West Memphis Three - 1410 Words

The West Memphis Three I sit in a crowded court room. I am a juror in the case of the State vs. Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin. Everyone in the country has heard about the West Memphis Three. The murders of Steven Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore took place on May 5, 1993 in Robin Hood Hill West Memphis, Arkansas.(West Memphis 3) They have been headline news for over a year now. I already have an idea of what I think happened before I have even heard one word from either side. I could just feel the tension in the room as the defendants walked into the courtroom. People who had been talking and moving about just suddenly stopped to watch as Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin walked to their seats with their attorneys†¦show more content†¦What if that was your son, brother, or nephew? Every one of you in this room heard what those girls said. Jessie Misskelley confessed. They did it!† I did not say a thing; no one did. I did not want to get in a deb ate right before we went out into the courtroom. How could he be so blind though? What clear evidence did he see? I was not convinced they were guilty. After that the trial started with the evidence of a knife found in a pond behind Jason Baldwin’s trailer park. I thought to myself I might actually get some proof now that these boys were linked to these murders. They claimed this was the murder weapon and that the victims’ wounds were consistent with this knife. The State Medical Examiner testified that yes one of the boys wounds were from a knife but the person doing the cutting would need some skill and plenty of light to do what they had done to this little boy.(Paradise Lost) This even confused me more. The police had said the boys died between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. so there would have been no light in the woods of Robin Hood Hills that early in the morning (Free West Memphis 3). The State then brought in an expert, Dale Griffis, in occult killings; later whe n the Defense cross-examined him we found out he had a mail in order degree from the Columbia Pacific University. (Paradise Lost) He said everything in the killings wasShow MoreRelatedThe Nightmare of the West Memphis Three800 Words   |  4 Pages In his article, â€Å"The Nightmare of the West Memphis Three†, Rich explores how the people of Memphis drew horrific conclusions about people based on the lifestyle they chose to practice. The article highlights the trials and tribulations faced by the accused three young teenagers. Rich does this by citing the popular documentary series â€Å"Paradise Lost† which is an in depth analysis into the lives of the accused, the victims’ families and members of the community. This paper outlines how the beliefRead MoreThe West Memphis Three Case Analysis1420 Words   |  6 PagesThe Case of the West Memphis Three involves the three teenage boys accused and convicted of murdering Michael Moore, Stevie Branch, and Christopher Byers in West Memphis, Arkansas on May 5th, 1993. The investigation, trial, and appeals that followed would put the Arkansas criminal justice system under scrutiny for their actions. The West Memphis Police Department arrested and charged Jason Ba ldwin, Damien Echols, and Jessie Misskelly, Jr. with the three boy’s murders. The entire case was under theRead MoreEssay on The Crucible and the West Memphis Three1175 Words   |  5 PagesRevenge, the abuse of authority and the desire for power are all present in both Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible and the case regarding the West Memphis Three. To understand the connection you need to know something about the case. Three young boys were murdered on May 5, 1993 (Leveritt 5). They were stripped of their clothing, their hands were bound and they were forced underwater in the nearby creek where they stayed until they were found the next day. Little evidence was collected the dayRead MoreEssay about The West Memphis Three1050 Words   |  5 Pagesserve time for a crime they did not commit? Why is a person still serving time when the evidence is there proving their innocence? Today, DNA testing has become more evident to solving cases in proving guilt or innocence. I am focusing on a case of three boys convicted of murders with no substantial evidence to prove guilt and how DNA evidence could help them receive an acquittal they have anticipated for eighteen years. According to the Innocence Project website, there have been 272 post convictionRead MoreThe Crucible Research Paper : West Memphis Three1480 Words   |  6 PagesPaper : West Memphis Three The West Memphis Three terminology was birthed when three troubled, teenage boys were accused of brutally torturing and murdering three young, innocent boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, in May of 1993. Authorities had mounting pressure to find the culprits responsible for the unspeakable crime. In a very short time, the three teens were accused, arrested and then charged with the brutal crime. It was not Salem, Massachusetts, but a witch-hunt was going on in West MemphisRead MoreInjustice For All: The West Memphis Three Essay2750 Words   |  11 Pagesa shadowy forest, several busy freeways, a murky stream, and three lifeless young bodies. One parent describes the act; â€Å"Imagine all the evil that you could think of, of how someone could be murdered, and that’s how these three children died.† The fear of such things quickly spread through the town of West Memphis, Arkansas on May 6, 1993. The scene at Robin Hood Hills was a gruesome one on that hot afternoo n. The discovery of three bodies, each an eight-year-old boy, sent shock across the communityRead MoreThe West Memphis Three Trials1227 Words   |  5 Pagespenalty has faced. Many movies were produced that followed the lives of people on death row. A series of famous cases, often collected referred to as the West Memphis Three trials, highlighted the shortcomings of the death penalty. The West Memphis Three refers to three teenage boys who were convicted of brutally murdering three children in West Memphis, Arkansas. Since the oldest teen that was convicted was 18 years old at the time of the murders and Arkansas has the death penalty, he was sentenced toRead MoreAnalysis Of West Of Memphis 1290 Words   |  6 PagesThe scales of justice are rarely in balance. In â€Å"West of Memphis†, imperfection within the criminal justice system is used as a central theme. Imperfection can be defined as an unsatisfactory feature. Similarly, town fervor, which puts additional pressure on investigators to swiftly come up with answers, bible-belt politics, namely, devil worshiping, celebrity clout, which leads to freedom from prison, as result, show imperfection in the criminal justice system as a central theme. Firstly, murderRead MoreThe West Memphis Case Analysis1484 Words   |  6 PagesThe West Memphis case remains a mystery to this day. Even after the closing of the it, 6 years ago, people still question who murdered the three children. After investigation ended Damien Echols one of the man wrongly accused of killing the kids wrote the novel Life After Death which explained his side of the story. It peeked the interest of the public as it was one of the first pieces to have been in the view of the alleged murderers. The documentary West of Memphis became famous as it showed whyRead MoreDevils Knot Essay1081 Words   |  5 PagesOn May 6, 1993, three eight year old boys were found savagely murdered in West Memphis Arkansas. The investigation lacks hard evidence and a suspect, and the police automatically turn their focus on Satanism. Unfortunately, three teenage boys became the prime suspects: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley. Because they wore black and listened to hard rock music, they were outcasts. With nothing but circumstantial evidence mounted upon these teenage boys, the community lets a Satanic