West Memphis 3 to be Freed

MagicMarker

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/08/19/arkansas.child.killings/index.html

Three men convicted in the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, were ordered released after entering new pleas following a court hearing.

Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 18 years in prison with credit for time served, a prosecutor said. They were to be released on Friday.

Critics of the prosecution argue no direct evidence tied the three to the murders and that a knife recovered from a lake near the home of one of the men could not have caused the boys' wounds. More recent DNA testing also demonstrated no links, according the mens' supporters.

The case drew national attention, with actor Johnny Depp and singer Eddie Vedder and other celebrities, trying to rally support for the men's release.
John Mark Byers, whose son Christopher Byers was one of the three victims, said he believes the three men are innocent. He said releasing them without exonerating them of the crime is an outrage.

"They're innocent. They did not kill my son," Byers said before the hearing.
But the father of another of the victims, Steven Branch, blasted the apparent agreement.

"I don't know what kind of deal they worked up," Steve Branch told CNN affiliate WMC-TV. "Now you can get some movie stars and a little bit of money behind you and you can walk free for killing somebody."

Echols was sentenced to death and Misskelley and Baldwin were given life sentences in the May 1993 slayings of Steven and fellow second-graders Michael Moore and Christopher Byers. The boys' bodies were mutilated and left in a ditch, hogtied with their own shoelaces.

Prosecutors argued that the men convicted, teenagers at the time, were driven by satanic ritual and that Echols had been the ringleader.

DNA later failed to link the men to the crime, and the state Supreme Court ruled in November that all three could present new evidence to the trial court in an effort to clear them. A decision is pending on whether the three should receive a new trial. Friday's action could negate the need for that, however.
The DNA tests were conducted between December 2005 and September 2007, according to the Arkansas Supreme Court.

The material included hair from a ligature used to bind Moore and a hair recovered from a tree stump near where the bodies were found, court documents said.

The hair found in the ligature was consistent with Branch's stepfather, Terry Hobbs, while the hair found on the tree stump was consistent with the DNA of a friend of Hobbs', according to the documents.
Police have never considered Hobbs a suspect, and he maintains that he had nothing to do with the murders.

For anyone unfamiliar with the story see here, but I definitely recommend watching the documentaries on the case, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations, both excellent documentaries.

Cherry_Cola

The only shame about their release is they have to plead guilty and as far as I know, this nullifies any future attempt to sue the state etc so they won't get any restitution.

Although I'm sure there'll be books and talk shows to make some money from.

mrblondecutsear

Really happy to hear they've finally been released but there is no justice in having to plead guilty in order to be released.

Great news, they are very obviously innocent.

Gummy Panda

Cherry_Cola wrote: »

The only shame about their release is they have to plead guilty and as far as I know, this nullifies any future attempt to sue the state etc so they won't get any restitution.

Although I'm sure there'll be books and talk shows to make some money from.

Might be laws to prevent profiting from their crimes. I think they're called Son of Sam laws.

ceadaoin.

I watched the second documentary recently, haven't seen the first one. That's good news, they are obviously innocent. So sad that they have lost so much of their lives in prison.

Also, what's with the mental step dad saying he thinks they are innocent now? In the doc he was one of the only ones who seemed to think they were guilty. Complete fruitcake

El Weirdo

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Also, what's with the mental step dad saying he thinks they are innocent now? In the doc he was one of the only ones who seemed to think they were guilty. Complete fruitcake

John Mark Byers made an about-turn after the DNA evidence linking the stepfather to the scene came to light.

Great news though. I watched the documentaries after they were mentioned in a thread on here.

wild_cat

Really happy but pissed off at the same time that they had to plead guilty. These guys missed out on some vital life years.


It's sad. Especially as I grew up as an alternative kid in a backward place.

fillmore jive

I remember henry rollins getting heavily involved in this?

Riddle101

I'm happy to hear. But I don't understand why they have to plead guilty. Theoretically by pleading guilty they're admitting they committed the crimes. But in that case why would they be released from prison like that. Just sounds stange to me. But if it get's them out of prison then i'm happy.

