Terrifying America

Sorry this post is late I meant to post it last week. But with the heat lately I did not feel like sitting at my desktop or laptop computer. I defiantly can't wait til Summer is over. But here is the post finally. I had to trim it down some to get in as much important info I could. Enjoy all!!

Terrifying Murders: The West Memphis 3 case

West Memphis Three

May 5th 1993 would be a day that several people would remember for the rest of their lives. This is a day that would change so many lives for the wrong reason. On this day Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers all 8 years old were reported missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. Byer's adoptive father John Mark Byers was the first one to report to the police around 7:00pm when Christopher did not return home.The three boys were last seen together by three neighbors who all said they saw the boys playing together around 6:30pm. The neighbors who spotted the boys also recalled seeing Terry Hobbs(Steve Branch's stepfather) call for the boys to come home. The initial police search that night was limited. Friends and neighbors conducted a search that night, which included a cursory visit to the location where the boys bodies would later be found. On May 6th at 8:00am police did a more thorough search for the three boys. The search was lead by the Crittenden County Search and Rescue personnel. Despite a shoulder-to-shoulder search of Robin Hood Hills by a human chain, searchers found no signs of the missing boys. Around 1:45pm on May 6th juvenile Police Officer Steve Jones spotted what was a boy's black shoe floating in a muddy creek that lead to a major drainage canal in Robin Hood Hills. After a search of the ditch the bodies of Steve Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers were found. The boys had been stripped naked and were hogtied with the shoelaces from their own shoes, their right ankles were tied to their right wrists behind their backs, the same with the left arms and legs. Their clothing was found in the creek some of it was twisted around sticks that had been thrusted into the muddy ditch bed. The clothing was mostly turned inside-out, two pairs of the boys underwear was never recovered. Christopher Byers had lacerations to various parts of his body and mutilation of his sc***um and p***s.

Autopsy on the boys done by pathologist Frank J. Peretti indicated Byers died of multiple injuries. While autopsy sho0wed Moore and Branch died of multiple injuries with drowning. Police at first thought that the three boys were r***d since they were found n**e. However, later expert testimony disputed this finding by police. Trace amounts of s***m DNA were found on a pair of pants recovered from the scene. Persecution experts claim Byer's wounds were the results of a knife attack and that he had been purposely castrated by the murderer. Defense experts claim the injuires were most likely the results of post-mortem animal predation. Police believed the boys were assaulted and killed at the location where their bodies were found. Critics argued that the assault, at least, was unlikely to have occurred at the creek. Byers was the only victim to have drugs in his system since he was prescribed Ritalin in January 1993 as treatment for ADHD. The initial autopsy report describes the drug as Carbamazepine and the dosage at a sub-ther**eutic level. His father had said that Byers may not have taken his pill on May 5th 1993.

