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Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 3:26 pm
From Other Message Boards Dec 14, 2005 10:38 am PT Have any of you heard of the West Memhpis Three? If you haven't, they are three teeangers in West Memphis that were convicted of killing three little boys back in 1993. Anyway, two of the teenagers just happened to listen to Metallica and that was pretty much the only evidence used during the trial. The prosecutors were showing the jury the cover art from a few of Metallica CD's to the jury and related it to cult-related things. They even used Metallica t-shirts with the flaming skulls I still have yet to hear a song by them that is cult-related. Oh yeah, one of the teenagers took the stand to defend himself from all the crap being put against him. Unfortunately, he had to read a quote from one of Metallica's songs that he had written in a notebook. The quote was taken from "Harvestor of Sorrow." After that, he told the prosectors that the religion he was practicing at the time was Wicca. Of course, this court is in a town where Christianity or Catholism runs rampant so he pretty much screwed himself over. It's pretty despicable how they are still in prison for something that they were not connected to in anyway. There was no evidence against them except for rumors from all the Jesus-crazed locals. I didn't think it was possible for this day and age for the justice system to completely forget about first-amendment rights. http://www.gamespot.com/pages/unions/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=24068571&union_id=1753		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 3:37 pm
PARADISE LOST 3? Q: Will there ever be a third documentary? I want to see a PL3! A: Yes! Filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky started production on the third PARADISE LOST film in the summer of 2004. Funded by HBO and slated for eventual theatrical release, the film aims to tell the definitive story of The West Memphis Three case, from the initial arrests to the conclusion of their appeals process. PARADISE LOST 3 (working title) will combine material from PL and PL2 with newly shot footage. As of January 2008, no release date is yet available. We'll keep everyone posted as we learn more. http://www.wm3.org/live/faq/faq_category.php?id=8		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 4:11 pm
Confessions of a former West Memphis 3 supporter (Trench Reynolds also blogs at TheTrenchcoat Chronicles, MyCrimeSpace and CrimeNe.ws) My name is Trench Reynolds and I used to be a West Memphis 3 supporter. For those of you not familiar with the West Memphis 3 I’ll give you a little recap. In 1993 Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin were convicted in the ritualistic murders of eight-year-olds Steve Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore. The murders went beyond brutality. From Wikipediaâ€¦ Three eight-year-old boys â€” Steve Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore â€” were reported missing on May 5, 1993 by Chistopher Byers’ adoptive father, Mark Byers. An intensive police search for the children was undertaken the morning after they were reported missing. Later that day, their bodies were found shoved down in a muddy creek near Robin Hood Hills. The boys were stripped naked and had been hog-tied with their own shoelaces. All of the boys had been severely beaten and abused, Byers was considered to be the most injured, having suffered a fractured skull, stab wounds to his groin, and castration, yet all three boys were inflicted with lethal wounds. were inconclusive as to time of death, but stated that, while Byers died of blood loss, the other two boys showed evidence of drowning. During the subsequent trial of Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin the medical examiner stated that the estimated time of death was early morning the day the bodies were found. The forensic evidence showed uncertainty whether the boys had been sodomized, although expert testimony confirmed injury to their anal area. Fast forward to 2001 when I first saw the film Paradise Lost. It’s a 1996 documentary that portrays the suspects as being wrongly accused because they were different than the rest of the West Memphis community. They were metalheads with long hair and didn’t practice Christianity. It also points out the flaws in the prosecutions case making a compelling argument that the WM3 are innocent. At the time I did not consider myself a crime blogger. Back then I was more like a champion for the underdog and I understood what it was like to be an outsider because you dressed differently and didn’t follow the norm. So I bought into the propaganda and the movie’s message. As the years go by I gain more insight into the mid of teen killers as I write about school shootings. With each one that happens I see more and more the telltale signs that led up to each shooting. The predispositions between school shooters and the West Memphis 3, especially Damien Echols, were uncanny yet I couldn’t put two and two together. I still believed they were innocent. Then a blogging friend of mine pointed me in the direction of some documents that were worth looking at. The first one was witness statement from one of Echols’ former friends that told the story about how Damien Echols’ killed a dogâ€¦ On 10-27-92 I was at Lakeshore Trailer Park with Damien Echols when he killed a Black Great Dane. The dog was already sick and he hit the dog in the back of the head. He pulled the intestines out of the dog and started stomping the dog until blood came out of his mouth. He was going to come back later with battery acid so that he could burn the hair and skin off of the dog’s head. He had two cat skulls, a dog skull and a rat skull that I already knew about. He kept these skulls in his bedroom at Jack Echols house in Lakeshore. He was trying to make the eyeballs of the dog he killed pop out when he was stomping. Damien had a camoflouge survival knife to cut the guts out of the dog with. This statement was written by Det. Ridge at my request. It’s been said that animal killings are a precursor to serial killings. Another was testimony from Echols’ himself about how he would have done it if he was the killer. I’ve lost that document to the ages but part of it can be found here. During the trial Damien took to sparring with the prosecution and stated his opinion of what he thought the alleged killer might or might not have done. He said the killer would enjoy hearing the victims scream and would have thought the murders were funny. After seeing those I felt that they were guilty however I felt that they did deserve a new trial. I based that on the fact that one of the prosecution’s witnesses who was portrayed as an “occult expert” received his degree from a correspondence school that was no longer accredited. That was until yesterday when I read this article from an Ohio newspaper about the witness, Dale Griffis. Yes he did receive a degree from a correspondence school that is now defunct. However what the documentary fails to tell you is that Griffis is a well studied former police officer who specialized in ritual killings. He is also the author of several cult related books. He also has some more information about Damien Echols’â€¦ â€œWhen he got done testifying, what you didnâ€™t see on television, what you didnâ€™t see in the movie â€˜Paradise Lost,â€™ was the fact that Damien Echols said, â€˜I got three, I had 10 more to go for my coven, but that damn cop from Ohio stopped me,â€™â€ he says. â€œWhat bothers me is people arenâ€™t told the truth of what happened.â€ Dale Griffis is not just some guy off the street who considers himself a cult expert, he’s got the background to prove it. So now I think that the West Memphis 3 are unequivocally guilty and justice has been served. No new trial is necessary. I should have been tipped off when I saw what a cause celebre that the West Memphis 3 are. Celebrity causes when it comes to crime are usually misguided. (Crossposted at CrimeNe.ws) http://truecrimemagazine.com/articles/323		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 4:12 pm
