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  • FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2 2007 8:00 PM

Free the WM3: New DNA Results Could Exonerate

Submitted by johnnyfu

Edited by erin_broadley

Tags: metalheads, miscarriage of justice



If you grew up weird in a small town, the story of the West Memphis Three, covered in the documentaries Paradise Lost and Paradise Lost 2, should drag on your heart like a like an anchor. In 1993 the mutilated bodies of three young boys -- Steve Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore -- were found dead in the woods in West Memphis, Arkansas.

After an appallingly shoddy police investigation, police hypothesized that it was a satanic ritual killing, and decided only one local resident could have done it; 19-year-old Damien Echols. Echols, a tattooed, socially withdrawn, heavy metal fan, had previously brushed against the law and was notorious in the small conservative community for his dark clothes and strange interests.

Echols’ friend Jessie Misskelley – who is determined to have an IQ of 72 who didn’t understand his Miranda Rights – confessed to the crime. Echols, Misskelley and Jason Baldwin. Misskelley and Baldwin got life in prison. Echols, the perceived ringleader, was sentenced to death.

The three hapless Arkansas metal heads got the rawest raw deal ever in the court. Shaky and sometimes technically inadmissible evidence was presented alongside Pink Floyd lyrics and evidence of heavy metal fandom.

After 13 years of the worst luck in the world -- they’ve been denied appeals repeatedly despite the efforts of celebrity allies and public opinion -- the New York Times reports the ‘bangers might have finally caught a break.

[A]ccording to long-awaited new evidence filed by the defense in federal court on Monday, there was no DNA from the three defendants found at the scene, the mutilation was actually the work of animals and at least one person other than the defendants may have been present at the crime scene.

Supporters of the defendants hope the legal filing will provide the defense with a breakthrough. Two of the men, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, are serving life in prison, while one, Damien W. Echols, is on death row. There was no physical evidence linking the teenagers, now known as the West Memphis 3, to the crime.


Ideally, the DNA evidence would exonerate the three for the crimes. That’s evidently not guaranteed. For the necessary legal actions to move forward, they need donations. So if anybody can find it in their cold, black hearts to fork over some cash, they accept PayPal and shit. Hopefully, they get released and reimbursed somehow, but these dudes, who are all in their 30's now, have been behind bars since 1993.

I’m not sure what could make up for that.

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Comments
Midnyte

Midnyte

SUICIDEGIRL

Arizona, USA

NOV 02, 2007 08:10 PM

God I sure hope the corrupt legal system in that state allows this evidence to go through!! This story has been such a tragedy and made me so sad for so many years. There is nothing in the world that can ever make up for the time lost and the abuse these poor young men suffered in prison all these years.

PaulNikon

PaulNikon

Palm Bay, FL
February 2003

NOV 02, 2007 08:39 PM

If I were to win the lottery, I'd give a lot of money to the Innocence Project.

Azkadellia

Azkadellia

South Haven, MI
April 2007

NOV 02, 2007 09:11 PM

Ugh. Just. Ugh. this makes me soooo angry. Fucking hillbllies. I can say that, my family is from Missouri. I'm back to just UGH now.

thorpig

thorpig

Japan
January 2004

NOV 02, 2007 10:01 PM

This same thing happened in Saskatchewan back in the seventies. The man who was wrongfully convicted as a teenager, David Milgaard, spent over twenty years in prison and later received a $10 million compensation from the government after his exoneration. You would have to lead a pretty boring life to say that the money is better than the best years of your life.

scylis

scylis

USA
November 2004

NOV 02, 2007 10:42 PM

I'm not sure what could make up for that.



well, most likely they're already getting the most brutal, blackest present of all: NOTHING!

i think they should get to beat the shit out of one person of their choice a piece, free of charge. that'd be brutal.

Nimbusfool

Nimbusfool

Moscow, ID
August 2006

NOV 02, 2007 11:16 PM

So if they aren't guilty - they will go from years and years of prison life to being.. what- productive members of society? Thats what I love about the american jail system- if they were found not guility after our system fucked up- they get kicked out on their own- no compensation for having their lives completely fucked. Well you didn't kill someone so now you can probably never get a job and become a bum. Shit three hots and a cot might be the better end of the deal after all that time.

ok I don't belive that last sentence. but seriously- what was it- the Bodom lake killing in Finland.. I just know this from reasearching AWSOME death metal bands but they accused one of those kids involved or something and the government paid him for mental anguish.

blackroseMD1

blackroseMD1

San Diego, CA
April 2003

NOV 02, 2007 11:18 PM

From the WM3.org site:

In short, DNA testing has been conducted on dozens of pieces of evidence. The DNA results show no link whatsoever to Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley or Jason Baldwin %u2013 and all of the experts agree that, under the prosecution theory of how the crime was committed, their DNA would be present at the crime scene if they were guilty. Instead, the DNA results match Terry Hobbs, the step-father of one of the victims. Our new filing also includes strong evidence from Pam Hobbs (the ex-wife of Terry Hobbs and the mother of one of the victims) implicating her former husband in the murders.



