Free the West Memphis Three
{litebox album=|colo| title=|Damien Echols|}images/stories/damien_thewm3.gif{/litebox}{litebox album=|colo| title=|Jessie Misskelley|}images/stories/jessie_thewm3.gif{/litebox}{litebox album=|colo| title=|Jason Baldwin|}images/stories/jason_thewm3.gif{/litebox}
Free The West Memphis Three
This case I have been following for a very long time is that of the West Memphis Three. It is a sad case from all angles. James Moore, Steven Brand and Christopher Byers were found mutilated and murdered in The Robin Hood Hills woods in West Memphis, Arkansas. Damien Echols, Jesse Misskelley and Jason Baldwin are arrested shortly afterwards, and the police assured everyone that the killers were in custody.
The police then coerced a “confession” from Jesse Misskelley Jr., who is mentally handicapped. They put him through a rigorous 12 hour interrogation, without legal council or parental consent, only choosing to tape record certain parts of the questioning, totaling only 46 minutes. What happened to the other 12 hours?
Later that night Jesse recanted his confession, but by that point it was too late. Jesse Misskelley, Damien Echols, and Jason Baldwin were arrested on June 3, 1993, and convicted of murder in early 1994.
There was, and still is absolutely no connection between the victims, and the suspects. No physical evidence, no witnesses, no motive, no weapons, nothing. The prosecution decided to focus on the heavy metal music, black hair, black clothes and Stephen King books as PROOF that these 3 teenagers had committed the crimes. Unfortunately, Damien Echolls was sentenced to death, Jason Baldwin was sentenced to life in prison, and Jesse Misskelley received life plus 40 years. Remember, NO evidence at all!
For the last 13 years, the West Memphis Three have been imprisoned for crimes they did not commit, fighting to one day get out of prison and have their names cleared. Damien Echols awaits his sentence in solitary confinement waiting for a lethal injection. It is a sad case of incompenet defence, poverty, and the term satanic panic.
Lives were ruined all around. The lives of three young boys were taken from them, their families devistated for life, and the lives of 3 innocent teenagers, taken away from them too, to spend 13 years in prison so far, for crimes they did not commit.
I, too, have been following this case for a very long time, ever since I saw the jaw-dropping documentary Paradise Lost, which chronicled the case, on HBO.
I believe that those men are innocent, and what\’s more, I believe that the stepfather of one of those young victims is in fact guilty of the crimes. If memory serves, that man is now dead, also.
I just added a Free The West Memphis Three link on my sidebar in the hopes of raising awareness about the case. I also found an excellent video about the plight of these three young men over on YouTube. Here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqTKk5ebmGU
You people don\’t know much about the case at all, do you?
Maybe read up a little before coming to silly conclusions?
Try this link:
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Read it. All of it.
Im in rage about this! they had no evidence that they commited that hainus crime. Im friends to one of the victums father, but i believe that our boys are innosent untill proven guilty. Im from West Memphis origally so this really hits home for me. :cry Please let them go free!!!