Some Responses To The Above Opinion (same link): Bill wrote: I’m not a WM3 supporter, nor do I think they’re guilty. I’d love to see something that nudges me in one direction or another. That said, it still seems like the only evidence of guilt in this case is the behavior of the suspects (or more precisely, Damian), a completely confusing and inconsistent confession by someone that could probably be manipulated, and now this odd statement by Griffis. Forget about his credentials, what does that have to do with overhearing something? I still don’t see how they could have been convicted. I do think the documentaries were somewhat biased, but the point of them seems to stand out here - that people are convincing themselves that the boys are guilty based on things other than evidence. ---------------------------------------------------------- christen wrote: just wanted to add my piddling cents. i think the wm3 are innocent for many many reasons. and i think the father who called 911 is guilty. always have thought so. will be bewildered for a long time as to why he was not investigated. that is all. -------------------------------------------- Tezi wrote: Trench, You are very good writer. However, I respectfully disagree with your opinion that the WM3 are guilty. First off, the West Memphis PD was being investigated for guns, drugs, and money missing at the time these murders happened. What a way to take the heat off of the cops, a triple homicide! Byers (the stepfather) was an informant for one of the drug task forces that were operating in that area at the time of the murders. Byers and his wife Melissa had sold some Rolex watches that they claimed they never received from the United States Post Office. Nothing was ever done to them. It was chalked up to a $12,500.00 “misunderstanding.” Second, there was never any “real” evidence to link any of the three to the murders. NONE! Just what someone said who claimed to be an expert in “cults and satanic murders.” Third, Byers getting his teeth pulled after he found out there were bite marks that could have been compared to someone. Fourth, Byers’ wife Melissa dies under rather mysterious circumstances. Her death has been ruled “undetermined.” What luck for Byers’ huh? I think it is honorable that you have explained your reasons for changing your mind. I used to think they had the right people too, until I did some investigating. I have never seen the Paradise Lost I or II. I read the book, “Devil’s Knot” and talked to some people that actually played a part in the prosecutions side of things. Plus, I have read court papers for countless hours. These things have all led me to the conclusion that the WM3 are “not guilty” of the crimes for which they were convicted. Byers had far more of a reason to kill his “adopted” son. Even though Byers never adopted him. The other two boys were just there to witness what happened, so they had to be silenced too. JMO -------------------------------------------- Melissa wrote: While I am in total agreement that Damien was one sick puppy and would probably gotten locked up for something else if not for this, I also believe that he and his friends were scapegoats. The bite mark was one thing that convinced me about John Mark Byers. Why did he have all his teeth pulled out? The bite mark didnt match any of the boys. And I dont remember where I read it but I believe that Melissa Byers was telling friends that she was afraid that John Mark was molesting her son. I think Melissa probably figured out what happened and thats why she is dead now. That said, Damien is really not fit for society, but also should not be on death row for this case. --------------------------------------- Melissa wrote: Wow, in reading your links I realized that the only person who confessed also said he was drinking beer that night in the woods with Byers. Byers who was supposedly looking for his “son”, Byers who got all his teeth pulled after learning that there were bite marks found and has at least 3 different stories as to why. Byers whose wife’s death was undetermined causes. Maybe Jessie did have something to do with it but was afraid of Byers so he said that the boys (who by the way he did not hang out with) that the police wanted him to say did it. ------------------------------------------------ azalea wrote: I appreciate that you can publicly change your stand, Trench, but I fear you may waffle back again. I have my own theory of exactly what happened, and absolutely believe Mark Byars and the “Other Son” - who is practically absent from any investigation - are guilty of murder and accomplice to murder. I truly believe that Mark Byars hacked his “step-son’s” genitals because either a. he caught the boys playing dr. and/or b. went nuts because of something secretly hard-wired into his brain from his own past trauma!! The other 2 boys of course, as witnesses, had to go as well. Neither of them were mutilated! I believe the blood-and-mud-soaked African-American who went to the (Denny’s?) restroom (where the policewoman so casually dismissed her “duty” to investigate!) was an accomplice. It is WELL known that Mark Byars was a meth-head informant and could have EASILY coerced an addict into helping. The teeth-pulling, the steady decomposition and eventual death of Melissa Byars, the grabbing onto the “suspects” and spouting off about the “Devil worshipping, child-castrating suspects” and finally the death of Melissa, wherein the older son “sped off” in his car, and apparently has NEVER BEEN QUESTIONED about any of this - these all are SO VERY suspect, and to the best of my knowledge, AUUGGGHHH! I do get defensive about this. I remember when this all happened. West Memphis is just about a 2- hr drive from me. I remember seeing Jessie Miskelly and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was mentally deficient. I do not remember ever seeing the other 2 defendents until years later when I heard about Paradise Lost. That is when I discovered Crime Library & ultimately, crime blogs. After reading the CRL story, then visiting the wm3 site, THEN I watched Paradise Lost and practically lost my dinner. Then I watched Paradise Lost 2; that’s the one where ol’ John Mark Byers shows off his gums, and also practically admits that all his grand-standing is just that - an act to incite anger among the locals toward the 3. It bothers me that the older son who was “in court” the day of the murders, and also present when his mother died, to my knowledge has NEVER been closely watched or questioned! Unlike some of the more freaky-new age-goth-defenders, I do NOT believe that Damien is a guru deserving an audience with the Queen (or whatever) but I also am pretty sure he doesn’t belong on death row. And most of all, I believe if any of the “WM3″ had had a pot to piss in (i.e. money for proper defense attorneys) NONE of them would have been found guilty, might or might not have made it out of the trailer parks, but would have had a chance to, and have decent lives. Ignorance, retardation, poverty, add it up and it means HELPLESSNESS. And the 3 JUVEniles! were completely helpless against the Paranoid Prosecuter/Southern Baptist/Pentecostal/Dirty Cop conspiracy that was waged upon them. Also, Trench, I’ve been reading you, admirably, for a couple of years now, but as far as the dog-killing, we have no way of knowing if it’s true. It HAS been shown over and over that many of the witnesses are self-serving embellishers and/or liars from the same socio-economic fringes of WM society who desperately need some limelight themselves, and were willing to tell any preposterous story to achieve that. There are so many questions still (publicly) unanswered, and the answers that ARE concrete shout that the WM3 are innocent. --------------------------------------------- Rex wrote: Very interesting, Trench. You are basing an opinion upon your own research instead of jumping onboard due of a few heavily biased documentaries and books (from which some folks made a lot of money). Bravo. A quick study of the â€œexhibit 500â€ lends itself to the idea that Damian was a loaded gun. He was clearly capable of such heinous acts, and Iâ€™m sure any profiler would agree. In light of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, one might say that there are often warning signs prior to such acts. Damian had these signs in spades. However, the facts donâ€™t sell books and videos, thus propagation of conspiracy theories benefit the authors. Nice gig! That being said, Demian might not be guilty of murder, but we are all better off with him behind bars. -------------------------------------------- Get Even wrote: Dear Trench Reynolds, It is so refreshing; I whole heartedly agree they are guilty. People like Damian are very skilful liars; he is / was the ring leader in this whole thing. Jason Baldwin said (during the interview with the lawyer), before the verdict was handed out that â€œhe was not going to be Damianâ€™s friend anymoreâ€. He was almost hopping he was going to get away with what he had done and he was no longer going to associate with the person who had got him into this trouble. Damian and the other 2 are all guilty for the murders. I have grown up in an area with Psychopaths like Damian and I know how to pick them and how to deal with them. He is a dangerous manipulative control freak, a megalomaniac; he hides in a world and covers himself with his imagination of being a superior being, a Witch or whatever and this gives him the right to do what he sees fit to his subordinates. I have seen the uncaring attitude and look he demonstrates in the film, he thinks all is below him due to Wicker. He uses the Witch craft or Wicker as an excuse for his own short comings and insanity. I am from Australia, a land like many others with well to do areas and very bad crime filled underprivileged areas (covered up). I grew up in an area that had many Damianâ€™s in the making but unfortunately for them the gang I was a member of knew how to deal with them. Damian and his friends thankfully were stopped early before they could grow up (?) and become more famous / infamous serial killers. People like him are as I said very skilful, they appear to the uninitiated cool, calm, collected, placid and harmless (big mistake). The Iceman Richard Kuklinski, looks like the guy next door, cool, calm and collected and now honest (he no longer hides the fact of what he is). He tells it