Who were the West Memphis 3?
The West Memphis 3 was the name given to three teenagers: Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin, who were wrongly convicted in 1994 of the murders of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993. The evidence against them was very weak, and the prosecution relied on what seemed to be a false confession by Misskelley, a boy with a severely low IQ. Echols was sentenced to death, with Misskelley and Baldwin both receiving life sentences. The prosecution insisted the teens had killed the children as some sort of Satanic Ritual, largely due to the ”Satanic Panic” that swept the nation during the 1990’s. The victims were called Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers.
Thanks to a documentary team who profiled the case over the years in the Paradise Lost trilogy, the case never went away and received the backing of many celebrities who held fundraisers to support the convicted teens as they pushed for a new trial.
What new evidence emerged in the case?
In July 2007, new information emerged revealing that none of the evidence at the scene could be attributed to the 3 convicted teens.
On the 29th of October 2007, papers were filed in federal court by Echols’ defence lawyers seeking a retrial or his immediate release from prison. The filing claimed DNA evidence linked one of the victims’ stepfathers to the crime scene. Terry Hobbs was Stevie Branch’s stepdad, and one of the hairs that was found in the ligature that had tied one of the other boys up during the murders was matched to him.
On the 10th of September, 2008, Circuit Court Judge David Burnett denied the request for a retrial. That ruling was then appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court.
What was The Alford Plea?
Thanks to this newly produced DNA evidence, the West Memphis 3 negotiated a plea bargain with prosecutors. On the 19th of August, 2011, they entered Alford Pleas, which allowed them to assert their innocence while acknowledging the state still had enough evidence to convict them, essentially still technically pleading guilty to the murders. Basically, this meant the state couldn’t be sued for potential wrongful convictions. It wasn’t justice, but it was the best option at the time, especially with Echols being on death row. They all served 18 years for a crime they most likely didn’t commit. Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were released on the same day they entered their new pleas.
What happened to the West Memphis 3?
Damien Echols moved to Salem, Massachusetts, upon his release with his wife, Lorri Davis, whom he married while still in prison. She was instrumental in pushing for his release, working with renowned filmmaker Peter Jackson to launch their own investigation into the case. A film called West of Memphis was released in 2012, which detailed the new investigation and charted the eventual release of Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley.
Jason Baldwin moved to Seattle to live with friends after his release from prison. He is in a relationship with a woman who befriended him while he was in prison. He planned to enrol in college to become a lawyer to help wrongly convicted people. Baldwin has stayed out of the public eye, so it’s unclear exactly where he is or what he is doing in 2023.
Jessie Misskelley moved back to the West Memphis area and has withdrawn from society, choosing to keep a low profile. However, in 2017, he was arrested for driving without a licence.
Echols has continued to fight to clear his name and that of Baldwin and Misskelley, and has pleaded for retesting of evidence in the case.
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