While everyone mourned the lost of the three boys the police were working to find out who had taken these 3 boys from their families. Early in the investigation two West Memphis teenagers were looked at as suspects. Those teenagers were Chris Morgan and Brian Holland who both had a history of drug offenses. The two teenagers had abruptly left for Oceanside, California four days after the three bodies were found. Morgan was to be at least casually familiar with the three boys, having previously driven an ice cream truck route in their neighborhood. Both Morgan and Holland were arrested in California on May 17th, 1993 they both took a polygraph test that was administered by California police. Examiners reported that both of the teenager's charts indicated deception when they denied involvement in the murders. During subsequent questioning. Morgan claimed a long history of drug and alcohol use, along with blackouts and memory lapses. He claimed he "might have" killed the victims but quickly recanted this part of his statement. California police sent blood and urine samples from Morgan and Holland to the WMPD, but there is no indication WMPD investigated Morgan or Holland as suspects following their arrest in California. The relevance of Morgan's recanted statement would later be debated in trial, but it was eventually barred from admission as evidence.
During the evening of May 5th 1993 at 8:42pm workers at the Bojangles restaurant which, was about a mile from the crime scene reported seeing a black male who seemed "mentally disoriented" inside of the restaurants ladies bathroom. The man was bleeding and had brushed against the bathroom walls. Officer Regina Meeks responded to the call, taking the restaurant manager's report through the eatery's drive-through window. By then, the man had left and police did not enter the restroom that day. The day after the boys bodies were found, Marty King the manager of the Bojangles restaurant thought there was a possible connection to the bleeding man found in the bathroom. Marty reported the incident to the police officers who then inspected the ladies bathroom. The man reportedly wore a "blye cast type brace on his arm that had white velcro on it", which would have made it difficult to tie up and murder three young boys. King gave the officers a pair of sunglasses he thought the man had left behind, and detectives took some blood samples from the walls and tiles of the bathroom. Police detective Bryn Ridge testified that he later lost those blood scrapings. A hair identified as belonging to a black male was later recovered from a sheet wrapped around one of the victims.
Then we have Jessie Misskelley, Jr who was 17, Jason Baldwin who was 16 years old and Damien Echols who was 18 years old who became the focus of the police. Baldwin and Echols were previously arrested for vandalism and shoplifting respectively, and Misskelley had a reputation for his temper and for engaging in fistfights with other teenagers at school. Misskelley and Echols had dropped out of school, however, Baldwin earned high grades and demonstrated a talent for drawing and sketching, and was encouraged by one of his teacher to study graphic design in college. Echols and Baldwin were close friends, and bonded over their similar tastes in music and fiction, and over their shared of distaste for the prevailing culture climate of West Memphis, situated in the Bible Belt. Echols family was poor, received frequent visits from social workers and he rarely attended school. He and a girlfriend had run off and later broken into a trailer during a rain storm, they were arrested, though only Echols was charged with burglary.Echols spent several months in a mental institution in Arkansas and afterward received "full disability" status from the Social Security Administration, During Echols trial, Dr. George W. Woods testified(for the defense) that Echols suffered from a serious mental illness characterized by grandiose and persecutory delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, disordered thought process, substantial lack of insight, and chronic, incapacitating mood swings. At his death penalty sentencing hearing Echols psychologist reported that months before the murders, Echols had claimed that he obtained super powers by drinking human blood.At the time of his arrest, Echols was working part-time with a roofing company and expecting a child with his girlfriend, Domini Teer.

Police officers James Sudbury and Steve Jones felt that the murders had a cult overtone to it. Damnien Echols might have been a suspect because he had an interest in occultism and Jones felt Echols was capable of murdering children. During a May 9th interview by Detective Bryn Ridge, Echols mentioned that one of the victims had wounds to the ge****ls; Law enforcement would of course find this knowledge very incriminating. After had a passed with very little progress in the case police focused on Echols. Echols was interrogated more frequently than any other person. Police claimed he was not regarded as a direct suspect but a source of information. Polce later interrogated Jessie Misskelley Jr. Despite his reported IQ of 72 and his status as a minor. When Misskelley was questioned his parents were not with him when they should have been. Misskelley's father gave permission for him to go with police but not to be interrogated. Misskelley was questioned for 12 hours straight. Only two segments which totaled 46 minutes were recorded. Misskelley would later recant his confession stating intimidation, coercion, fatigue, and veiled threats from police. Misskelley stated he was scared of the police during his supposed confession. Shortly after Misskelley's first confession, police arrested Echols and his close friend Baldwin. Eight months after his original confession, on February 17, 1994, Misskelley made another statement to police. His lawyer, Dan Stidham, remained in the room and continually advised Misskelley not to say anything. Misskelley ignored this advice and went on to detail how the boys were abused and murdered. Stidham, who was later elected to a municipal judgeship, has written a detailed critique of what he asserts are major police errors and misconceptions during their investigation. Stidham made similar comments during a radio show interview in May 2010. Police so badly needed to solve this case they had nothing but assumptions and a false confession from the three suspects. Police would later recruit Vicki Hutcheson to help put away Balwdin, Echols, and Misskelley. She was taking a polygraph to determine if she stole money from her new job when her young son Aaron made comments that got police's attention. Aaron who was a playmate of the victims claimed to have witnessed the murders saying he saw them get killed at "the playhouse". Aaron claimed the murders were committed by a Satanists who spoke Spanish. Aaron's further statements were wildly inconsistent yet police still went with this. June 1st, 1993 Hutcheson agreed to police suggestion to put a hidden microphone in her home during an encounter with Echols and Misskelley. Police stated the recording was "inaudible" Hutcherson would later say the audio was audible. Later in 2003 Vicki Hutcheson would state every word she had given to police was fabricated. She asserted that police had implied that if she did not cooperate with them they would take her child away. She said when she visited the police station police had photographs of the 3 suspects throwing darts at them.She also claims that an audiotape the police said was "unintelligible" (and that they eventually lost) was perfectly clear and contained no incriminating statements.Misskelley, Baldwin and Echols would sit in prison until their trial. There were two separate trials. Misskelley was tried alone on February 5th, 1994 he was convicted by a jury of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to life plus 40 years in prison. Three weeks after Misskelley's conviction and sentenced Echols and Baldwin would go on trial together. On March 19th, 1994 Echols and Baldwin would be found guilty on three counts of murder. Echols was sentenced to death while Balwdin got life in prison.