like it is and has the same attitude as Damian, no contrition. America has had many thrill and serial killers. Australia is no different, only smaller by numbers. E.g. Ivan Milat, the Anita Cobby and Janine Balding murderers. I will not go into details but when cold steel is at their neck these brave people go to water, I know examples. Damian would never have done what he and his friends did to those boys, if he knew the Law would treat them in the same manner as they treated their victims. I did not choose where I was born, I did not choose my parents, I had no choice in area I grew up in and I did not pick who lived there. However I had to live in a Jungle and I was determined I was not going to be the prey for anyone. I hope the evil of Damian can be stamped out one day and his cowardly little friends die in agony. Damian if you read this, you cowardly pretentious F**CK, go torture a kid who belongs to an MS 13 member and see what happens, they would not have a comfortable court room for you to do your hair. Trench as I said it is good that you can see through the crap from these Psychos and the morons who support them. ------------------------------------- chris wrote: Well I will say this about the Free the West Memphis 3 supporters- if you manage to get these sickos aquitted, if they kill anyone else, the blood will be on your hands. It is a shame, a bunch of Satanists are getting famous, and you here so little about the real victims or their families. One idiot on here even accused the poor little victims of playing “doctor”. I haven’t seen any evidence aquitting these murderers(1 hair, be for real the kids lived with the man). And I lived in West memphis when this happened, and with all the grief in the community any idiot who is bragging about committing this crime , and your hero Echols was, has made his bed and now has to lie in it. Do any of you know Jesse? I can tell you this, he is far from “retarded”. Tell your California lawyers that in Arkansas, we dont let mudrerers loose like they did OJ Simpson. I cant think of more evidence than a confession. KILL THE KILLERS! ----------------------------------------------- Jessie wrote: . . . Wow. Ignorance really must be bliss. It is quite easy to confess to a crime that you didn’t do. It happens a lot. People panic when something as horrible as what happens to those three boys happens. They not only want to see results, they /need/ them. Because how are they ever going to feel safe if they don’t? And there was no blood on the scene. Even if Damien had killed him and drank his blood, there would be more. All of Jessie’s ‘confessions’ are a joke. He didn’t get the facts right in his first confession and his subsequent ones only further perpetrate that he had no idea what went on. What amuses me is the people that talk about Jessie’s confessions and then talk about Damien being the ring-leader. Obviously you’ve never read them. In Jessie’s confessions Jason is the one making it all happen, he’s the one loosing it and biting them and perpetrating the whole thing . . . but Jason is so little, it’s so hard to believe . . . Damien on the other hand, is taller and stronger, he was the oldest of him and Jason . . . make him the ring-leader instead. Oh, and you have no idea what Satanism is, so I think it would be wise if you stop pretending that you do. The world is full of people who like the judge the occult without knowing what it is, they really don’t need the numbers kid.		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 4:47 pm
Post from Michael Moore's father (in regards to Cold Case)? This is the father of one of the innocent 3 eight yr. old boys that were brutally raped and murdered in west memphis, ar. and I like many, many others do not wish for this tv show to portray the murder of our children as a "cold case" the Ar. supreme court and the US supreme court has upheld the convictions of the 3 child raping murderers and think that such an episode is wrong and wish that every parent of a young child would stand agaist such an episode to be aired as if it were entertainment for the masses, It is not! it however is the pain we live with each and every day that our children are being exploited first by HBO and now by CBS this is a shame that should not be allowed. Todd Moore, father of a innocent child that was raped and murdered, is this entertainment?. Posted by: Todd Moore \| Sep 14, 2007 9:48:08 PM http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/09/nirvanas-music-.html		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 4:52 pm
Alleged Post from Michael Moore's father (on new evidence) mikesfather Oct 30, 2007 \| 10:24 PM All of this is a whole lot about nothing. this is nothing more than another sad attempt by high priced lawyers who want to confuse the public with their smoke and mirrors, this is nothing new with yet another new defense team trying to point the blame at anyone other than the convicted, this only proves what can be done when you have millions of dollars at your expense to change the publics view and gain a few supporters along the way, this is nothing more than a last ditch attempt to free thier client. the media event planned for this thursday will prove nothing new but only what money can buy in hopes to changing the publics mind and draw attention to their efforts. Do not most of the viewing public wonder why only two family members attended the meeting and not all of them? the answer is simple, none of the rest of us bought into this latest attempt. Todd Moore, father of a slain son Michael. http://community.myfoxmemphis.com/blogs/The_Okay_Pro_Se/2007/10/30/West_Memphis ETA: Chris Byers' mother is dead and father wrote a letter supporting the WM3 defense. His stepfather, John Mark Byers, attended the meeting and fully supports the WM3 now. Steven Branch's mother attended, and his father was never really a part of his life and does not speak out to anyone about this, nor is he acquainted with the Moores. Terry Hobbs obviously does not upport the WM3 defense, as his DNA was found, as well as his friend's, at the crime scene. He and Stevie's mother are now divorced. The Moores are the only ones still believing the WM3 are guilty. Rumor has it they are friends and have family involved in the WMPD and have great faith in the police force/Arkansas government.		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 5:03 pm
A Skeptical View of the Judicial System (one message from a board) http://www.centerforinquiry.net/forums/viewthread/2555/ Then there’s the issue of nonsense itself, not being tried, but being used to try cases. Those interested are referred to the two excellent, and frightening, documentaries about the West Memphis Three. Then teens, the three were accused of murdering three little boys by a creek in West Memphis in Arkansas. After 10 hours of grilling, the police squeezed a confession out of one of the teens, who also happens to be border-line retarded. A prosecution witness, whose correspondence courses in satanic rituals qualified him as an “expert,” testified that, “Yep, these are just the kind of godless, teenage heavy metal fans who would commit murders like that.” Of course it was off to death row and life terms for the teens, who have now spent half a lifetime fighting for their lives. This miscarriage of justice was also notable for the sociopathic step-father of one of the murdered boys who had all his teeth pulled before they could be matched to the bite marks on his dead step-son. He was never even questioned. The bites did not match the dental patterns of any of the WM3. We could go into the absurdity of lifetime appointments for judges; the conflicts of interest in the processes to remove crooked lawyers and incompetent judges; the lack of penalties for over-zealous proscutors and lazy defense attorneys; the contradictions in sentencing guidelines… But you get the idea. The judicial system seems long overdue for some skeptical inquiry and reform.		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 5:05 pm
A Woman's Opinion Shortly after three eight-year-old boys were found mutilated and murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, local newspapers stated the killers had been caught. The police assured the public that the three teenagers in custody were definitely responsible for these horrible crimes. Evidence? The same police officers coerced an error-filled confession from Jessie Misskelley Jr., who is mentally handicapped. They subjected him to 12 hours of questioning without counsel or parental consent, audio-taping only two fragments totaling 46 minutes. Jessie recanted it that evening, but it was too late Misskelley, Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols were all arrested on June 3, 1993, and convicted of murder in early 1994. Although there was no physical evidence, murder weapon, motive, or connection to the victims, the prosecution pathetically resorted to presenting black hair and clothing, heavy metal t-shirts, and Stephen King novels as proof that the boys were sacrificed in a satanic cult ritual. Unfathomably, Echols was sentenced to death, Baldwin received life without parole, and Misskelley got life plus 40. For over 14 years, The West Memphis Three have been imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit. Echols waits in solitary confinement for the lethal injection our tax dollars will pay for. They were all condemned by their poverty, incompetent defense, satanic panic and a rush to judgment. I saw a shocking documentary a few months back called Paradise Lost, you may have seen it, if not I would like to draw your attention to basis of this movie. Just search West Memphis Three, I am hoping to help raise awareness of this travesty of justice. ThereI have a short wideo on my myspace page if you want a quick look). myspace.com/theseawitchofauckland Susie http://www.shaolintempleofboom.com/037FBFFFF009C26470009000633E7/Content/ContentDetail.aspx		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 5:17 pm
