{"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 7: The Bloody Stranger at Bojangles","slug":"episode-7-the-bloody-stranger-at-bojangles","published_at":"2026-06-23T09:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/crooked-tree-a-west-memphis-3-podcast-7844947/episode-7-the-bloody-stranger-at-bojangles","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/crooked-tree-a-west-memphis-3-podcast-7844947","url":"https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/be93863218027f0db1c7c7567d0dfa95555eb8eceaa20cdf317072f2aaeeed23/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiIxNjgwNTg3YS02ODk4LTRiMTctYWEwOC03YjdmZGY0YjYyNDYiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiIzNmNkMjRlMC02NzEzLTQwNDgtYWY1Zi1lMjdjZGQ5Y2M1ODgiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2OTJjZjcyNGNkZmZkMjBmNjI3OGUyYzQiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmEzOWIxMmM2MmE3NjIwODlkN2VmMzBkL3BhdWxzLXN0dWRpby1XcXFWcS1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTYtMjNfXzAtMy0yNC5tcDMifQ==.mp3","audio_url":"https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/be93863218027f0db1c7c7567d0dfa95555eb8eceaa20cdf317072f2aaeeed23/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiIxNjgwNTg3YS02ODk4LTRiMTctYWEwOC03YjdmZGY0YjYyNDYiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiIzNmNkMjRlMC02NzEzLTQwNDgtYWY1Zi1lMjdjZGQ5Y2M1ODgiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2OTJjZjcyNGNkZmZkMjBmNjI3OGUyYzQiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmEzOWIxMmM2MmE3NjIwODlkN2VmMzBkL3BhdWxzLXN0dWRpby1XcXFWcS1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTYtMjNfXzAtMy0yNC5tcDMifQ==.mp3","summary":"In Episode 7 of Crooked Tree, Paul Day and Kristin Rich dive deep into one of the most infamous and controversial incidents in the West Memphis 3 case — the Bojangles Man. On the same night the three boys disappeared, a disoriented Black man, bleeding from one arm and wearing a cast/brace on the other, entered the women’s restroom at the Bojangles restaurant on North Missouri Street. Covered in mud and blood, he left behind a chaotic scene of blood on the walls, soiled clothes, and discarded sunglasses. Manager Marty King called police, Officer Regina Meek responded while actively searching for the missing children, and the next evening Detectives Allen and Ridge followed up — yet critical evidence was never properly collected or analyzed. Paul and Kristin examine the timeline, the physical evidence (and what was lost), inconsistencies in reports, the proximity to the crime scene via the Ten Mile Bayou Diversion Channel and railroad tracks, and why this lead has haunted the case for decades. Was this man connected to the murders? Why was the response so lackluster? And what does this say about the early investigation? A must-listen for anyone following the West Memphis 3 case, the original trial evidence, or alternate suspect theories. Listen now and join the discussion in our Facebook group. What do you think happened at Bojangles that night?","meta_description":"In Episode 7 of Crooked Tree, Paul Day and Kristin Rich dive deep into one of the most infamous and controversial incidents in the West Memphis 3 case — t…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2957,"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-7-the-bloody-stranger-at-bojangles/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-7-the-bloody-stranger-at-bojangles.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}