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West Memphis 3The West Memphis 3 were three people tried and convicted for triple homicide in the 1993 murders of three children in the Robin Hood Hills in West Memphis, Arkansas in the United States. The case has received considerable attention, and many critics charge that the arrests and convictions were a miscarriage of justice inspired by a misguided moral panic, and that the defendants were wrongfully convicted, Damian Echols, the alleged ringleader, was sentenced to death; Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin were sentenced to life in prison. The Crime Three eight-year-old boys (Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore) were reported missing on May 5, 1993. The next day, their bodies were found in a creek near Robin Hood Hills. They were nude and had been tied ankle-to-wrist with their own shoelaces. All had been severly beaten and abused, but Byers was most injured, suffering bites, stab wounds to his groin and being partially castrated. Autopsies determined that the boys were probably killed the evening they vanished, and that while Byers died of blood loss, the others drowned. From the beginning, critics charge, area police mishandled the crime scene, due to either negligence or ignorance. With little experience in investigating violent crime (especially such a bizarre triple-murder), police have been accused of not securing the crime scene, with improperly collecting physical evidence, and with not documenting their duties. Mara Leaveritt says that "police records were a messto call them disorderly would be putting it mildly. Some of the evidence was stored in grocery sacks, with the names of the grocery stores printed on them."http://www.southernscribe.com/zine/authors/Leveritt_Mara.htm A crime-scene video, for example, depicted a few unidentified individuals--not police--loitering in and near the crime scene shortly after police arrived. The night of the murders, witnesses reported an African-American male, "dazed and covered with blood and mud" who had been inside a women's restroom at a restaurant near the crime scene. When a police officer arrived (incidentally, this same officer had taken the first missing-child report from Byers' stepfather shortly before responding to the restaurant), the man had gone, and police did not enter the establishment, instead speaking to employees at the drive-up window. After the victims were found, the restaraunt manager--thinking there was a possible connection between the bloody, disoriented man and the killings--twice called police. Only after the second telephone call did police gather evidence from the restroom. This apparent neglect of an important lead was especially criticized after a hair identified as belonging to an African-American was recovered from one of the victims' clothes. http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/suspects_10.html?sect=13 The Investigation A juvenile probation officer was at the crime scene shortly after the bodies were discovered. When police speculated about the assailant, the probation officer speculated that Echols was "capable" of committing the murders. The West Memphis area was one of many communities then-swept with keen interest in satanic ritual abuse, the widely-criticized belief that vast networks of satanic cults were engaged in widespread crimes, including child abuse, rape and human sacrifice. Police quickly determined the triple-homicide was the work of such a "cult" and that Echols was involved. Police interviewed Echols on May 7. He denied any involvement. After a month had passed, with little progress in the case, police continued to focus their investigation upon Echols, interrogating him twice more. On June 3, police questioned Misskelly for over 12 hours. He had been named as a member of a "satanic cult" by Vicky Hutcherson. (Hutcherson's testimony would prove pivotal, but she later retracted her confession, saying police coerced and intimidated her.) Misskelly's parents were not present, and less than an hour of the interrogation was recorded. Miskelly initialy denied involvemnet in the crimes, and repeatedly asked for police to contact his father. Police ignored this request, and eventuially, Misskelly confessed to the crimes, naming Echols as the leader of a "cult". Misskelly is mildly mentally challenged, was a minor when he was questioned, and though informed of his Miranda rights, later claimed he did not fully understand them; these facts have led to widespread condemnation of his "confession" as coerced and unreliable. In fact, Misskelly quickly retracted his confession, claiming he was exhausted and intimidated by police. Critcs have also noted that Misskelly's confession is often widly at odds with established forensic facts of the murder (such as claiming Echols choked one of the victims with a large stick, when no victim had such trauma), further demonstrating the confession's unreliability. Shortly after Misskelly's "confession", police arrested Echols and his close friend Jason Baldwin. Misskelly's attorney, Dan Stidham, has written a detailed critique of what he asserts are major police errors and misconceptions during their