Another person outraged... On May 5, 1993 three eight-year-old boys, Michael Moore, Christopher Byers, and Steven Branch, were murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas. Their bodies were found in a man-made stream running through a wooded area known as Robin Hood Hills. All three victims had suffered a great deal prior to death; each had been brutally beaten, and Christopher Byers had also suffered severe lacerations. Two of the boys had died due to drowning, and Christopher Byers had died due to blood loss. There was no physical evidence recovered at the crime scene. Almost a month passed and the officers of the West Memphis Police Department had yet to make an arrest. They had questioned Damien Echols, a local teenager who outspokenly enjoyed heavy metal and was rarely seen in any color but black, Jason Baldwin, Damien’s best friend and fellow heavy metal fan, and Jessie Misskelley, a friend of both teens who also shared their color and music preferences. The three friends told officers that they knew nothing about the crime except for what they had seen on the news, but because they were considered outsiders in the community, and because of circulating rumors that Damien was a Satanist, the boys were added to the police department’s suspect list. Jessie Misskelley, who was seventeen and had an IQ of 72 (which is low enough to consider him mentally handicapped), was held and interrogated by the West Memphis Police for over twelve hours. Only the last forty-five minutes of the interrogation were recorded. During the recorded session, Misskelley ‘confessed’ his involvement in the slayings of Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Steven Branch. He also implicated Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin. Jessie recanted his statement that evening, claiming that the police had forced him to confess by harassing him and telling him that he failed a lie detector test. Damien, Jason, and Jessie were arrested on June 3, 1993 and charged with three counts of capital murder. Misskelley found out later that he had actually passed the lie detector test, and that the police had used it as a means to get him to tell them what they wanted to hear. Two separate trial dates were set. The first was for Jessie Misskelley on January 26, 1994. With no physical evidence at his disposal, the prosecutor used Jessie’s coerced confession as the main point of his case against Misskelley. The defense put an expert in coerced confessions on the stand to testify in Jessie’s behalf that the confession had, in fact, been forced, but it was to no avail. Jessie was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Michael Moore, and second degree murder in the deaths of Christopher Byers and Steven Branch. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus forty years. The second trial, that of Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin, who would be tried together, began on February 28, 1994. Since there was no physical evidence left at the crime scene, prosecutors introduced items like Anne Rice books found in Damien’s room, Metallica recordings, black T-shirts found in the boys’ closets, and Damien’s journal containing ‘satanic’ poetry. John Mark Byers, the stepfather of Chris Byers, also took the stand. Less than a week before his house was to be searched by the West Memphis police, he sent a used hunting knife to two filmmakers (who were making a documentary about the case) as a gift. When the filmmakers discovered what they thought to be dried blood on the knife, they sent it to the police to be tested. Upon testing, it was found that the blood on the knife matched both Christopher Byers and John Mark Byers. During his initial interrogation, Byers told police that he had never used the knife. His story changed when he was told that blood had been found on the knife. He then claimed that he had used the knife once to carve some venison. He was told that there was human blood on the knife, and his story changed again. This time he stated that he had cut his thumb while carving the venison. He offered no explanation as to why he had waited so long to inform the officers of such an occurrence. During his closing arguments, prosecutor John Fogleman had this to say: “Is there anything wrong with wearing black, in and of itself? No. Anything wrong with the heavy metal stuff in and of itself? No. The Book of Shadows, anything wrong with that in and of itself? No. But when you take the all black, sucking blood, the tattoos...” He had summed up his entire case against Damien and Jason in those few simple sentences, but even this was not completely true: None of the witnesses, nor Damien himself ever mentioned sucking blood. Even with the lack of evidence, the jury found both defendants guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of Chris Byers, Michael Moore, and Steven Branch. Jason Baldwin was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Damien Echaols was sentence to die by lethal injection. What has happened to America’s fine justice system? Three innocent boys were murdered and three more innocent men sit in jail convicted of crimes that they did not commit. Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were convicted simply because they were different; they were easy targets. The public wanted an answer, and the police were forced to find one. When there was no physical evidence, murder weapon, motive, or connection to the victims, the prosecution claimed that Satanism was the motive, and used music, books, and clothes to ‘prove’ it. If this case seems to be of interest, more information can be found at http://www.wm3.org. There are two books written about the case: Devil’s Knot by Mara Leveritt, and Blood of Innocents by Guy Reel and Marc Perrusquia. Two documentaries were also made: Paradise Lost, and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations. These sources offer much more in-depth information about the crimes, the trials, the circumstances, and the convicted. END OF ARTICLE. Now I rant. Thinking about this case does two things to me. First, it makes me angry. Second, it makes me more motivated to help in any way that I can. I hope that there are others out there who want to end the injustice committed against Damien, Jason, and Jessie, and find the REAL bastard who killed the three little boys. Any system that allows a sadistic child-murderer to walk free is in desperate need of realignment... I am too bitter to type any more right now... http://eyestoinfinity.livejournal.com/2300.html		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 5:32 pm
NEWS & LETTERS, June 2004 West Memphis Three In this day and age, "Salem Witch Trial evidence" should not be admissible in a court of law. Such is the evidence by which Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley were convicted of the murder of three eight-year-old boys. These murders were committed in Robin Hood Hills in West Memphis, Ark. The local "good old boys" methods of obtaining crime scene evidence left much to the imagination and speculation of the local police investigator, Gary Gitchell. In his efforts to solve these heinous crimes under his watch, he grasped at straws as to who might be a likely suspect by enlisting the speculation provided by a juvenile probation officer who happened to be present at the crime scene. On this flimsy evidence Damien Echols, a loner who liked heavy metal music and the occult, was blamed for it. His friend Jessie Misskelley, 17, was coerced into a confession even though a lie detector test proved that he was innocent. Through a tearful confession of more than five hours the police concluded that this young man, whose IQ was 72, was guilty as well. Jason Baldwin was found guilty for no other reason than merely being associated with them. The evidence, what little of it was available, was so contaminated the conclusions were ineffectual. Powerful media hype added to the paranoia surrounding the three young teens. No other suspects were even considered nor investigated and DNA evidence was not pursued. The victims did not appear to have died where they were found in the wooded area. Lack of blood evidence at the crime scene confirmed the murder probably did not occur there. The supposed "crime scene" had no notable footprints even though the ground had been saturated with rain. Further evidence revealed the bite marks on the children did not match those of the defendant's teeth. Furthermore, 24 hours had passed before a report was investigated about a bleeding and muddy man who was spotted at a short distance from the crime scene. The bible-belt satanic paranoia in Arkansas influences the fanatics who wish to blame people that do not fall into their strict ideals of Christian traditions. This idea of satanic blame comforts the local population into the belief that all will be right as soon as the devil worshippers are brought to trail. Paranoia and media hype combine to distort and invent clues as well as obscure the truth from being revealed. Since these murders occurred in the early 1990s in a small town, the science of gathering evidence and information were somewhat limited. Important evidence and clues were not followed through because the police in charge of this case saw three easy suspects. Henry Rollins, Lemmy Kilmister and other musicians are in the process of raising money to get the DNA evidence necessary to clear them. --Mike M. http://www.newsandletters.org/Issues/2004/June/Memphis_June2004.htm		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 5:36 pm