Only thing is, what will happen afterwards. How will they rebuild their shattered lives?

deco nate

ceadaoin. wrote: »

I watched the second documentary recently, haven't seen the first one. That's good news, they are obviously innocent. So sad that they have lost so much of their lives in prison.

Also, what's with the mental step dad saying he thinks they are innocent now? In the doc he was one of the only ones who seemed to think they were guilty. Complete fruitcake

El Weirdo wrote: »

John Mark Byers made an about-turn after the DNA evidence linking the stepfather to the scene came to light.

Great news though. I watched the documentaries after they were mentioned in a thread on here.

john mark byers was the stepdad of the kid that was killed,not
his dad,he was/is thought by many to be the killer.
even though he passed a lie detector test,while on meds,
easy to pass it.watch the docu again.its on youtube,2nd one that is.
i've just finished watchin it after seein this thread.

shockin stuff,tbh!
glad they were set free.
sidenote,they do show pics of those poor kids bodies as theywere found.
just a warning for you all.


now i want to see the first one with all the court case,lawyers...cops
etc,etc talking.
only some flash backs of it in the one i've seen.
thanks op,amazing story hope these poor lads get their lifes back,and some money/help along the way.sod son of sam laws.i dont think they should apply to this case,but i know they do/:mad:

deco nate

re:byers
http://jivepuppi.com/john_mark_byers_2.html

willow tree

i dont know what to think.. the whole thing is a trajedy. its great that they are finally getting out but at a big price. great years of their lives stolen and now they have to say they were guilty.. its heartbreaking what happened to the kids, the three that were killed and the three that went to prison.. i hope for them that they can find some joy in their lives now..

deco nate

check out pam hobbs mum of one of the kids.
off her tits on drugs...

Duggy747

Great news that they're released though the outcome could've been better. In the eyes of the law they're still guilty though everything points to the opposite.

Highly recommend the 2 Paradise Lost documentaries if nobody has seen them, you'll find them on YouTube easily enough.

I remember all the hatred towards Byers that he was the obvious killer. He wasn't the most upstanding of citizens but he also didn't deserve the level of abuse he endured for years, having lost both his child and wife (who died of an OD a few years back). That being said, he didn't paint himself very well in the 2 documentaries. He had incredible hatred for the Memphis 3 but due to recent evidence he turned around, apologised and supported them.

deco nate

Duggy747 wrote: »

Great news that they're released though the outcome could've been better. In the eyes of the law they're still guilty though everything points to the opposite.

Highly recommend the 2 Paradise Lost documentaries if nobody has seen them, you'll find them on YouTube easily enough.

I remember all the hatred towards Byers that he was the obvious killer. He wasn't the most upstanding of citizens but he also didn't deserve the level of abuse he endured for years, having lost both his child and wife (who died of cancer a few years back). That being said, he didn't paint himself very well in the 2 documentaries. He had incredible hatred for the Memphis 3 but due to recent evidence he turned around, apologised and supported them.

she did not die of cancer,it was an od.while he was in the room with her.
case was left open on he death.well it was said in the 2nd docu

Duggy747

deco nate wrote: »

she did not die of cancer,it was an od.while he was in the room with her.
case was left open on he death.well it was said in the 2nd docu

Sorry, my mistake. They went to sleep and he woke up to find her dead, wasn't it?

I'm on the sauce so my memory is shìte :pac:

deco nate

Duggy747 wrote: »

Sorry, my mistake. They went to sleep and he woke up to find her dead, wasn't it?

I'm on the sauce so my memory is shìte :pac:

lol,yea thats what he said.
i just watched the 2nd one thats why i know what he said,
ps.also on the sauce here.and just started watching the first
docu on youtube.
l put a link up for it on the first page,if ya want to have a look at it.:)

Duggy747

deco nate wrote: »

l put a link up for it on the first page,if ya want to have a look at it.:)

Actually watched a few months back on Youtube. It's good, Byers reaaaaaally doesn't do himself any favours in it.