investigation.http://www.wm3.org/live/caseintroduction/synopsis_dan.php Background on the Suspects Baldwin and Misskelly had minor criminal records (for vandalism and theft, respectively) and Misskelly had a reputation for frequest fistfights, but Echols had a more troubled past. His family was very poor, had frequent visits from social workers, and Echols rarely attended school. He had a tumultuous relationship with an on-again-off-again girlfriend, culminating when the pair ran off together. After breaking into a trailer during a rain storm, the pair was arrested, though only Echols was charged with burglary. Police heard rumors that the young lovers had planned to have a child and sacrifice the infant, and based on this story, had Echols insitutionalized for psychiatric evaluation. He was diagnosed as depressed and suicidal, and prescribed imipramine. Doctors noted that Echols was troubled, but gave no credence to the wilder rumors about him. Testing demonstrated poor math skills, but also showed that Echols ranked above average in reading and verbal skills.) The Trials Echols and Baldwin were tried together; Misskelly was tried separately. No physical evidence (and only limited circumstantial evidence) was presented in court to tie the suspects to the crime scene or the murders. Instead such dubious items as Pink Floyd lyrics from the suspect's notebooks, Stephen King novels and Echols' interest in heavy metal music and Wicca were presented in court as evidence against the teenagers. The state's expert witness on "occult crime" had obtained his degree via mail order, and had taken no classes on the subject. By early 1994, all three had been convicted of the murders. The Aftermath A support group of protesters claiming Echols' innocence was formed shortly after the convictions. The three suspects all have defense funds, and are continuing their efforts to receive new trials. In a bizarre turn of events, Mark Byers--Christopher's stepfather--gave a hunting knife to documentarians Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofky while they were filming the first Paradise Lost feature. After noting what they thought was blood, Berlinger and Sinofsky gave the knife to police, who determined the blood matched Christopher Byers' blood type. Mark Beyers had initially claimed the knife had never been used, then after blood was found on it, he claimed he'd used it only once, to butcher a deer. When told the blood matched his son's type, Mark Byers said he had no idea how that blood might have gotten on the knife. During interrogation, West Memphis police suggested to Mark Byers that he might have left the knife out accidentally, and Byers agreed with this. Mark Beyers' theatrical histrionics drew attention, and after the first trial, he had his teeth removed, never offering a "consistent rationale" for doing so. http://www.ejumpcut.org/currentissue/goth/4.html There has been speculation that Mark Byers killed the victims, and had his teeth removed to avoid their being matched with bite marks on his stepson's body. A fact not revealed until after the trial was that Mark Beyers had acted as a police informant for some time, and had several criminal convictions, including one for beating his wife. Unusually, these convictions were sealed, and were expunged following probation. Leveritt says that the "involvement of the police and the courts with him (Byers) prior to the murders is very intriguing."http://www.popmatters.com/books/interviews/leveritt-mara-030610.shtml In October, 2003 Vicki Hutcheson, whose testimony was used to convict the suspects, gave an interview to the Arkansas Times in which she stated that every word she had given to the police was a fabrication. She further asserted that the police had insinuated if she did not cooperate with them they would take away her child. She noted that when she visited the police station they had photographs of the suspects on the wall and were using them as dart targets. She also claims that an audio tape the police claimed was "unintelligible" (and eventually lost) was perfectly clear and contained absolutely no incriminating statements. Documentaries and Studies Two films, Paradise Lost and Paradise Lost - Revelations, have documented this case, as have the books Blood of Innocents by Guy Reel and Devil's Knot by Mara Leveritt. The documentary films and Leaveritt's book were strongly critical of the case, and argue that the suspects were wrongly convicted. The first Paradise Lost documentary was filmed during the trial and investigation. Tributes and Support The case has seen signifigant support from some rock and pop musicians, who have popularized the case and staged fund-raisers. Eddie Vedder was often photographed while wearing a "Free The West Memphis 3" shirt. Metallica--Baldwin's favorite musical group--contributed original music to both Paradise Lost documentaries. Under the direction of Henry Rollins, various hip-hop, heavy metal, punk, and other musicians came together to record Rise Above, a collection of cover songs originally perfomed by Black Flag. All profits from the record and the supporting tour were donated to the suspects' defense funds. External links
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