Justice has been tossed in a trunk and thrown out to sea... http://www.squidoo.com/westmemphis3 I had the dubious fortune of living in Memphis, Tennessee for three years, beginning in October, 1993. That May, three beautiful boys were murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, right over the state line. While I lived in Memphis three innocent young men were tried and convicted for these crimes, based on little or no evidence whatsoever. This travesty of justice has left two young men (Jesse Misskelley and Jason Baldwin) in prison for life, and one young man (Damien Echols) on death row. They sit in prison after over a decade, waiting for someone, somehow, somewhere to undo the mess made of the trials and free them. Jason Baldwin's significant crime was wearing hard rock t-shirts. Jesse Misskelley erred by being borderline retarded and being forced to confess by the police. Damien wore black and flirted with Wicca, the Goth lifestyle, and listened to heavy metal and rock and roll. These things obviously made him a suspect for something, anything, and this crime was as good a match for his wild ways as the police in the area were able to find. There was no other evidence linking them to the crime - just Jesse's error-ridden confession (extracted after twelve hours in interrogation, only a fraction of which was recorded) and the testimony of a few flaky kids who were said to have overheard Damien confess. The cast of characters includes a crazy drug-addled stepfather of one of the murdered boys, himself a pretty nice looking addition to the "person of interest list", although he never was investigated. There was the bloody, mumbling man in a restaurant bathroom the evening of the murders, who the police refused to investigate at the time, but looked into a few days later. There was the cocky Chief Investigator who refused to consider there might have been a different murderer. There was an initial FBI profile that said they were looking for a Vietnam veteran based on the patterns of wounds on the children. There was the newspaper reporter who decided that since it was close to a "pagan holiday" (May 1, the murders happened on May 5th or 6th) and a full moon, it must have been a Satanic Ritual Murder. There was the local woman in trouble with the law who tried to get her young son (a friend of the murdered boys) to testify that he'd seen the whole thing from the woods. The same woman later convinced Jesse Misskelley to go to the police to give a similar story. There were the countless people in Arkansas and the surrounding area who allowed Satanic Panic to fill their hearts and make them grab at the first possible suspect: a kid who wore black and his friends. Most of the trials hinged on the testimony of Jesse Misskelley. Jesse, with an I.Q. of 72, was subjected to God knows what by the police during those twelve hours. We know that he took and passed a lie detector test, yet was told by the police that he'd failed. An expert on coerced confessions heard the fraction of Jesse's interrogation that was recorded, and testified that it was a "classic example" of police coercion*. Jesse gave wrong piece of information after wrong piece - virtually everything he said that was right was coerced and led by the police officers. There was no physical evidence linking any of the three young men to the crime: in fact, the police department destroyed most of the physical evidence by incredibly improper crime scene behavior. There were no credible eye witnesses. There was no motive. There was nothing beyond the Satanic Panic and the rush to justice of the people in West Memphis. Nothing, yet three young men have had their lives stolen, not unlike those three young boys who were murdered. I was not a mother when this happened, I had at the time no interest in children, yet every day as I read the Memphis Commercial Appeal I cried at the photos of those beautiful baby faces. I still cry, especially now that I look at my son, who is not that far from the age of riding a bike and hanging out with his buddies. I cry now, for the babies, for the people who love them, and for the young men in prison and their families. I cry because I think of six lives destroyed by this travesty, and so many others touched and ripped apart forever. I don't understand why there isn't more outrage about this. I don't know if people haven't heard of it, I don't know if people are just jaded to yet another example of perverted justice. I don't know if it's just "old news" now, after almost 15 years. It breaks my heart. Please, if this raises any of your hackles, investigate it on your own. The website is full of information regarding the case including recent news and transcripts, and two different synopsis of the case, one by an interested and devoted supporter of the WM3 (Burk Sauls) and another by one of the attorneys for the case. There are also two excellent HBO movies made, Paradise Lost and Paradise Lost 2 which I highly recommend. Both are available at Netflix. I can direct you also to an extensive Crime Library article regarding the case. All that I ask is that, if you are so inclined, you share this with other people and help put this case out before the public in hopes that someday, some way something will happen to fix what has been broken. Meanwhile, say a prayer, light a candle, hold your thumbs - whatever it is you do, for the souls of the three boys, and the lives of the three men.		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 6:42 pm
Crimes of the Oral Father Marcia Ian, Ph.D. http://www.pep-web.org/document.php?id=SGS.002.0083A Taking as a horrifying example a 1993 triple child homicide in West Memphis, Arkansas, in which bitemark evidence figures prominently, this article explores some ramifications of “the Oral Father”—a figure of paternity associated with the most primitive appetite and aggressivity. The Oral Father is the preoedipal, anti(or ante-) genital paternal analog of that familiar image of polymorphous maternity known as the “Phallic Mother.” Although the image of the Phallic Mother has, almost from the inception of psychoanalysis, embodied the tropology and aetiology of perversion, she cannot and should not represent alone the dark side of the parental unconscious. Furthermore, psychoanalysis has always used the Phallic Mother to represent the eros of the (usually male) child (of whatever age), not that of the parent. The Oral Father does not work alone; the term refers not only to an actual father or custodial male who breaches what should be the ————————————— Marcia Ian, Ph.D. is currently Associate Professor in the English department at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. She is the author of Remembering the Phallic Mother: Psychoanalysis, Modernism, and the Fetish (1993), as well as of numerous articles on such topics as psychoanalysis, secularity, Henry James, heavy metal music, and female bodybuilding. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the APCS (Association for the Psychoanalysis of Culture and Society) Conference at Columbia Teachers College, New York City, October 29, 1999. By far the most complete and accessible source for information on this case is the website www.3.org, set up and maintained by the West Memphis Three Support Fund, namely, Kathy Bakken, Grove Pashley, and Burk Sauls. ------------------------------------------------ - 83 - boundaries between himself and his children in particular ways, but to the entire network of paternalist, patriarchal, oedipal practices, discourses, and institutions that support and cover for him. In too many cases, however, physical evidence testifies to the fact that little boys have reason to fear being eaten up, and even emasculated, by their father—his appetite is not a figment of their imagination. [This is a summary or excerpt from the full text of the book or article. The full text of the document is available to subscribers.]		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 6:50 pm
