Episode
Episode 12: Sir Mikeal and the King
- Published
- Aug 4, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3222
- Processing state
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Summary
West Memphis suffered a devastating blow five years before the murders of Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch. In 1988, the burned bodies of seven-year-old Bianca Tirado and two-year-old Maximilian McCoy were discovered at a dump site. Their mother, Barbara McCoy, and companion Mary Williams were charged with capital murder amid allegations of religious extremism and beliefs that the children were possessed. The case dominated local and national headlines, left the community reeling, and kept talk of cults and the occult fresh in residents’ minds. When the three boys were found in 1993, those same fears resurfaced immediately. In this episode, Kristin and Paul examine the 1988 double homicide in detail—through contemporary newspaper accounts—and show how it shaped the atmosphere surrounding the West Memphis Three investigation. They then turn to two unusual newcomers living just steps from Devil’s Den: Sir Mikeal Williams, a Pentecostal minister, and his roommate King David Samuel Beasley. After a suspicious doorstep encounter during neighborhood canvassing, both men were brought in for questioning. The hosts walk through the police interviews, the men’s alibis (and the gaps in them), the religious symbols and behavior that raised red flags, lab evidence, and why these two figures continued to linger in investigators’ notes long after they were supposedly cleared. A look at how prior tragedy, community panic, and non-mainstream faith intersected in the early days of the case.