Nov. 7th, 2007
Freakin' Sweet!
Nov. 7th, 2007 05:16 pmNew evidence may clear 'West Memphis Three'
By David Mattingly and Karin Matz
WEST MEMPHIS, Arkansas (CNN) -- They are known as the "West Memphis Three" -- young men who were arrested as teens and convicted of a triple killing with occult overtones that chills this working-class Mississippi River town to this day.
Defense attorneys for death row inmate Damien Echols say they have uncovered forensic evidence that could spare their client's life and help clear his co-defendants as well.
In the spring of 1993, three 8-year-old boys were found murdered in a drainage ditch not far from their homes. Their hands and feet were tied with their shoelaces.
And at the time it was thought to be an occult killing involving sexual abuse and mutilation.
A month after the bodies were found, three teenagers -- Echols, who was 18 at the time, Jessie Misskelley, then 17, and Jason Baldwin, then 16 -- were charged with the boys' murders.
They were convicted a year later after a trial that featured testimony about satanic rituals and heavy metal music. Misskelley, who turned state's witness, testifying against his two co-defendants, is the only one given a chance at parole.
The case has long had its doubters, and it has been the subject of books and documentaries. The West Memphis Three have a following of celebrity activists.
In court papers filed last week, attorneys for Echols stated that -- even with DNA testing unavailable in 1993 -- they have uncovered no forensic evidence tying the three to the murders of Christopher Byers, Steven Branch and James Michael Moore. But DNA that might belong to two other men was found in hairs found at the crime scene, the documents state.
The slayings of the three Cub Scouts struck fear deep in the heart of a community, and some people say that fear led to a rush to arrest and convict.
"It was hysteria. Everyone was concerned. Everyone started bringing their children in," said Ron Lax, who has worked the case as a private investigator for the defense since 1993.
"They were convinced there were monsters loose, devil worshipers, Satanists," he recalled. "It was like the community was relieved when the arrests were made because the big, bad boogeyman had been caught."
"I'm not sure Perry Mason could have got those boys off," said Gerald Skahan, a member of Damien Echols' defense team.
The convictions followed, in part, as a result of statements by Misskelley. The reliability of his words has long been called into question.
Misskelley, who is "borderline retarded," Lax said, "had a very difficult time keeping the story straight -- even with the help of police."
(Read the rest of this story.)
By David Mattingly and Karin Matz
WEST MEMPHIS, Arkansas (CNN) -- They are known as the "West Memphis Three" -- young men who were arrested as teens and convicted of a triple killing with occult overtones that chills this working-class Mississippi River town to this day.
Defense attorneys for death row inmate Damien Echols say they have uncovered forensic evidence that could spare their client's life and help clear his co-defendants as well.
In the spring of 1993, three 8-year-old boys were found murdered in a drainage ditch not far from their homes. Their hands and feet were tied with their shoelaces.
And at the time it was thought to be an occult killing involving sexual abuse and mutilation.
A month after the bodies were found, three teenagers -- Echols, who was 18 at the time, Jessie Misskelley, then 17, and Jason Baldwin, then 16 -- were charged with the boys' murders.
They were convicted a year later after a trial that featured testimony about satanic rituals and heavy metal music. Misskelley, who turned state's witness, testifying against his two co-defendants, is the only one given a chance at parole.
The case has long had its doubters, and it has been the subject of books and documentaries. The West Memphis Three have a following of celebrity activists.
In court papers filed last week, attorneys for Echols stated that -- even with DNA testing unavailable in 1993 -- they have uncovered no forensic evidence tying the three to the murders of Christopher Byers, Steven Branch and James Michael Moore. But DNA that might belong to two other men was found in hairs found at the crime scene, the documents state.
The slayings of the three Cub Scouts struck fear deep in the heart of a community, and some people say that fear led to a rush to arrest and convict.
"It was hysteria. Everyone was concerned. Everyone started bringing their children in," said Ron Lax, who has worked the case as a private investigator for the defense since 1993.
"They were convinced there were monsters loose, devil worshipers, Satanists," he recalled. "It was like the community was relieved when the arrests were made because the big, bad boogeyman had been caught."
"I'm not sure Perry Mason could have got those boys off," said Gerald Skahan, a member of Damien Echols' defense team.
The convictions followed, in part, as a result of statements by Misskelley. The reliability of his words has long been called into question.
Misskelley, who is "borderline retarded," Lax said, "had a very difficult time keeping the story straight -- even with the help of police."
(Read the rest of this story.)
For further reading:
http://www.wm3.org/ - Official West Memphis 3 website
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Memphis_3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_panic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_care_sexual_abuse_hysteria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMartin_preschool_trial
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kern_County_child_abuse_cases
The reason why I'm so happy over this turn of events is because I believe that these three men (and others in the WikiPedia articles I listed) are the victims of a modern day witchhunt. Something horrible happens, or is alleged to have happened, and the next you thing you know people are all into hysterics about rituals and satanic sacrifices and the story just gets out of control from there.
And despite the fact that there is usually little or no evidence to back up the accusations, people either get convicted (like the WM3), or dragged through an extensive trial, along with the stress and legal bills that go with it.
Don't even get me started on self-proclaimed