After the 3 suspects were behind bars things did not stop there. Many would have criticism of how police handled the investigation and the crime scene. Many believed that the police were so careless with the crime scene that many potential evidence was destroyed. The bodies which were originally found in the water had been removed before the corner got there. Many believe because of that time of death could of been wrong. Many think because of the lack of blood at the crime scene means the three boys were not killed there but killed elsewhere and brought there. As the years went on Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley would fight for their freedom. HBO would make 2 documentaries on this case Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000). During the filming of Paradise Lost cameraman Doug Cooper(who was working with documentary makers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky) was given a knife by John Mark Byers who was the step/adoptive father of Christopher Bryers. When the crew got back to NY Berlinger and Sinofsky had discovered what would be blood on the knife. HBO executives ordered them to return the knife to West Memphis police. John Byers first stated the knife had never been used, when confronted about the blood he later stated it was deer blood. Later DNA tests would reveal that the blood on the knife mated the blood type of both Chris and John. John would later claim he cut his thumb on the knife.Further testing of the knife produced inconclusive results about the source of the blood. Uncertainty remained due to the small amount of blood and because both John Mark Byers and Chris Byers had the same HLA-DQα genotype.

The years would keep going as Jessie MIsskelley, Damien Echols, and Jason Baldwin fought for their freedom. They were not alone in this fight either as many believe all three were indeed innocent and police got it wrong. Even several family members of the victims would fight for their freedom. Rick Murray(biological father of Christopher Bryers and Pamela Hobbs(the mother of Stevie Branch would join the fight in releasing the suspects as they believed they were innocent. Finally after a long hard fought battle on August 19th, 2011 Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley would get their freedom. They would each enter an Alford please to lesser charges of first- and second-degree murder while verbally stating their innocence. Judge Laser would sentenced them to time served which was 18 years and 78 days. They were given a suspended imposition of sentence for 10 years if they re-offend they could be sent back to prison for 21 years. All three were released that very day they were finally able to walk as free men.

After gaining their freedom each one would go on to live their life having their freedom. All three are in their 40s. Damien Echols moved out of West Memphis he would later marry Lorri Davis(who had written to him while he was prison)in 1999. Before going to prison Echols ex-girlfriend Domini Teer was pregnant at the time. She would give birth to a son named Damien Seth while Damien was in prison. Jason Baldwin moved to Texas where he co-founded Proclaim Justice, which helps the wrongfully convicted. He's also since said that the HBO documentary, Paradise Lost, is likely the main reason why the West Memphis Three was released from prison. He believes that it helped others see the lack of evidence tying the then-teenagers to the case. Not much is known about Jessie Misskelley's life after he was released from prison. In 2017, he was arrested after a series of traffic violations, but he was not returned to prison. Reports have also surfaced that he's since been working in construction. The three do not appear to be in contact with one another.

