West Memphis 3 just released

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/19/west-memphis-three-free_n_931449.html#s333742&title=Craighead_County_Court

    Quote

After serving 17 years behind bars for the brutal murder of three children in eastern Arkansas, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin -- dubbed the "West Memphis Three" -- have been released from prison.

"They are currently being processed out," prosecuting attorney Scott Ellington told reporters during a Friday press conference. "They will be free men ... on suspended sentence."

"Only time will tell as to whether this was the right decision," Ellington added.

All three men had been imprisoned since 1994, when they were convicted of killing three 8-year-old boys: Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers.

Prosecutors alleged the trio killed the children in Robin Hood Hills on the morning of May 6, 1993, as part of a satanic ritual. According to police, the boys' bodies were mutilated and left in a ditch. Each had been hogtied with his own shoelaces.

At the time of their arrests, Baldwin was 16. Misskelley was 17, and Echols was 18.

Echols was sentenced to death, Misskelley was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 40 years, and Baldwin was sentenced to life imprisonment.

DNA testing was not available at the time of the defendants' trials. In 2007, it was found that DNA collected at the crime scene did not match that belonging to any of the three men. In November 2010, the state Supreme Court ruled that all three could present new evidence in court.

A new court date had been set for December, but on Thursday Judge David Laser ordered all three men transported to Jonesboro for today's surprise hearing. In a brief statement released to the press, Laser only said that the hearing was to "take up certain matters pertaining to the cases" of the three defendants.

Experts believe both sides have entered into a complex legal agreement, in which the three men have entered into so-called Alford pleas.

"The plea means that you maintain your innocence but you believe there is a substantial likelihood that a jury will find you guilty so you are pleading guilty per State v. Alford," Anne Bremner, a Seattle attorney and legal analyst, told The Huffington Post. "The effect of the corresponding finding of guilt by the court is the same as with a straight guilty plea."

Bremner added: "It seems that they want a plea so they can argue the accused are collaterally stopped from challenging their arrest and prosecution in any subsequent civil lawsuit. Probable cause will be established as a matter of law upon the court's acceptance of their Alford pleas."

 

When sharing his opinion on the pleas with reporters outside the courtroom this morning, John Mark Byers, the father of one of the children killed in 1993, said he believes Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley are innocent, adding that he is angry with the way the pleas are being handled.

"This is not right, and the people of Arkansas need to stand up and raise hell. ... Just because they admit to this today, it's not over," Byers said.

Since their incarceration, the trio has been the subject of three documentaries, one of which is scheduled to be released in November. The men have also had a long list of celebrity supporters, including the Dixie Chicks, Eddie Vedder, Johnny Depp and Metallica.

this is good news. i saw those two documentaries and everything seems to point pretty clearly to their innocence. obvious victims of the "satanic panic" of the 80s/ early 90s.

apparently theres work on a third and final doc being done..

So fucking happy about this. Any of us who were dumbass goth kids in highschool know that this could have been us, esp. since I live in the southeastern US.

heres the original documentary in case anyone wants to watch it. 18 years taken from these men for nothing. its amazing that theyre now free.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR2sVKssjsI

btw some very disturbing footage featured here so extremely nsfw

This is actually not great news. It is a slimy attempt by the prosecution to avoid ever having to take responsibility for innocent teenagers to prison. By pleading guilty in this way there is no chance they can ever sue (and lawsuits like this have worked in the past, even in places like Texas).

slimy for sure, but a least theye not in prison anymore

Edit: deleted for abject wrongness

those poor kids are f-ed for life

somehow I missed this thread. I've been working on a doc on this case (not the HBO one, which has some great footage but is supposedly lacking in journalistic integrity).

As I understand it, they still have a chance to overturn their conviction, which would nullify their plea, and then they could seek restitution. In a way it's a shitty situation, because the state definitely owes them millions, but Arkansas is hurting badly. Lots of sad places there..West Memphis not the least of them. Poverty sucks and has everything to do with how fucked this case got.

I'm glad they're out though. Pretty great to see exactly how wide a guy smiles when he's finally let out..

also Jules, because of the publicity, these guys have some wealthy friends. they'll be OK for a little while.

but didnt the one dude get ass-raped and beaten quite a bit? whatever they went through took a major toll on their psyche no doubt.

yeah, i think it is fair to say spending 18 years in a federal pound your ass prison would fuck up a person, especially going into that situation on death row or at age 16, 17 or 18 years old for a crime you didn't commit. my mind would be so fucked up. it is good to know that they had so much support but it ain't gonna fix what was broken.