Are you out there, Mr. Bojangles? http://dearburt.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html Tuesday, November 27, 2007 For the past couple of days, I've noticed a letter-writing campaign on the Internet urging supporters of the West Memphis 3, three men (Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin) convicted in 1993 of the brutal murders of three children near West Memphis, Ark., to voice their opinions to the governor of Arkansas, Mike Beebe. Many have questioned their conviction and those that carried it out, especially since new evidence has disproved several of the key theories presented by prosecutors. To view the campaign headquarters and see what it is I'm talking about, visit the following Web site: http://www.wm3.org/live/howtohelp/nationalcampaign.php Several of my friends are very adamant about their support for the WM3, and, of course, I have given them grief for it even though, deep down inside, I know they and Eddie Vedder are right. Echols, who is on death row, and Misskelley and Baldwin, who are serving life in prison, are more than likely victims of a small-town mentality that sees them as a threat to their way of life. Still, it hasn't stopped me from joking that they should have been imprisoned anyway for being weird goth kids. Living in Arkansas since this tragic story aired has given most of the state a sense of first-hand knowledge about the case, but there are certain aspects of which I wasn't aware, such as a mysterious person seen the day the 8-year-old boys -- Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore -- were reported missing. The following description was taken from Wikipedia (not the most definitive source, but I think it will be okay for the purposes of this blog, which only about five of my friends sporadically read). The evening of May 5, 1993, at 8:42 p.m., workers in the Bojangles' restaurant about a mile from the crime scene (a direct route through the bayou where the children were found) in Robin Hood Hills reported seeing an African-American male "dazed and covered with blood and mud" inside the women's restroom of the restaurant. Defense attorneys later dubbed this man "Mr. Bojangles." The man was bleeding from his arm as he attempted to use the toilet and had brushed against the walls. The man had defecated on himself on the floor. The police were called, but the man left the scene. Officer Regina Meeks responded (by inquiring at the drive-through window) about 45 minutes later, after the man had left. Police did not enter or examine the bloodstained bathroom on May 5. The following day, when the victims were found, Bojangles' manager Marty King, thinking there was a possible connection between the bloody, disoriented man and the killings, called police twice to inform them of his suspicions. Only after the second telephone call did police gather evidence from the restroom. Police wore the same shoes and clothes from the Robin Hood Woods crime scene into the Bojangles restaurant bathroom. Detective Bryn Ridge later "lost" the blood scrapings taken from the walls and tiles of the bathroom. A hair identified as belonging to a "Negroid" was later recovered from a sheet which had been used to wrap one of the victims. The hair was believed to be from either one of the police officers at the crime scene or the mysterious bleeding man who wandered into the women's bathroom the night of the murders. Uh ... did that just say negroid? Is that politically correct, Wikipedia? Also, this Mr. Bojangles crapped himself on the floor? Gross! No wonder nobody wanted anything to do with him. While others may be concentrating on getting the WM3 out of prison -- a noble cause -- I'm going to focus all of my time and energy toward finding Mr. Bojangles and bringing him in for questioning. It's obvious that he might have played an important role in the murders and could hold the key to unraveling this unsolved mystery. First thing's first: I Googled "Mr. Bojangles." Turns out there's been a song written by Jerry Jeff Walker about this mysterious person. Hmmm ... he dances, is poor, served time in New Orleans and had a dog that died. Sounds like a sicko; hell, he probably killed his dog, too! This guy's gotta go down. Like Fats Domino, I guess I'll start walkin' to New Orleans in hopes of finding a record of a poor, black guy serving time. It's a pretty big city, so this could be hard (especially since the South has had such a scarce history of imprisoning blacks). Still, the fate of three convicted murderers depends on it, so I'll give it my all and do my best. Free the WM3 and down with Mr. Bojangles! posted by Charlie @ 2:04 PM 0 comments		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 6:51 pm
Some Heated Message Board Dicussion... http://www.topix.com/forum/city/west-memphis-ar/T4HQMF4QVP59VS4BV		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 11:58 am
This is just for others to share what's being said on other message boards. Some of them bring up some good points.		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 5:07 pm
A Poster's Email to Gitchell and his response -----Original Message----- From: ########(DUH) Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2000 9:10 PM To: Gary.Gitchell@usa.Pinkertons.com Subject: Request for Information & Assistance Please Mr. Gitchell, I'm writing to you to request some information about the West Memphis homicides back in 1993 (Robin Hood Hills). I've learned that many of theinvestigators/prosecution have invited the public to view the evidence for themselves, so to speak, and this is what I would like to do. This is indeed a fascinating case that has received a huge volume of interest. I'm not in the state of Arkansas so viewing the evidence directly seems improbable. I was hoping you would be willing to spare a little time for me to answer some of the questions I have about the case. I realize you have since retired from the department, as well as the fact that the case is obviously closed, but any information you would be willing to provide or share would be most welcome and helpful. My questions are not many (hopefully), but the answers were never provided in all of the detail resource material currently available to the general public. They are below for your convenience. Thank you so much for your time. I do appreciate it greatly. ================ 1. At approximately what point in the investigation were each of the WM3 (Damien Echols, Jessie Miskelley, and Jason Baldwin) actually considered suspects? Who was this Lucifer individual, or was he a fabrication? 2. Were any of the residences of the children ever searched, and what if anything was recovered? What dates were they searched if they were? 3. Since there was no blood visible, what was the basis for conducting the luminol testing of the woods near the truck wash? What was the indication to the investigators that the children were in fact murdered there as opposed to having been placed there? Also, why were there never any follow up tests performed to determine if the positive reactions were in fact of human/blood origin? 4. What was done with the photographs of the reactions as well as the materials used in enclosing the area for darkness? What procedure was used to clean the area after testing? 5. Were any of the homes of the families ever tested with luminol to determine if the murders could have happened there instead of the woods? If not, why not? 6. There is much confusion over the statements from Narlene Hollingsworth about he nephew LG, but mostly about who exactly it was she'd seen. Was it Jason or was it Domini Teer? Where approximately had she seen them (ie: toward the Bojangles restaurant, or west of the truck wash, or elsewhere?) 7. Was premeditation ever considered or more closely scrutinized as part of the motive for the murders of these children? 8. Was Mr. Byers ever read his rights prior to his May 19th statements given? This was curious to me because it was discovered he had been read his rights after it came out he'd given a knife to one of the HBO crew, yet he was a suspect as of May 19, 1993. Why was he not read his rights at that time, or was he? Please clear the confusion. 9. How long had Mr. Byers been a confidential informant for the WMPD? 10. What had been the determination for disregarding him further as a suspect? 11. Was there any blood evidence visible in the wooded area at all that was found? If so, where? 12. Given that there was a 'remarkable lack of evidence' as stated by Mr. Fogleman, are you still inclined to feel this case being solved accurately was an '11'? If so, what was it that sealed your own conviction the suspects arrested were in fact guilty? Was it some piece of evidence, a comment from a witness, or is there something that isn't part of public knowledge that convinces you the wm3 are actually guilty as charged? 13. What was established as the scenario for these murders, or was there ever one established? My question is basically what was it that actually happened and how, when, etc. It's known from the statements that Jessie gave that they'd already been in the woods, had seen the children and called them over. Was this the scenario or was it something else? Why were the bikes put into the bayou instead of being left nearer to the bodies? Mostly, which side of the creek were the murders to have occured on? the main floor side by the wash, or the eastern side of the creek, near the open field? 