Jessie Misskelley’s crying fits

The case record includes several mentions of Jessie Misskelley crying intensely in the month after the murders. Acquaintances described seeing and hearing Misskelley cry; Misskelley himself told police that he went to the crime scene alone and cried; and police detectives reported that Misskelley broke down crying when he first confessed on 6/3/93.

Crying is not proof of guilt, obviously. But these crying fits, described independently by various sources, provide context for Misskelley’s confession.

Lee Rush recalls Jessie crying

Lee Rush was Jessie Misskelley Sr.’s girlfriend in May-June 1993. She lived in the trailer with Big Jessie and Little Jessie. Rush appeared onscreen with Jessie Sr. in Paradise Lost, including a memorable exchange over whether they would continue supporting Jessie Jr. if he turned out to be guilty (Jessie Sr. said yes, Lee Rush said no).

On the night of June 3, 1993, after Jessie Misskelley’s confession and arrest, three police officers went to the Misskelley home, secured the scene and waited for a search team to arrive. While they waited, the officers sat and talked with Jessie Misskelley Sr. and Lee Rush. All three officers testified that Lee Rush described recent crying fits by Jessie Jr.

Detective Charlie Dabbs wrote (mistakenly referring to Lee Rush as “Mrs. Misskelley”):

While sitting in their living room for approximately two hours, and during conversation Mr. and Mrs. Misskelley talked about different incidents. During the conversation, Mrs. Misskelley got to talking about how Jessie Jr. was waking her up at night crying and having nightmares. Every time she went into his room he would be crying hysterically and he would tell her it was because his girlfriend was moving away. She told us it happened a number of times, and that she could not believe his girlfriends’ moving would cause that kind of hysterical behavior, but that little Jessie had been acting strange.

Detective Tony Anderson similarly wrote:

During the course of this conversation Mrs. Misskelley made the statement, “I knew that something was wrong, a few nights ago little Jessie was in his room crying so loud and sobbing so hard that it woke me up, I went in and asked him what was wrong?, his reply was that his girl friend was moving to Florida.”

Another short period of time passed and Mrs. Misskelley made the same identical remarks again about little Jessie crying and waking her up!

Deputy Sheriff Howard Tankersley also wrote a brief report about that night.

If Lee Rush told the Paradise Lost filmmakers about Jessie’s crying jags, it ended up on the cutting room floor. Likewise, Mara Leveritt never mentions the name “Lee Rush” in Devil’s Knot.

Buddy Lucas recalls Jessie crying

Buddy Lucas told a detective that Jessie Misskelley had been crying on the morning of May 6 when he (Misskelley) recounted the murders.

Lucas – . . . he said no man I got to tell you something, and everything and he was breaking out in a sweat

Ridge – You said something about his eyes when we talked earlier what was it about his eyes

Lucas – They … They had water dropping from them

Ridge – He had been crying?

Lucas – Uh-huh something like that

* * *

Lucas – . . . All the suddenly he dropped them, and broke out in sweat, crying everything else, he said man take those shoes I don’t want to see them no more . . .

Lucas soon recanted this statement, then failed a polygraph, then recanted his recantation. WM3 supporters usually discount everything Lucas told authorities. To my mind, his account of Jessie crying rings true because it gibes with so many other accounts.

Jessie Misskelley cries during confession, recalls crying at the crime scene after murders

Bryn Ridge wrote a narrative report about the events of 6/3/93. Describing the post-polygraph, pre-tape-recording section of Jessie Misskelley’s interrogation, Ridge wrote:

Jessie told of on one occasion he had gone to the scene of the murders and sat down on the ground and cried about what had happened to the boys. He had tears in his eyes at this time telling about the incident. I felt that this was a remorseful response about the occurrence and that he had more information than what he had revealed up to this point.

At about 2:20 pm Jessie told inspector Gitchell that he was present at the time of the murders and began crying about what had happened. Jessie seemed to be sorry for what had happened and told that he had been there when the boys were first coming into the woods and were called by Damien to come over to where they were.

At this time myself and inspector Gitchell gave Jessie some time to compose himself and for me to compose myself due to the emotional situation that had just began. We then prepared for the interrogation to be taped.

By this account, Misskelley cried during the interrogation, and he visited the crime scene alone after the murders and cried.

Jessie Misskelley repeated this story in the first tape-recorded interview (without specifically mentioning crying):

DETECTIVE RIDGE: You’ve been back to this place since that murder?
*A187 MISSKELLEY: Mm-hmm.
DETECTIVE RIDGE: Since it took (unintelligible) place. What did you do while you were there? And be truthful.
*A188 MISSKELLEY: I went down there, I just sit there, and after what they did to the boys, I just sit there
DETECTIVE RIDGE: And did what?
*A189 MISSKELLEY: Just thought, what they, what happened to them real bad, I just thought.

* * *

DETECTIVE GITCHELL: When did you go back there? Out.
*A192 MISSKELLEY: Two or three days after it happened, and I left.
DETECTIVE RIDGE: You were there by yourself?
*A193 MISSKELLEY: I was there by myself.

WM3 supporters claim either that detectives Ridge and Gitchell lied about Jessie crying during the post-polygraph interview, or that Jessie cried for reasons unrelated to any involvement in the crime. And WM3 supporters claim that Jessie’s story of returning to the crime scene alone after the murders was a fabrication, part of the false story that detectives fed to Jessie and made him repeat back to them.