Charles Jason Baldwin was born April 11, 1977, in Memphis. He was the first born child of Angela (Gail) and Larry Baldwin. They had a platonic relationship that blossomed into romance. They were second cousins.

Jason spent his childhood bouncing from neigborhood to neighborhood. His father left the family when he was very young, Jason grew up under the care of his mother and step-father, Terry Grinnell. As Jason got older he developed a taste for heavy metal music. His black concert T-shirts advertised his favorite bands, such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Megadeth.

Jason wasn't much of a student, he distinguished himself with drawing. Using pencils, he drew complex, detailed images of eagles, owls, and other animals. He also drew snakes, skeletons, and other images that news accounts would later describe as lurid and macabre.

His family profile reads like so many kids in late twenthieth century America. His parent were divorced. He lived in a variety of homes in the lower-middle class neighborhoods, often unsupervised. He made friends with boys of a similar strip. They like heavy metal music, girls, and video games.

Five years before the murders, one teacher would recall that he was a pretty good student. His mother said he was improving at school, but papers seized form his school locker by police show a kid full of opinions, but unwilling to work.

The family settled into a fairly quite life at Lakeshore Estates. On January 13, 1990, Jason and some other kids broke into a shop full of vintage cars and equipment. They destroyed some of the cars by smashing the glass and the vent of a 1969 Cadillac. Jason, who was almost 13 years-old at the time of the incident, would admit to breaking some headlights, but also pointed the finger to another kid. He was charged with breaking and entering and criminal mischief. In juvenile court, he was placed on probation and ordered to pay nearly $450 in restitution. Acting on behalf of the juvenile court was the prosecuting attorney, John Fogleman. Nearly three years later, he was caught stealing a bag of potato chips and a 32 ounce bag of M&M's from the local Walgreens in West Memphis. He admitted to the shoplifting charge and was placed on 12 months diversion of judgement ending January 1994. These are the only recorded brushes with the law before the West Memphis killings.

The Grinnell-Baldwin family were working people, holding low paying jobs. Terry and Gail tried their best with their three boys - Jason, Matt, and Terry's son Terry Jr. Until Jason's arrest, the family's most serious problem were Gail's bouts with depression. His mothers travails affected Jason. In a school assignment, students were asked to write their thoughts about a girl who had attempted suicide. Jason wrote:
"I didn't know the girl very well. I seen her around every now and then, but I know how the people around her feel, because once my mother tried to commit suicide, and I know how I felt when that happened. It was pretty devastating since I was the one who found her and called 911 and kept her alive. But I am lucky, my mother is well and happy now and so am I."

According to probate record, Gail was admitted to the East Arkansas Regional Mental Health Center for a period not to exceed forty-five days. The February 5th order cited "paranoid delusions", noting Grinnell had been seen four times that January in the emergency room at Crittenden County Memorial Hospital, where she was treated for self inflicted injuries that included razor slashes to her neck and arms. She would tell authorities that she had "hallucinations of a male voice", and was afraid she was dying of AIDS.

During all of this, her boys tried to maintain some level of normalcy. There wasn't a whole lot to do in the small town, thay spent most of their time at the VFW pool, riding their bikes, or playing with their black mutt, Barry.

Terry Grinnell wasn't the strictist of disciplinarians. According to Matt, he did not strick the boys. Sometimes he yelled, he often talked to loud, and "He got on my nerves" Matt would say. Jason didn't much care for Terry. He rarely listened to him and found him annoying. But the brothers got along very well.

Over and over, Jason was described by neighbors as a shy, artistic young man. Polite, courteous, and responsible. Despite the run-ins with the law, no one considered Jason a troublemaker.

In the months before his arrest, Jason had won a plaque for his artistic ability. His mother said that he had recieved an improvement card for his studies.

After the arrest, his brother Matt and Jason's girlfriend came to his defense. They said that Jason had no involvement the occult and was very fond of animals. When it was reported in the media that Jason might have eaten the leg of a dog. One of Jason's interest, he said, was veterinary science.

Gail's advise that Jason not speak to police became a foretelling of how later events would unfold. Standing on the Fifth Admendment, he never got his story across.

Jason is now serving his life plus fory year sentence in the Grimes Unit in Newport, Arkansas. He is well liked by his fellow inmates and staff. He serves as a teachers aid and spends his time writing poetry. He looks forward to visits from his girfriend, Sara.

If you wish to write Jason Baldwin:

C. Jason Baldwin
#10335 Grimes Unit
PO Box 6500
Wackenhut Way
Newport, AR 72112