14. Why was Jessie never taken to the woods with officers and a video camera in order to have a recording of his statements and walk through of the scenario? It was suggested and asked if he would be willing to do this and he agreed, yet it was never done. Why wasn't it? ====== I hope you will take some time and clear the confusion on some of these issues. It's difficult to make a judgement one way or the other with the various rumors and wild speculation going on. I'd really like to get a clearer picture of what happened. Thank you again for your time. It's most appreciated. One last thing, please don't take my questions as accusatory. They are not intended to be. These are just some of the questions that were never addressed in all the 'popular information' in circulation. Wading through tons of speculation is time consuming so I hoped that by going straight to the source I might get more accurate answers. Thanks again! I look forward to your response. ____________ To which he pulled the forked devil stick outta his ass long enough to deliver this insightful reply. Gee...least he answered. ======= I have been asked many times to speak about this case and I have found it impossible to attempt to speak with everyone. Therefore I have not responded to questions about the case. I will only say that information that people received from the HBO Documentaries are not complete and tend to give one the wrong impression. To have a complete understanding one does need to go through the file and just look for themselves. The file however consist of some 13 boxes of documents and is lengthy. Possibly get a copy of the transcript is also an option. Also since a new trial attempt is ongoing I do not believe it would be appropriate for me to comment. Maybe some day I will get to tell the story as it should be told. ==================== It wouldn't have taken 20 minutes out of his day to answer even one of the above, very reasonable and legitimate questions. I think he knew where I was headed, read between the lines so to speak and played another WIMPD game of dodgeball. heheheh Sorry Eddie but this guy's a friggin putz. http://westmemphisthreediscussion.yuku.com/topic/2210		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 5:41 pm
Urine..Knowledge or Rumor? (If you can cot click the links and want the documents, let me know) as we all know, Steve Jones is the one who made the initial discovery of the floating shoe which led to the discovery of the bodies. (a little after 1PM on May 6th) Steve Jones also was a juvenile probation officer who worked along with Jerry Driver on a search of occult activity in WM. The 2 were known to "point the finger at Damien" for everything that happened, claiming his involvement. Steve Jones also was the one, upon discovery of the bodies, who proclaimed Damien's involvement, by saying "Looks like Damien finally killed somebody". (not positive those are the exact words, but to that effect). On page 6 of Mallet's motion to retest/test DNA: callahan.8k.com/images/mo...tion06.jpg -"Urine was found in the stomachs of two of the boys. See Appendix B(Letter from Inspector Gary Gitchell to Kermit Channel at Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, dated 5-26-93; item (9) "Dr. Peretti mentioned finding urine in the stomach of two boys"). This is NOT noted by Peretti anywhere in the autopsies. but the more interesting part follows: (snippets from Sudbury's notes on his visit with Damien): callahan.8k.com/wm3/desud.html In fact the day after the bodies were discovered I went to 2706 South Grove and meet with Steve Jones whereas we talked to Pamela and Eddie Hutcheson the mother and step-father of Damien. Neither Pamela or Eddie objected to our talking to Damien. On this day, with Pamela and Eddie's permission, we talked to Damien in his bed room [snip] Now, this would have been May 7th. why does this matter? well, let's look at what Damien said in his May 10th statement, concerning what was told to him during this 5/7 visit: callahan.8k.com/wm3/dwe.html DAMIEN STATED THAT STEVE JONES FROM THE JUVENILE AUTHORITY HAD BEEN BY TO SEE HIM A DAY OR TWO BEFORE AND THAT STEVE HAD TOLD HIM ABOUT HOW THE BOYS TESTICLES HAD BEEN CUT OFF AND THAT SOMEONE HAD URINATED IN THEIR MOUTHS. HE STATED THAT STEVE STATED THAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE REASON THAT THE BODIES WERE PLACED IN THE WATER SO THAT THE URINE COULD HAVE BEEN WASHED OUT. Damien made this statement in the presence of Sudbury: callahan.8k.com/wm3/dwe.html who was also present during the May 7th visit: callahan.8k.com/wm3/desud.html Seems if the above statement made by Damien was incorrect, surely this would have been corrected & noted by Sudbury!? but wait, what is REALLY interesting here is that May 7th was the same exact day of the autopsies being performed! callahan.8k.com/wm3/autsb.html callahan.8k.com/wm3/autcb.html callahan.8k.com/wm3/autmm.html Peretti did not finish the autopsies until the afternoon. i'd like to know what time it was that Jones & Sudbury visited Damien, on that very same day! furthermore, Peretti claims he did not tell ANYONE details of the autopsies. (nor does he even mention urine in the stomachs in the autopsy reports) he didn't even put any details in the cause of death reports, which were not sent out until May the 10th! callahan.8k.com/images/as..._Steve.JPG callahan.8k.com/images/as..._Chris.JPG callahan.8k.com/images/as...ichael.JPG now, how is it that Gitchell does not note the mention of urine in the boys stomachs until May 26th, yet Jones knew it the same day of the autopsies?? i'd say that IF in fact, there was urine found in any of the boys' stomachs, the thought of Jones knowing on the same day....now, THAT is pretty damn coincidental! http://westmemphisthreediscussion.yuku.com/topic/2096		"Bratty Mama Leci" Joined: 02 Aug 2006 Posts: 12374 Location: Kentucky



Obscuregawdess Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 5:26 pm
Why I think the West Memphis 3 are guilty (opinions) http://crime-spree.blogspot.com/2005/04/why-i-think-west-memphis-3-are-guilty.html (This is going to be a long one. Sorry.) I’ve already written in this post about my change from goofy-haired political activist to slightly-less-goofy-haired writer, and how that has affected my view of the West Memphis 3. One thing I noted in that post is that it is hard to find any websites that lay out the case against the teens. That's what this post is for: an entry level explanation of why people think the three are guilty. Sort of the opposite of the front page of this West Memphis 3 site. I should point out that, along with this invaluable website, I learned a lot about the case reading the arguments on this website and this website. Even though the discussions on the two boards can sometimes read like a transcript of the Crips/Bloods Summer Picnic, there’s also a lot of information to absorb. Just in case you've never heard of the West Memphis 3, here's the case in a nutshell: Three young boys were murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas. After a teen named Jessie Misskelley confessed to the crime, he and two other teens, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin, were found guilty in two separate trials. After an HBO documentary called Paradise Lost was aired which cast doubt on the verdict, a large number of people, including many musicians, began clamoring for their release. The supporters’ claims generally state that Misskelley's confession was coerced and that local authorities focused on Damien Echols due to his creepy "Goth" persona. While the conviction has survived multiple courts and appeals, public support (especially on the Internet) still maintains the trio's innocence. Parents Just Don’t Understand Myth: Damien Echols was a "troubled outcast" targeted for his long hair by dumb yokels who thought heavy metal equaled Satanism. Truth: Damien Echols was seriously mentally ill. Many supporters like to use the line "This could have happened to any of us," as if the government was going after metal fans and Wiccans with the same vigor they pursued Communism in the ‘50s. This is an especially attractive myth for people who like to think that a funny hairstyle or black clothing is a valid form of rebellion that the Man needs to quash (“Mabel, I saw a t-shirt today that said ‘Goddess Bless.’ I’m votin’ Green Party from now on.”) But, while lots of people might have been outcasts in high school, but they probably didn't: Stay in a mental hospital, where a doctor listed “extreme physical aggression towards others” as one of the problems. Threaten to attack their parents. Tell a therapist that drinking blood gives them power. Suck the blood out of a wound in front of detention officials Kill and mutilate a dog (this is supported by police reports from both an eyewitness to the mutilation and someone who found the dog's corpse. A dog's skull was also found in Damien's room after his arrest). Receive full disability from the government for mental problems. And, in the unlikely event that all of that is true about you, guess what: you might be a murder suspect some day. Folks complain that the “rumor mill” convicted Echols before his arrest. Can you wonder why? You don’t need to believe in a vast satanic conspiracy to see the boy ain’t quite right. Let’s talk about forced confessions, shall we? The Many Confessions of Jessie Miskelly No one would argue that Jessie’s conviction kept him from a life of a Rhodes scholar. Nit-picky arguments will break out on occasion on what exactly to label Misskelley: Retarded? Borderline Retarded? I’m going to simplify the whole thing by call him what he definitely is: a dipshit. His lawyer says that Jessie liked to shatter Coke bottles with his fist to show how tough he was. So, dipshit it is. Was Jessie’s confession coerced? If you define “coercion” the way most people think of it (say, the way they got confessions during the Inquisition), then the answer is a definite “no.” Despite what some sources state, Jessie was not browbeaten for 12 hours without parental consent. He made his first incriminating statement after a few hours in custody, and his father knew exactly where he was. But, according to a sociologist who testified (mostly out of the jury’s earshot) for Miskelly, these few hours of questioning were enough to make Jessie snap and begin lying to his own detriment. Dr. Richard Ofshe, the sociologist in question, said the police’s questioning techniques helped to get a false confession. Ofshe has published several papers that argue that modern interrogation techniques are psychologically overbearing and should be thrown out. Police, who solve somewhere around 80% of the major crimes they close through confessions, would argue that the relatively small number of false confessions aren’t worth losing the crimes they solve. (I haven’t found any hard data that can say what percentage of confessions are “false,” if anyone out there knows, please leave a comment). So, the question becomes: how much protection from the law do dipshits deserve? Jessie, by the way, didn’t confess just once. He confessed twice on tape, once after his conviction. He also confessed to some guards at one point and perhaps even to a friend before his arrest. Jessie, some folks say, is easily led, but during his second confession, you can hear his attorneys pleading with him not to confess. He does so anyway. So, he’s got a little backbone. The other big problem people have with Jessie’s confession is its discrepancies from facts. This can be a little troubling. But here’s the thing: as we established, Jessie is a dipshit. Not only that, but, according to his second taped confession, Jessie drank enough Evan Williams to make himself sick the night of the murder (a statement with some evidence behind it, I might add). Maybe you’ve never drank Evan Williams. It’s not exactly a sippin’ whiskey. So, let’s perform a test. Drink enough E.W. to make you vomit and then play a game of Memory. How’d you do? Circumstantial Evidence is Okay Hard evidence, like a videotape of the crime being committed, is like a prefab house that the prosecutors can just move into right away. Circumstantial evidence is a brick. Sure, you can point at a brick and yell, “That’s not a house,” and you’d be right on, Braniac. But you can still build a house with bricks. Let’s lay some, shall we: Jessie Misskelley’s many confessions Damien’s pre-arrest hinting that he’d been involved in the murder The girls who testified that they heard Damien confess Jason Baldwin’s jailhouse confession Damien’s mental illness Secondary fiber evidence Two types of blood on Damien’s necklace Shaky alibis Jessie’s weeping spells right after the murders The knife found behind Baldwin’s house That’s a big pile of bricks. While you might be able to destroy a few of them (I find Baldwin’s “jailhouse confession” to be a little suspect myself), there’s still a lot of evidence pointing to the trio. This is where Occam’s Razor comes into play. You can choose to believe all this evidence is the result of perjurers, corrupt evidence-planting cops, incompetent judges, yokels too dumb to think for themselves, cruel interrogators, coincidence and prejudice. Or you can believe that the West Memphis 3 are guilty. Remember, don’t make assumptions you don’t have to make. This is not the full story … if you want to learn more, you should by going to the message boards linked to above. But, as WM3 awareness day rolls around, you might be tempted to give some money to the cause. You’d better be sure that your money isn't going to child murders. Are you? posted by The Bookhouse Boy at 4/24/2005 02:16:00 PM 49 Comments: skinny said... evan williams and memory is a drinking game waiting to happen. 8:27 AM Dave said... Would you like to back up the evidence that a dog's skull was found in his room by the cops? I mean to me it sounds like your post is a load of bullshit. And yes I have had friends targeted for things that they didn't do. 2:34 AM The Bookhouse Boy said... It's common knowledge that a dog's skull was found in Damien's room. Here are a few links to pages that talk about it. And do a little research before you call bullshit, huh? http://www.wm3.org/live/evidence/evidenceanalysis.php?page=13 http://p210.ezboard.com/fwestmemphisthreediscussionfrm21.showMessage?topicID=162.topic Thanks for reading. 7:27 AM sc said... Hey there, Have you read "Devil's Knot"? I respect your take on things. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. But if you haven't read that book, give it a read. Cheers, sc 4:49 PM Anonymous said... I agree with you fully. People should read the Exhibit 500 on Damien Echols: http://callahan.8k.com/wm3/img/exh500.html before making a decision one way or another. He did a little more than wear black, listen to Metallica and read Steven King. 9:12 AM Charlie said... Mental Retardation begins at an IQ of 70, Jessie Misskelley has an IQ of 72. He was closer to being a retard than a dipshit. According to Jessie’s defense attorney, Daniel Stidham, Jessie claims that he and his friends were first approached by the police and offered a reward for information about the murders. Jessie was later taken into WMPD for questioning despite the fact that they did not have a written waiver of his Miranda Rights signed by Jessie’s father, a legal requirement when police interview minors. Examples of incorrect information in Jason's "confession:" 1. Jessie stated that the victims and Jason Baldwin were not at school when in fact they were proven to have been in attendance 2. Jessie stated that the victims were bound with rope when in fact they were bound with their own shoelaces 3. Jessie stated that one boy was choked with a stick when the medical examiners report stated that there was no evidence of strangulation 4. Jessie stated that the boys were anally raped when in fact the medical examiner had found no evidence of this occurring 5. Jessie described the murders as having been conducted at the scene where the bodies were found when in fact the medical examiner had stated that there was no blood found at the scene. One glaring fact is that jessie got the time of the murders wrong. He said they occured in the morning, it wasnt until the police coached him to believing that they occured at night they he began saying it occured at night - how could he get that sooo wrong???? 7:19 PM Anonymous said... Excellent article. Thanks for trying to get the REAL truth out there for all of us. Sadly, hundreds of websites exist and are still springing up daily which make the claim of "conviction based on heavy metal and black clothing". It's just not true. The two movies were incredibly misleading. What people fail to realize is that a film maker can twist facts and fiction into his or her own little creation...whether to sensationalize the movie and make it more interesting, or because of his/her own personal thoughts. These film makers either "chose" to eliminate facts....important ones....or they were too ignorant to research the facts. Damien Echols DID mutilate the great dane. He DID threaten to cut his mother's throat, on more than ONE occasion. He DID threaten to kill his father and eat him. In fact, he also did it in FRONT of hospital staff. His family put him in a mental hospital because, quote, "they feared that Damien would harm himself or someone else". At another time, they stated that they feared he might hurt "the other children in the home". The mental health history of Damien Echols is, without a doubt, terrifying. His life consisted of imaginary men, one named "Rosey" who visited him in the night, took him places, and discussed with him how Damien would "make them all pay". Damien believed he was the second Christ, and that he was leaving the earth on Halloween. The hospital records of Damien, available on the site you linked above, are unbelievable. The "500" is incredibly telling. The "Woods affidavit", which was given by the doctor hired by the DEFENSE for Damien's appeal, clearly sets it all out - the absolute danger of this young man. You can get there here: http://callahan.8k.com/wm3/gwoods.html Another EXCELLENT web site in which the case is currently being discussed is http://p088.ezboard.com/bwestmemphishomicidesdiscussion Jessie Miskelley confessed THREE separate times. He actually fought with his lawyers because he insisted he was going to get the complete truth out. They did not want him to testify. He insisted. Lastly, he related the entire horrible incident to sheriff's deputies transporting him to prison AFTER his trial. His own lawyer insisted on going in to Jessie's cell and trying to talk him out of giving a confession after his trial. His lawyer talked at length with Jessie in private and emerged pale and asking for a Bible. It is