Highway to Hell

The continuation of the West Memphis 3 case with a travel itinerary in Memphis!!!

Want these episodes ad free? Subscribe to be a hellion at patreon.com/highwaytohellpodcast

Occasionally there's a story with so much to it and so much nuance, that we break it up into two pieces instead of making a three hour episode. So here is part one!
On May 5, 1993, three eight-year-old boys—Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers—were reported missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. Their bodies were discovered the next day in a drainage ditch in an area known as Robin Hood Hills. The boys had been beaten, bound, and mutilated. The brutality of the crime sparked community panic.
Police quickly focused on three local teenagers: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr., largely because Echols was interested in heavy metal culture and wore black clothing during the height of the “Satanic Panic.” Misskelley, who had an IQ below average and was interrogated for hours without a parent or lawyer, gave a highly inconsistent confession that he later recanted. No physical evidence linked the teenagers to the murders.
In 1994, the three were convicted—Misskelley and Baldwin received life sentences; Echols was sentenced to death. Over the next two decades, investigative journalists, forensic experts, and attorneys raised major concerns about coerced confessions, mishandled evidence, untested DNA, and alternate suspects.
New DNA testing (2007–2011) found no genetic material connecting any of the West Memphis Three to the crime scene. With growing legal pressure, the defendants entered Alford pleas in 2011, allowing them to maintain innocence while accepting time served. They were released after 18 years in prison.
The case remains controversial, with ongoing debate about wrongful conviction, police bias, and the influence of Satanic Panic on the investigation
Legal Documents & Court Records
Arkansas Supreme Court: Echols v. State (1996).

Arkansas Supreme Court: Misskelley v. State (1996).

Arkansas Supreme Court: Baldwin v. State (1996).

West Memphis Police Department investigation files.

DNA testing records submitted during 2007–2011 appeals.

2011 Alford Plea filings, Craighead County Circuit Court.

Books & Scholarly Works
Leveritt, Mara. Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three.

Baldwin, Jason; Echols, Damien; Misskelley Jr., Jessie. Life After Death (Echols memoir).

Hobbs, Pamela. “The West Memphis Three: Media, Moral Panic, and the Politics of Fear.” Journal of Southern Studies.

Burnett, Joe. The Case of the West Memphis Three: Wrongful Conviction and the American Justice System.

Documentaries & Investigative Journalism
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996).

Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000).

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011).

West of Memphis (2012).

Arkansas Times and Memphis Commercial Appeal investigative archives.

Forensic & Expert Analyses
Dr. Werner Spitz, forensic pathology evaluations (2007–2011).

Dr. Michael Baden, forensic analysis on post-mortem animal predation vs. mutilation.

FBI files and behavioral assessments (released through FOIA).

⚠️ Content Warning:
This episode contains discussion of extreme violence, sexual abuse, and the murder of minors. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

This episode examines the crimes of Dean Corll who operated in early 1970s in Houston, Corll, later dubbed “The Candyman”, used manipulation, coercion, and the assistance of two teenage accomplices to abduct, torture, and murder dozens of boys and young men.
We trace how Corll gained access to victims, the role his accomplices played, and how systemic failures—including ignored disappearances and marginalized victims—allowed the crimes to continue for years. The episode walks through the investigation that finally exposed the murders, the discovery of multiple burial sites, and the shocking moment when Corll’s killing spree ended not with arrest, but with his own death at the hands of an accomplice.

Welcome to our new release schedule! Midnight every Tuesday (we'll explain more next episode about the schedule change)
Want ad free episodes? Bonus content? Early access to merch?
Become a Hellion for $5 a month on patreon at patreon.com/highwaytohellpodcast

Opened in 1829, Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most radical and influential prison in the world. Built on the belief that isolation and silence would inspire penitence, it pioneered the “Pennsylvania System” of solitary confinement—an approach that quickly drew international attention and criticism. In practice, prolonged isolation caused severe psychological harm, mental breakdowns, and suicide attempts. Overcrowding, brutality, and abandonment eventually replaced reform, even as the prison housed infamous inmates like Al Capone before closing its doors in 1971.
Today, Eastern State stands as a decaying monument to failed penal philosophy—and one of the most notorious haunted locations in the United States. Guards, historians, and visitors have reported disembodied voices, echoing footsteps, shadow figures, cell doors slamming shut, and sudden waves of panic or despair. Paranormal activity is most frequently associated with Cellblock 12, Death Row, and the long-sealed isolation cells. This episode explores how extreme punishment, silence, and human suffering shaped Eastern State’s legacy—and why many believe the trauma embedded in its walls never truly faded.