Damien Echols in 2021 stated he would not give up seeking any evidence that remained so it could be retested to exonerate the three and lead to those actually responsible. In response to Echols' requests since early 2020 that remaining evidence undergo specialized DNA testing, officials told his legal team that such evidence had been lost or destroyed years ago in a fire, of which there is no public record. A FOIA request was submitted and the receiving attorney said any evidence testing would have to be ordered by a judge. Echols attorneys filed a Motion for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief in the Circuit Court of Crittendon County First Division, and asked for an expedited hearing. In December 2021, Echols' team was able to review remaining evidence and planned to move forward with new testing. In June 2022, a judge rejected a January request for DNA testing of the evidence.Echols' lawyers appealed the case to the Arkansas Supreme Court in January 2023. The state said in February that the appeal should be dismissed because the case was initially filed in the wrong county – Crittenden rather than Craighead County, where Echols' conviction was entered. In March, Echols' team responded that such a dismissal reason is irrelevant because both counties are within Arkansas' 2nd Judicial Circuit. In April 2023, the state supreme court ruled in favor of Echols' appeal for DNA testing.

Decades after everything that has happened many people are still affected by a crime that has changed so many lives. Three families had to live on without their loved ones with them. Three people have to deal with the aftermath of being wrongly accused of murder.This has left many wondering who indeed did kill Steve Edward Branch, Christopher Mark Byers, and James Michael Moore? Was it the stranger spotted with blood on him at a restaurant that day? Did Christopher Byers step father have something to do with it? Was there one or more murders? Hopefully someday we will finally get the answers to these questions. Rest In Paradise sweet angels Steve Edward Branch, Christopher Mark Byers, and James Michael Moore.

I’m sorry it is taking me awhile to get the West Memphis 3 case. I tried to post it earlier but I have to do some editing since Facebook wouldn’t publish it. Plus it has been hot where I live in WV so I haven’t felt like being on my desktop. I should have it up Monday or Tuesday night.

Update: CARLEE HAS BEEN FOUND ALIVE!! SHE IS CURRENTLY AT THE HOSPITAL I DON’T KNOW ALL DETAILS I JUST KNOW SHE WAS FOUND ALIVE!! PRAYING FOR A SAFE RECOVERY FOR HER! 🙏🏻

SHARE THIS VIDEO EVERYWHERE YOU CAN TO HELP FIND CARLEE RUSSELL. CARLEE WAS LAST SEEN THURSDAY JULY 13TH WHEN SHE STOPPED TO HELP A TODDLER SHE SAW WALKING ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. WHEN THE TIME POLICE SHOWED UP CARLEE’S CAR & SEVERAL OF HER ITEMS WERE THERE. BUT CARLEE & THE TODDLER WERE GOME. SHARE THIS EVERYWHERE YOU CAN TO HELP FIND CARLEE!

TikTok · Marquis 631.5K likes, 65.6K comments. “My sister is missing and not getting National coverage. Like, share, comment, and help get her story the attention it deserves.”

Something happened to where the West Memphis 3 case didn't post last night like it should have. I will look over everything again to make sure there is no needed corrections and try to get the case up tonight.

I will have the West Memphis 3 case up Saturday night. Until then here is a short scary story.

Terrifying Scary Short Story: Who’s in my bed?

A father went to say good night to his son, as it was routine since he knew his son would have trouble sleeping if he didn’t. It was a sort of silent tradition between them, one he never forgot to attend. The room was dimly lit by the lamp, but the father could clearly see there was something unusual about the kid tonight. He looked the same, just with a huge grin that drew from ear to ear.

“You okay, buddy?” he asked. The son nodded, still grinning, before saying, “Daddy, check for monsters under my bed.” The father chuckled and got on his knees to take a look. There, under the bed, was his son. His real son. Pale, trembling, and scared to death. He whispered, “Daddy, there’s someone on my bed.”

So since I only got 2 votes on the poll I will pick between the 2 that was voted for. I think for my next post I will do the West Memphis 3 case. I will try to get that post up later tonight or sometime tomorrow! Until then I will look for more stories to post here!

Thank you for enjoying my page and for sticking with me. I appreciate it so much! Hoping to make more exciting posts for you soon! - Christen.

Terrifying Short Scary Stories: The Cabin

A hiker decided to go on a hike by himself. Something he was not very used to. The whole day was normal. Trees and bushes engulfed his surroundings. He enjoyed being outdoors in the mountains. Nothing seemed strange to him, that was until he was making his way back to his car. He figured an eight hour hike was good enough. The sky was already getting dark and he needed to get back, fast. What was odd was how much he didn’t recognize the trail back. He began to panic.

