Tookie? How about Damien Echols?

Although I am anti-death penalty in all cases, the case of Damien Echols (one of the West Memphis Three), is a case of particular judicial heiniousness. From the www.wm3.org website:

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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 12 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.
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The website has court documents, autopsy reports, and more. Two documentaries have been done by HBO on the West Memphis Three. These three young men have been in prison 12 years for a crime they did not commit, and Damien sits on death row. I urge everyone to get involved in whatever way they can, to help get justice for these three young men. And check out Paradise Lost and Paradise Lost 2 on DVD or video.

on the WM3 I believe brought this case to me - I've followed since. There's apparently little doubt as to who the real killer is - and he's free.

ive seen those documentaries and he seemed guilty as hell to me.

i swear i hope they nail that guy.

dont remember that part, did the kids have bite marks?

edit
heres the website to go to for more info www.wm3.org

Yes there were bite marks on his child I believe. It was the loud gospel singing crazy father. He had a knife that was bloody and then between the movies his wife died mysteriously. He had all of his teeth extracted and his explanations for why changed several times.

I can't believe that they are still in jail let alone Damien still on death row. Anyone, I mean anyone he sees the first movie and most definitely the second one could not possibly think they're guilty. There is so much reasonable doubt it's sick.

This is all about a judge and a prosecutor and police force who won't admit that they made a mistake. 3 dead boys is a lot of pressure and they round up what they thought was a good suspect not based on evidence but their own biases based on how he dressed and did his hair. Throw in a coerced confession by a very mentally slow kid and for them it was case closed. That's why there shouldn't be any death penalty anywhere. That someone could sit on death row because he looks like a witch is insane in any time and place. The fact that it is here and now is a sick tragedy.

after the trial, well i think it was after the trial and it was featured in the follow up documentary.

They found a bite mark on his stepson's body -- conveniently after the trial was over. The bite mark does NOT match Damien, Jesse, or Jason. Only after they found the bite mark, did the step-dad get ALL his teeth removed. Also, his wife died mysteriously about a year later.

blame the goth kid, blame the slow kid because they're different. Talk about profiling.

i wonder how you find a dentist to pull all your teeth like that?

medication he was taking.

from when he had those teeth.

The same judge who presided over the farce of a trial is also the one presiding over all the appeals at that level. He has ruled against motion after motion filed on behalf of the WM3. Finally 12 years later, he ruled that DNA testing would be permitted. They are waiting for the results now. When it comes back that the WM3 DNA doesn't match any of the DNA collected at the crime scene, I wonder what will happen? I doubt the same judge who sentenced Damien to die is going to release him.... ever, no matter what the evidence.

because in all of these years years they have "lost" lots of physical evidence (not like they ever collected it well.... people just went through that crime scene with no idea what they were doing) and they can't get a new court to listen to them.

The step-father of Christopher Byers (John Mark Byers) would naturally be the biggest suspect (the missing teeth.... the fact that only his step son was singled out and tortured... and the fact that they think he was stealing the kids Ritalin), but Byers was a drug informer for the West Memphis police department and many feel that they were running some sort of operation together (West Memphis is a truck stop town where tons of drugs and kiddie porn is trafficked).


I got really involved with this case at one pint and it is so frustrating what they are getting away with.

In fact, when you get dentures made, first they take an impression of your teeth BEFORE they pull them. That impression is used as a guide for the dentures so they will meet correctly. Whether those impressions are saved is a different matter - I don't know.

First he said it was a side effect of teggertal (sp?) his epilepsy medication (which rotting teeth is not a side effect), then he said he got into a bar fight (I think he had other versions too.


Don't they have to have an old medical record somewhere...... I mean Byers has one big rap sheet!

I actually recommend the second film (if you just plan on watching one). It shows stuff from the first, but it is more thorough with forensic experts (the first one is just the court case).

I actually met the filmmakers and one of them told me that when they went to go shoot their documentary they thought the guys were guilty (from local sensational headlines) and couldn't believe it when the case unraveled to show not one shred of evidence against them.