Sources
Alexis de Tocqueville & Gustave de Beaumont, On the Penitentiary System in the United States
American Philosophical Society — archival exhibits on early incarceration and youth prisoners
Charles Dickens, American Notes for General Circulation (1842)
David J. Rothman, The Discovery of the Asylum
Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site — official archives & institutional history
Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site — Staff & Visitor Incident Reports
Eastern State Penitentiary Preservation Coalition — 1990s restoration records
Eastern State Penitentiary staff and guard incident reports — archived testimonies
Eastern State preservation staff interviews (1990s–2000s)
Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia — “Eastern State Penitentiary”
Harry Elmer Barnes, The Evolution of Penology in Pennsylvania
JSTOR — scholarly articles on prison discipline, solitary confinement, and the Pennsylvania System
Library Company of Philadelphia — archival materials on prison discipline and the iron gag
National Trust for Historic Preservation — Eastern State Penitentiary documentation
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections — Annual Reports (19th–20th centuries)
Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission records
Rebecca McLennan, The Crisis of Imprisonment
Scholarly discussions of “place memory” in carceral ruins
Scholarly literature on solitary confinement and mental health referencing Eastern State as a case study
The Philadelphia Inquirer — historical reporting and interviews related to Eastern State
University of Delaware — Finding Aid: Eastern State Penitentiary Medical Log Books, 1840–1868
U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence on prison conditions and the Eighth Amendment
WHYY — Philadelphia public media reporting on Eastern State history and paranormal accounts

Christmas Eve release for a Christmas Eve crime! Thank you so much for the love and support from new Hellions who have become followers and subscribers!
Follow us on IG at @highwaytohellpod
Topic you want to hear? [email protected]
On December 24, 2002, Laci Peterson, eight months pregnant, disappeared from her home in Modesto. Investigators uncovered inconsistencies in Scott Peterson’s statements and evidence of an extramarital affair. He told police he had gone fishing in San Francisco Bay the morning Laci vanished—where the remains of Laci and her unborn son, Conner, were discovered.
In 2004, Scott Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder for Laci and second-degree murder for Conner. Initially sentenced to death, his sentence was later reduced to life without the possibility of parole.
Sources:
48 Hours investigative reporting on the case timeline, marina evidence, and trial strategy (CBS News, 2003–2004).
ABC’s acquisition of taped phone calls between Amber Frey and Scott Peterson (entered as trial exhibits).
ABC News / Good Morning America exclusive interviews with Amber Frey and investigators (2003–2004).
Associated Press coverage of California Supreme Court ruling overturning death sentence (2020).
Associated Press coverage of the trial, verdict, and sentencing (2004–2005).
Autopsy reports (Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office), completed by Dr. Brian Peterson (sealed but publicly referenced in court).
Berkeley Marina parking records (Dec. 24, 2002).
California Attorney General, Respondent’s Briefs in People v. Peterson (Direct Appeal).
Cell phone records subpoenaed from December 2002–January 2003 (used in timeline reconstruction).
CNN coverage of investigation developments, body discovery, and trial timeline (2002–2004).
Court TV daily trial coverage including direct summaries from courtroom transcripts (2004).
Documented police inventories of evidence seized during arrest (vehicle contents).
FBI Trace Evidence Laboratory notes on mitochondrial DNA testing of hair recovered from the pliers.
Financial and property records documenting Peterson’s termination of lease, car sale, mail changes, and satellite cancellation.
Frey, Amber. Witness: For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson (2005).
GPS tracking logs and surveillance warrants issued January 2003 (Stanislaus County).
Habeas corpus petitions filed by Scott Peterson (2005–present).
KTVU, KRON, and Northern California regional broadcast reporting on discovery of remains at Point Isabel and Richmond shoreline (April 2003).
Law review articles discussing People v. Peterson, circumstantial evidence standards, and California’s application of Witherspoon/Witt in jury selection.
Los Angeles Innocence Project filings (2024–2025), including new-evidence submissions and requests for discovery.
Los Angeles Times investigative coverage of the disappearance, search efforts, autopsy details, and trial testimony (2002–2004).
Los Angeles Times reporting on Peterson appeals and developments (2005–2025).
Modesto Bee continuous local reporting from Dec. 24, 2002 onward (search efforts, discovery of remains, hearings, trial, verdict, sentencing, appeals).
Modesto Police Department missing person reports (Dec. 24–25, 2002).
Modesto Police Department press releases (2002–2003), including “Relationship Verified in Peterson Case” (Jan. 24, 2003).
NBC News reporting on the Supreme Court’s 2020 decision and subsequent resentencing.
NOAA & USGS tidal and hydrology data used by state experts during trial testimony.
People v. Peterson, 2020, California Supreme Court, S132449.
San Francisco Chronicle reporting on searches in SF Bay, tidal modeling testimony, and body discovery (April 2003).
San Francisco Chronicle courthouse reporting during jury deliberations and sentencing (2004).
San Mateo County Superior Court, People v. Scott Peterson, trial transcripts (2004).
Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office filings and responses in Scott Peterson post-conviction proceedings (2003–2025).