This widely publicised trial was the focus of two HBO specials and has sparked a lot of controversey and support. Justice was not served. The West Memphis police panickd and pinned the murder on the first three people they could think of. Those unfortunate people were Damien Echols (19), Jessie Misskelley (17), and Jason Baldwin (16). These teens dressed in black and listened to music like Metallica, which was frowned upon in their bible- thumping town. There were a lot of mistakes made in obtaining evidence from the crime scene, and the three teens had alibies. These facts did not matter to the judge, however, and they were all convicted of murder. Damien Echols received the death penalty. Jessie Misskelley received life +40years, and Jason Baldwin received life without parole.
Mayor Keith Ingram was so pleased with the results of this trial that he declared a Gary Gitchell Day in honor of the police officer who stated to the media before the trial, that on a scale of one to ten, he considered his certainty on the guilt of Damien, Jason and Jessie to be an 'eleven.' Again, this statement was made to the media BEFORE the trial. Not only did they betray the three murdered children by allowing the real killer to escape justice, they betrayed three teenagers by using them as scapegoats.
Appeals have been made, but Damien, Jessie, and Jason remain incarcerated. The fight is not over yet, though. With financial support as well as emotional support from the public, these boys may one day get the trial they deserve. For information on how to make a donation, or how to contact the boys, or just to find out more about this case, click the link at the bottom of this page. Please, find out more and make sure that the courts know that this type of injustice is not tolerated in America. INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY is intended to apply to everyone. You never know, the next person they try to pin a murder on might be you.
