{"podcast":{"title":"Crooked Tree: A West Memphis 3 Podcast","slug":"crooked-tree-a-west-memphis-3-podcast-7844947","podcast_index_feed_id":7844947,"rss_url":"https://api.riverside.com/hosting/IrKJTEIs.rss","website_url":"https://x.com/CrookedTreePod?s=20","image_url":"https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/36cd24e0-6713-4048-af5f-e27cdd9cc588/logos/34a09a4c-2739-4603-9cf5-336ff84d4f8d.jpeg","author":"Paul Day and Kristin Rich","episode_count":20,"summary":"Welcome to this long-form podcast series on one of the most controversial and heavily debated true crime cases in American history: the West Memphis Three. In this series, Paul Day — victim advocate, evidence researcher, and longtime friend of the Byers family — teams up with Kristin Rich, a criminologist and victim advocate who has immersed herself in the case for years. Together, they embark on an in-depth journey that tells the story from the victims’ perspective. Focusing on the three eight-year-old boys — Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch — whose lives were tragically cut short on May 5, 1993, in West Memphis, Arkansas, Paul and Kristin draw on their extensive research, personal connections to the families, and deep knowledge of the victims’ personalities, family dynamics, and the West Memphis community. This series delivers fresh perspectives, previously undiscussed details, and thoughtful analysis that challenges surface-level narratives. Expect detailed timelines, evidence discussions, family insights, and open conversation as the hosts carefully unpack what happened that spring afternoon in 1993 — and why things were not as they first appeared. Whether y…","last_synced_at":"2026-09-09T02:17:33.235330+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/crooked-tree-a-west-memphis-3-podcast-7844947"},"episode":{"title":"Episode 10: Champagne, Cotten, and the Man on the Train","slug":"episode-10-champagne-cotten-and-the-man-on-the-train","published_at":"2026-07-22T02:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/crooked-tree-a-west-memphis-3-podcast-7844947/episode-10-champagne-cotten-and-the-man-on-the-train","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/crooked-tree-a-west-memphis-3-podcast-7844947","url":"https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/d4ad4063e32d4574121d53fa970c98c73405291d7c4a0dacecef6bfab0f93ef0/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiI4NWIwZjEzZC0xZDZlLTQ1M2ItODAyYS04OTc4ODVlZDliMWUiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiIzNmNkMjRlMC02NzEzLTQwNDgtYWY1Zi1lMjdjZGQ5Y2M1ODgiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2OTJjZjcyNGNkZmZkMjBmNjI3OGUyYzQiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE1ZmJkNjRiODRmZGUwNTI3MmVmODNkL3BhdWxzLXN0dWRpby1XcXFWcS1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTctMjFfXzIwLTQxLTQwLm1wMyJ9.mp3","audio_url":"https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/d4ad4063e32d4574121d53fa970c98c73405291d7c4a0dacecef6bfab0f93ef0/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiI4NWIwZjEzZC0xZDZlLTQ1M2ItODAyYS04OTc4ODVlZDliMWUiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiIzNmNkMjRlMC02NzEzLTQwNDgtYWY1Zi1lMjdjZGQ5Y2M1ODgiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2OTJjZjcyNGNkZmZkMjBmNjI3OGUyYzQiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE1ZmJkNjRiODRmZGUwNTI3MmVmODNkL3BhdWxzLXN0dWRpby1XcXFWcS1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTctMjFfXzIwLTQxLTQwLm1wMyJ9.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Crooked Tree, Kristin and Paul dive deep into the chaotic first days of the West Memphis Police Department’s investigation following the discovery of the three murdered boys. They examine the flurry of tips pouring in and the frantic pursuit of transients, truckers, bicyclists, and odd characters near the crime scene. From the detailed logs at the Blue Beacon truck wash and the overlooked Union 76 truck stop right by the trails, to the rapid follow-ups on individuals like Carroll Coleman, Gary Chadwick, Paul Champagne, John Connolly/James Barry, Tim Cotten, and several others, this episode lays bare how the early investigation unfolded—full of promising leads, quick clearances, lingering questions, and the heavy reliance on polygraphs and thin alibis in those critical first days. Kristin and Paul analyze timelines, physical evidence possibilities, investigative gaps, and how the focus began shifting. If you’ve ever wondered what the police were actually doing before names like Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley dominated the case, this detailed walkthrough of the raw early files is essential listening.","meta_description":"In this episode of Crooked Tree, Kristin and Paul dive deep into the chaotic first days of the West Memphis Police Department’s investigation following th…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3564,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/crooked-tree-a-west-memphis-3-podcast-7844947/episodes/episode-10-champagne-cotten-and-the-man-on-the-train/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/crooked-tree-a-west-memphis-3-podcast-7844947/episode-10-champagne-cotten-and-the-man-on-the-train.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}