Night had already taken over and all he had was a flashlight and no clue on how to get back. He knew it was already too late and too dangerous to keep going through the perilous forest. He began to worry that he would have no shelter for the night when almost luckily enough, he stumbled across a broken-down cabin. It was dark, and seemed like no one had visited it in years, but he knew it was the only place where he could rest until daylight, especially since his flashlight was running out of battery. He knocked on the door a few times but no one answered, so he let himself in where strangely enough, a perfect bed fitted for one person awaited him in the center. He knew that if the owner came back he could explain himself, he was sure that the owner wouldn’t mind, or was even probably dead. So he went ahead and got himself comfortable in bed. As he tried to sleep, he couldn’t ignore the collection of paintings around the room; portraits of strange looking people all peering at him, each wearing a smile that sent chills up his spine. Not too long after his exhaustion from the hike got the best of him and he was able to ignore the faces.

The next morning he got up early and was shocked to see that there were no paintings around the room, but windows…

Don’t worry guys I have not forgotten about you all. Since I am doing a post for JonBenet there is a lot of information to go through. I don’t want to make a huge post so I am trying to figure out what to include and such. Of course everything about her murder will be included. But I will hopefully have the post done soon as I figure it out.

Until then if you have any suggestions on what you would like to see here let me know. Any myths, legends, murders, or hauntings that have happened in America please feel free to let me know. I would love to do worldwide but sadly Facebook will not let me to change the name. So it has to stay Terrifying America which I don’t mind. Maybe someday i can include a special out of America post. For now send any suggestions for anything terrifying in America.

Hello everyone!! I know I haven’t posted anything since June and I am sorry for that. For a bit I could not get into this page. Then the holiday season started and I was busy. I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I hope 2023 brings everyone many wonderful things. I am going to try to be on this page more. I am working on my next post now. I am going to post about that murder of JonBenét Ramsey. I don’t think I have done anything for her yet so that is my next post. Also going to start working on more hauntings. Trying to figure out what place to do. But more posts are coming so stay tuned everyone! & Happy New Year!!

Terrifying Murders- The Murder of Brandon Teena

Brandon Teena was born on December 12, 1972, in Lincoln, Nebraska to single mother JoAnn Brandon. Teena’s father passed away in a car accident 8 months before Teena was born. Brandon along with his older sister Tammy lived with their maternal grandmother in Lincoln, before their mother reclaimed them. Brandon was 3 years old and his sister Tammy was 6 years old when their mother reclaimed them. JoAnn along with Brandon and Tammy lived in the Pine Acre Mobile Home Park in northeast Lincoln, JoAnn at this time received disability checks and also worked as a clerk in a women’s retail store to support the family. Both Brandon and Tammy were s*xually abused by their uncle for several of years. Brandon sought counseling for this abuse in 1991. JoAnn would remarry once from 1975 to 1980. Brandon’s family described him as a tomboy since early childhood. Brandon began identifying as a male during adolescence and dated a female student during this period. Although on several occasions Brandon claimed to be inters*x. Brandon’s mother rejected his male identity and continued to refer to him as her daughter. This even continued after Brandon’s death as JoAnn had Brandon’s birth name (Teena Brandon) put on the headstone.

Brandon and his sister Tammy attended St. Mary’s Elementary School and Pius X High School in Lincoln, where Brandon was remembered by some as being socially awkward. During his second year, Brandon rejected Christianity after he protested to a priest at Pius X regarding Christian views on abstinence and homos*xuality. Brandon also began to rebel at school by violating the school dress code policy to dress more masculine. During the first semester of Brandon’s senior year, a U.S Army recruiter visited the high school, the recruiter encouraged students to enlist in the armed forces. Brandon enlisted in the US Army shortly after his 18th birthday, and hope to serve a tour of duty in Operation Desert Shield. However, Brandon failed the written entrance exam by listing his s*x as male instead of female.