All of the stuff with the WM3 went down when I was a teenager in smalltown Arkansas. To see people that dressed the same as I did, and listened to the same music, pretty much get crucified on public opinion scared the shit out of me. It wasn't long after that that I ran away to California. I wake up everyday and hope that it's the day that all this bullshit is finally over. Jesse, Jason, and Damien have already suffered far to long for bullshit charges. It's good that there is finally some evidence that hopefully will clear them, I just wish it could have been admitted into evidence 14 years ago.



Formus

Formus

Milwaukee, WI
May 2007

NOV 02, 2007 11:33 PM

This hasn't been before the Supreme Court?

Darke

Darke

Columbia, MO
June 2005

NOV 03, 2007 12:02 AM

I've been watching this case since I saw Paradise Lost for the first time a decade ago and never cease to be angry about it. The police detectives responsible for this railroading should have to serve equal time in prison for this. They found the easiest scapegoats they could because the community needed someone to blame for an atrocity, and in doing so committed another atrocity in plain view.

From the guys who made the two Paradise Lost films, to those who made personal donations, celebs who donned the T-shirts in very public venues, to Henry Rollins putting a shit-ton of money, hard work into an album and an international tour to drum up some funds up to assist in footing the bill the DNA testing, a lot of people in vehement disagreement with this verdict have tried to help these boys who had to become men in the prison system get a second chance. As was mentioned above, you can make a direct donation to the legal fund via snail-mail or PayPal
(info on how to do both @ this link) or go to WM3.org and get some stuff for a donation at their online store.

Accuser

Accuser

Scottsdale, AZ
October 2006

NOV 03, 2007 12:26 AM

Shocking, they found the step-father's DNA.

What? You mean the guy who mysteriously lost all of his teeth "in a bar fight" after they said they found human bite marks on the corpses? The drunken hillbilly who was known to be abusive to the kid? HE might have been the killer and not the teenager who never knew, met, or cared about the kids and had no history of violence?! UNBELIEVABLE.

Darke

Darke

Columbia, MO
June 2005

NOV 03, 2007 12:47 AM

Another of the victim's stepfathers, one featured as a loud... LOUD voice of barely coherent condemnation and in some people's mind a suspect as well, is now a supporter of the WM3... and is writing a book, and is possibly going to one a featured character in a movie about the boys... played by Brad Pitt?!?


hmmm...





tonyvortex

tonyvortex

Valparaiso, IN
April 2003

NOV 03, 2007 01:59 AM

Mourn said:
Shocking, they found the step-father's DNA.

What? You mean the guy who mysteriously lost all of his teeth "in a bar fight" after they said they found human bite marks on the corpses? The drunken hillbilly who was known to be abusive to the kid? HE might have been the killer and not the teenager who never knew, met, or cared about the kids and had no history of violence?! UNBELIEVABLE.



it was another of the boys fathers who they found dna of,not the one pictured below your post.

tonyvortex

tonyvortex

Valparaiso, IN
April 2003

NOV 03, 2007 02:03 AM

dont forget that you can go to the skeleton key auction site,they donate all money to the case.i was lucky enough to win one of Damien Echols paintings on there.

Squire

Squire

I'm lost
November 2003

NOV 03, 2007 02:39 AM

tonyvortex said:

Mourn said:
Shocking, they found the step-father's DNA.

What? You mean the guy who mysteriously lost all of his teeth "in a bar fight" after they said they found human bite marks on the corpses? The drunken hillbilly who was known to be abusive to the kid? HE might have been the killer and not the teenager who never knew, met, or cared about the kids and had no history of violence?! UNBELIEVABLE.



it was another of the boys fathers who they found dna of,not the one pictured below your post.



Really? When I first saw Paradise Lost a long, long time ago, I thought for sure that it was that guy who did it. He was a friggijn' kook. But then again, if this case is supposed to teach us anything, isn't it "looks can be deceiving" or "don't judge a book . . . ?"

Anyway, I would have recommended caution re the DNA evidence, since absence thereof is not the end-all-be-all of exhoneration in criminal cases, had this nugget not been mentioned above:

"[A]ll of the experts agree that, under the prosecution theory of how the crime was committed, their DNA would be present at the crime scene if they were guilty."

On a side note, I used to show this film to my students at UNC-********** and I was always blown away at the number of them who would comment: "But those guys are creepy and, like, trenchcoat mafia 'n stuff. They just seem like they would do something like that." I would often weep for the future at times like that.

Westley

Westley

Vatican City
April 2004

NOV 03, 2007 02:56 AM

Darke said:

SPOILERS! (Click to view)
I've been watching this case since I saw Paradise Lost for the first time a decade ago and never cease to be angry about it. The police detectives responsible for this railroading should have to serve equal time in prison for this. They found the easiest scapegoats they could because the community needed someone to blame for an atrocity, and in doing so committed another atrocity in plain view.

From the guys who made the two Paradise Lost films, to those who made personal donations, celebs who donned the T-shirts in very public venues, to Henry Rollins putting a shit-ton of money, hard work into an album and an international tour to drum up some funds up to assist in footing the bill the DNA testing, a lot of people in vehement disagreement with this verdict have tried to help these boys who had to become men in the prison system get a second chance. As was mentioned above, you can make a direct donation to the legal fund via snail-mail or PayPal
(info on how to do both @ this link) or go to WM3.org and get some stuff for a donation at their online store.



... and find a way to get your hands on this book.

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