore and Branch dragged to the bank of the creek and thrown in while still alive and hogtied. ▪ Abrasions on both the victim’s torsos consistent with being dragged. ▪ Both victims were found by searchers in the water and both causes of death were listed as drowning. - Offender then committed a sexual assault on Byers. ▪ Anal orifice dilated. ▪ Hair left on posterior thigh. ▪ Cut wounds on left and right buttock. ▪ Superficial bite marks on both cheeks. ▪ Lip and frenulum abrasions. - Byers was castrated with a serrated edge knife by the offender. ▪ Byers was found castrated – penis, scrotal sac and testes were missing. ▪ Evidence on the body showed the jagged edges of a serrated edge knife. - Byers beaten, stabbed and bludgeoned to death. ▪ Right, and left ears had abrasions and contusions. ▪ Multiple abrasions and lacerations to the face and scalp. ▪ These injuries were consistent with a hammer or similar weapon. - Byers was dragged to the edge of the creek and was thrown in, while still hogtied but deceased. ▪ Abrasions on victims’ torso consistent with being dragged. ▪ Byers was found in the water, however, the cause of death listed as multiple injuries. - The offender did a partial clean up of the crime scene. ▪ No blood or semen found at the scene. ▪ Hammer or a similar weapon was taken from the scene by the offender. ▪ Shoe and fingerprints found at the scene.

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▪ Bag with a single rope and hook found at the scene – suspected to be the offenders. - Offender leaves the crime scene. Sometime prior to the victims being discovered at 1:30 pm May 06, 1993. Offender probably left via the trail to the south-east of the scene. ▪ The offender was not at the crime scene when searchers found the victims. ▪ Transfer blood evidence was found on the path leading away from the scene. Crime Classification The typology discussed in this section was originally designed for serial murder offenders, while it is unclear that this case is part of a serial case the typology will still be applied for ease of understanding.

This crime is defined as a triple homicide, the three victims Moore, Branch, and Byers were killed in a single location during a single criminal episode (Douglas et al., 2013). This offender would be classified as an organised offender with a sexual motive, therefore this crime would be classified as an organised sexual homicide. The sexual motive is discussed in the motivation section, the organised elements of this offence are; - Planned the offence: lured the victims to the woods. - Crime scene reflects overall control: minimal forensic evidence found. - Restraints used: each of the victims were hogtied. - Aggressive acts prior to death: blunt force trauma injuries, and castration of Byers. - Weapon/evidence absent: the knife used to castrate Byers, and the hammer like weapon used on all three victims were not found at the crime scene.

Motivation The primary motive of this triple homicide was sexual in nature, specifically regarding the intended victim Byers. The removal of organs, body parts, or disfiguring of a victim in conjunction with a sexual assault indicates that the murder is sexually motivated (Douglas et al., 1986). Body parts were removed from Byers with the castration of his penis, scrotal sac and testes. There was also signs of sexual assault on Byers such as

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dilated anus, bite marks, and lip and frenulum abrasions. Also, all three victims Moore, Branch, and Byers were found naked. A secondary motive for the murder of Moore and Branch was anger. The anger was evident in the physical trauma by Moore and Branch, and the lack of sexual assault evidence indicates they were not the intended targets. The physical trauma left injuries including; multiple contusions, punctures, fractures, and gouging wounds on both Moore and Branch’s faces, necks, ears, skulls, and mouths. The offender was probably surprised when Moore and Branch were with Byers that afternoon, this surprise then turned to anger as the offender was unprepared to control all three victims.

Signature An offenders' signature emerges across two or more offences (Hazelwood, & Warren, 2002), given that this case is a single event the signatures discussed here are potential and would need to be compared to future crimes committed by the same offender.

A potential signature is the castration of Byers, the castrated penis, scrotal sac, and testes were not found at the crime scene. It is unclear whether the offender kept them as a souvenir or discarded them at the crime scene and they were just not found or had been picked up by animals. This is a potential signature as it could be experimental behaviour for the offender, and not necessary to commit the crime. A second potential signature is the hogtie style of restraints used on the victims. This type of knot is not commonly known, however, is specific to the areas of hunting and farming. If the offender learnt this skill at an early age it could be an instinctive way of asserting dominance over the victims.

Offender Characteristics The offender characteristics presented in this section are applicable to the offender at the time of the crime, and some of the characteristics will be different now. Unless referenced otherwise the information in this section was taken from the case material supplied by the West Memphis Police department, 1993.

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Physical Characteristics - Gender: Male. Age: 20 – 30 years old. ▪ Given the crime classification of this case, research shows that a very high percentage of these offenders are male (Dolan, Gully, Woods, & Fullam, 2003). ▪ Research suggests that 85.8% of offenders charged with this type of crime is under 30 years old (Dolan et al., 2003) - Race: Caucasian ▪ Research suggests that 76% of offenders in this crime classification were Caucasian (Beyer, & Beasley, 2003). ▪ All three victims were Caucasian. - Build: athletic, and strong. ▪ The offender was able to control and beat to death three children. - Identifying marks: likely to have old scars. ▪ As discussed in lifestyle characteristics, the offender was likely involved in farming or hunting activities from a young age and as a result likely to have injuries related to these activities. - Hair and facial appearance: hair was likely to be neat and consistent with trends of the area in the early 1990’s. Likely to have no or minimal facial hair. ▪ The offender would need a style of appearance that an 8-year-old boy would look up to and feel comfortable talking with.

Lifestyle Characteristics - Marital Status: living with partner, however not married. ▪ According to the organised offender classification they are likely to be living with a partner. ▪ However, 70% of this type of offender are not married (Beyer, & Beasley, 2003). - Education: finished senior year or equivalent of high school. ▪ Research suggests that 40% of this type of offender has completed senior year or equivalent (Beyer, & Beasley, 2003), and allow for skilled employment.

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- Occupation: working in a skilled job, probably at an entry level working towards a higher position. ▪ A characteristic of the defined crime classification of an organised offender. ▪ Given the predicted age of the offender, he probably has not been in the work force long enough to have a high-level skilled position. ▪ The crime was committed outside the normal working hours of a skilled job. ▪ Possibly a physical job that would allow the offender to keep his athletic and strong build. - Residence: lived in the local area at the time of the crime. ▪ Familiar with the area in which the crime was committed, lured the victim to an isolated part of the woods, and was able to leave the scene undetected. ▪ Had enough time to build trust with the victim. - Social Skills: the offender is socially competent. ▪ Was able to gain the trust and lure an 8-year-old child without raising suspicion in the community and without the victim’s parents knowing. ▪ The organised offender typology also supports a socially competent offender. - Interests: hunting and camping. ▪ Felt comfortable in the woods and committed the murder in an open location. According to research open location child homicides only happen 18.8% of the time (Dolan et al., 2003). ▪ Able to hogtie the victims with proficiency and knew how to castrate Byers. - Childhood: this offender is most likely one of the older children of the family, fathers work was consistent and st...