In December of 1990, Brandon went to Holiday Skate park with his friends he would bind his breast in order to pass as male. The 18 year old Brandon went on a date with a 13 year old girl. During this time he also met the girl’s 14 year old friend Heater, and began to regularly present himself as male. During the months of his nearing high school graduation Brandon became unusually outgoing and was remembered by classmates as a “class clown”. Brandon at this time also began to skip school and got failing grades. Brandon was expelled from Pius X High School in June 1991, three days before he would graduate high school.

During the summer of 1991, Brandon began his first major relationship, with Heather. Shortly after that Brandon was first employed as a gas station attendant in order to purchase a mobile home for himself and Heater. JoAnn however didn’t approve of the relationship and convinced Tammy to follow Brandon to find out if Brandon’s relationship with Heather was platonic or s*xual. In January 1992 Brandon underwent a psychiatric evaluation, which concluded that Brandon had an severe s*xual identity crisis. Brandon was later taken to the Lancaster County Crisis Center in order to ensure that he wasn’t suicidal. Brandon was released from the ceneter three days later and began attending therapy sessions, which sometimes he was accompanied by his mother or sister. Brandon was reluctant to discuss his s*xuallity during these sessions but he eventually revealed that he had been r***d. The counseling sessions ended two weeks later. In 1993, after getting into some legal trouble, Brandon moved to the Falls City region of Richardson County, Nebraska, where he presented himself as a man. Brandon became friends with several of the local residents. After moving into the home of Lisa Lambert, Brandon began to date Lambert’s 18 year-old friend Lana Tisdel and began associating with ex-convicts John L. Lotter and Marvin Thomas “Tom” Nissen. On December 19, 1993, Brandon was arrested for forging checks; Tisdel used money from her father to pay Brandon’s bail. After finding out Brandon was in the female section of the jail Tisdel learned that Brandon was transgender. When Tisdel questioned Brandon about his gender, he told her he was a hermaphrodite pursuing a s*x change operation, and they continued to date. Later on in a lawsuit Tisdel would dispute this information. Brandon’s arrest was posted in the local paper under his birth name and thus his acquaintances learned Brandon was assigned female at birth.

During an Christmas Eve party in 1993, Nissen and Lotter grabbed Brandon and forced him to remove his pants, proving to Tisdel that Brandon had a v***a. Tisdel looked only when forced to and said nothing. Lotter and Nissen later assaulted Brandon and forced him into a car. They drove to an area by a meat-packing plant in Richardson Country, where they assaulted and gang-r***d him. They then returned to Nissen’s home where Brandon was ordered to take a shower. Brandon escaped from Nissen’s bathroom by climbing out the window and went to Tisdel’s house. He was convinced by Tisdel to file a police report, though Nissen and Lotter wanted Brandon not to tell the police about the gang r**e or they would “silence him permanently”. Brandon went to the ER where a standard r**e kit was assembled, but later lost. Sheriff Charles B. Laux questioned Brandon about the r**e; reportedly, he seemed especially interested in Brandon’s transgender status, to the point Brandon found his questions to be rude and unncessary to where Brandon refused to answer.

Marvin Nissen and John Lotter later learned of the report, and began to search for Brandon. They did not find him, and three days later, the police questioned them. Sheriff Laux declined to have them arrested because “What kind of person was she? The first few times we arrested her she was putting herself off as a guy.”

At 1:00 a.m on December 31st, 1993, Marvin Nissen and John Lotter drove to Lisa Lambert’s house and broke in. They found Lisa in bed and demanded she tell them where Brandon was. Lambert refused to tell them where Brandon was. Nissen searched and found Brandon hiding under the bed. The men asked Lisa if there was anyone else in the house, and Lisa replied that Phillip DeVine, who at the time was dating Tisdel’s sister, was staying with her. Nissen and Lotter would then shoot Phillip, Lisa, and Brandon in front of Lisa’s toddler. Nissen later testified in court that he noticed Brandon was twitching, and asked Lotter for a knife, with which Nissen stabbed Brandon in the chest, to ensure that he was dead. Nissen and Lotter left later being arrested and charged with the murders. Brandon was 21 years old when he was murdered.

Brandon is buried in Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska, his headstone is inscribed with his birth name and the epitaph daughter, sister, & friend.

