The West Memphis 3: Trials and Triumph How often do people get wrongly accused in the United States for serious crimes, leaving villainous criminals free? According to Tom Spring, at the Ohio State University, about 10,000 people in the United States are wrongly convicted of serious crimes each year. In a trial, there is a 0.027 percent chance that a person is wrongly convicted. Meaning that there is a 99.09292 percent chance that the court system is correct (Hughes). With a strong court system one
The West Memphis 3 were three teenagers who were accused of the brutal murder of 3 eight-year old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. The boys were believed to have been killed as part of a satanic ritual. By the next day, the police had already found their first suspect Damien Echols and were questioning him. Echols was considered a suspect because of his interest in the Wicca religion and officers investigating the case both thought that the “murders had strong overtones of a cultic sacrifice.”
West Memphis 3: Wrongfully Accused? On May 5th, 1993 three eight year old boys were reported missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The boys were found the next day, hog tied in a wooded area called “Robin Hood Hills”. After the case had been “thoroughly” investigated, the West Memphis Police announced on the news that they had found the murderers, pointing fingers at Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin, three teenagers who were different from the norm in West Memphis, making it easy
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 day of their discovery, what was recovered was mislabeled and handled incorrectly. The boys were laying in the open elements for 3 hours before
Satanic Panic in the South On the evening of May 5, 1993, three boys from West Memphis, Arkansas, were last seen riding their bikes together. In the early evening, Chris Byers' stepfather, John Mark Byers, reported that his stepson had not come home and he was becoming worried. The police were also notified of two other boys who had been with Chris and were considered missing, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch. The police and the parents of the missing children searched the neighborhood
Paradise Lost is the first of three documentaries chronicling the story of the West Memphis Three (Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelly) and the allegations made against them regarding the mutilations and murders of Christopher Byers, Michael Moore and Steven Branch. The film gives an insight into the investigation of the case with a great deal of detail using crime scene footage, court hearings and interviews. Though it may be argued that the making of this film was wrong, I believe
and three lifeless young bodies. One parent describes the act; “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 afternoon. The discovery of three bodies, each an eight-year-old boy, sent shock across the community instantly. Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher
Years ago the gruesome murders of 3 8-year-old boys shocked West Memphis Arkansas Stevie branch Christopher byers and Michael Moore second-grade playmates were beaten to death naked tied up in Shallowater.Police arrested three teenagers who were alleged devil worshiping ringleader mean Damien Echols Echols and 16-year-old Jason Baldwin denied involvement but 17-year-old Jessie Misskelley telling authorities they killed the boys Hanson counter in the woods this Kelly who defense attorneys claim has
In his article, “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 “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 belief system
The Oakland County Child Killer task force didn't determine who murdered four children, but it did lead to a child porn ring being busted. Interestingly, Chris Busch was part of the arrest for the North Fox Island porn ring. Busch was found with eight rolls of undeveloped film that contained disturbing images of children. After being arrested, Busch was bailed out for a mere $1,000. He was never prosecuted, and the Oakland County Child Killer's last victim was abducted three weeks later. Shockingly
Elane Cun December 10, 2013 Nick Sinigaglia Philosophy 11 “The Unconsidered Suspect John Mark Byers” The sickening and vicious murder of the three young West Memphis boys: Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch was and still is an uncommon case due to the choices of suspects and lack of evidence available. Evidence and information that have been revealed, indicates Christopher’s Byers step-father John Mark Byers as a reasonable suspect. John Byers has been established to be a man with
Center, 2001. Print. "The Innocence Project - Home." The Innocence Project - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. . Warden, Rob, and Steven A. Drizin. True stories of false confessions. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press, 2009. Print. West of Memphis. Dir. Amy Berg. Perf. NA. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2013. Film.
On May 5th, 1993 in West Memphis, Arkansas the West Memphis Police Department received a frantic phone call. Three eight-year-old boys had gone missing. The following day, May 6th, Christopher Byers, Michael Moore and Stephen Branch were found in a ditch in the woods brutally beaten and savagely murdered. With little to no evidence to be found, and only hints of some satanic cult influence, the police convicted three “strange” and “outcast” teenage boys, of the murder. These three teenagers were
Around 20 years ago from our frame in time, from within the town of Robin Hills was an event of tragedy involving gruesome deaths of children. No matter the point in time the importance of the event that transpired has never changed. The film is based on the murders titled, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hills, focuses on the lives of the families before, during and after trials. Not only does it focuses on the deaths of the children, the film focusses on an internal theme that explores
years old or younger (“Innocence”). An example of a confession gone wrong from a person under eighteen years old is the case known as the “West Memphis Three”. The case involve... ... middle of paper ... ...hildren. Works Cited Steel, Fiona. “The West Memphis Three”. 1 July 2011. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/index_1.html. InnocenceProject.org, “The Fact Sheet”. Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University. 13 July 2011. http://www.innocenceproject
Alleged Teen Murders Murderers Turn Into Courageous Warriors On September 24th, in Tulsa Oklahoma, a dead body identified to be Bob Sheldon was found beside the fountain of Oklahoma Park by a witness named S.E Hinton who was taking a stroll in the park. Hinton described the scene to be a as traumatizing sight, especially with having witnessed the puddle of blood that laid beside Sheldon’s lifeless body. On Saturday, September 24th at approximately 2:30am At approximately 2:30 am Saturday, September
never to be Michael Hutchison again. The end is near. Kiss your ass goodbye people, it's time to pay up. Now is the judgment. I am the judge."-Damien Echols, (West Memphis Three Facts). The West memphis three is considered one of the most unfair trials in US history. On May fifth, three eight year old boys came up missing from their West Memphis, Arkansas homes. The next day, they were found brutally murdered in which appeared to be the attempts of a Satanic ritual. This lead to an opinion that only
Prison Reform in The United States of America “It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones” (Nelson Mandela, 1994). The United States of America has more people behind bars than any other country on the planet. The prisons are at over double capacity. It cost a lot of money to house prisoners each year. A large number of the prisoners are there because of drug related offenses
Ida B. Wells born in Holly Springs, Mississippi on July 16, 1862 and died March 25, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois. She was an African American woman, who from a young age had to be a mother for her siblings, a teacher, later on a journalist, newspaper editor, sociologist and suffragist. What makes Ida B. Wells-Barnett unique is how she became a crusader for the voiceless by displaying her important leadership roles for African American civil rights. Ida B. Wells had lived during the time where
When driving west down Lamar in Memphis, Tennessee, the street turns into E.H. Crump boulevard. That is about as much as I knew about the name E.H. Crump. Never would I have guess what the name meant to the city of Memphis and the amount of weigh t it once carried. It was not until I enrolled into this Tennessee History course that I began to realize how significant the man behind this name was. Before Elvis Presley put Memphis on the map with his Rock n Roll music, Willie Herenton took office, or