Nissen accused Lotter of committing the murders. In exchange for a reduced sentence, Nissen admitted to being an accessory to the r**e and murder. Nissen testified against Lotter and was sentenced to life in prison. Lotter denied the veracity of Nissen’s testimony, and his testimony was discredited. The jury found Lotter guilty and he was sentenced to death. Lotter and Nissen both appealed their convictions. In Septemeber 2007, Nissen recanted his testimony against Lotter. He claimed that he was the only one who shot Teena and that Lotter had not committed the murders. In 2009, Lotter’s appeal using Nissen’s new testimony to ssert a claim of innocence, was rejected by the Nebraska Supreme Court, which held that since even under Nissen’s revised testimony both Lotter and Nissen were involved in the murder, the specific idently of the shooter was legally irrelevant. In August 2011, a three-judge panel of the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected John Lotter’s appeal in spite of decision. In October 2011, the Eighth Circuit rejected Lotter’s request for a rehearing by the panel or the full Eighth Circuit en banc. Lotter next petitioned the Supreme Court of the U.S. for a review of his case. The Supreme Court declined to review Lotter’s case, denying his petition for writ of certiorari on March 19th, 2012 and a further petition for rehearing on April 23rd, 2012, leaving his conviction to stand. On January 22nd, 2018 Lotter was denied a third appeal by the U.S Supreme Court. Both Nissen and Lotter remain in prison to this day with Lotter still on death row.

JoAnn Brandon sued Richardson County and Sheriff Laux for failing to prevent Teena's death, as well as being an indirect cause. She won the case, which was heard in September 1999 in Falls City, and was awarded $80,000. District court judge Orville Coady reduced the amount by 85 percent based on the responsibility of Nissen and Lotter, and by one percent for Brandon's alleged contributory negligence. is led to a remaining judgment of responsibility against Richardson County and Laux of $17,360.97. In 2001, the Nebraska Supreme Court reversed the reductions of the earlier award reinstating the full $80,000 award for "mental suffering", plus $6,223.20 for funeral costs. In October 2001, the same judge awarded the plaintiff an additional $12,000: $5,000 for wrongful death, and $7,000 for the intentional infliction of emotional distress. Laux was also criticized after the murder for his attitude toward Teena – at one point, Laux referred to Brandon as "it".After the case was over, Laux served as commissioner of Richardson County and later as part of his community's council before retiring as a school bus driver. He has refused to this day to speak about his actions in the case and swore at one reporter who contacted him for a story on the murder's twentieth anniversary.

In 1991 Brandon Teena became the subject of a biographical film entitled Boys Don’t Cry, a film directed by Kimberly Peirce and starring Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena and Chloe Sevigny as Lana Tisdel. Hilary Swank won an Academy Award for her role as Brandon. Chole Sevigny was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Tisdel. Lana Tisdel sued the producers of the film for unauthorized use of her name and likeness before the film’s release. She claimed the film depicted her as “lazy, white trash, and a sk**ky snake”. Tisdel also claimed that the film falsely portrayed that she continued the relationship with Brandon after she discovered Brandon was transgender. Lana Tisdel settled her lawsuit against the movie’s distributor for an undisclosed sum.

JoAnn Brandon publicly objected to the media referring to her child as "he" and "Brandon". Following Hilary Swank's Oscar acceptance speech, JoAnn Brandon took offense at Swank for thanking "Brandon Teena" and for referring to him as a man. "That set me off", said JoAnn Brandon. "She should not stand up there and thank my child. I get tired of people taking credit for what they don't know." However, in 2013, JoAnn told a reporter that she accepted Teena being referred to as transgender in the media. Although she was unhappy with the way Boys Don't Cry portrayed the situation, she said about the film, "It gave them [gay and transgender advocates] a platform to voice their opinions, and I'm glad of that. There were a lot of people who didn't understand what it was [Teena] was going through. We've come a long way." When asked how the murder affects her life today, JoAnn replied, "I wonder about how my life would be different if she was still here with me. She would be such a joy to have around. She was always such a happy kid. I imagine her being a happy adult. And if being happy meant Teena living as a man, I would be fine with that."