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 for them to be accused. I believe the boys were wrongfully accused of this crime because there is a lack of evidence in the case pointing to the boys, and the crime just seems to convenient for these three to actually pull off.
During the investigation several fibers and two hairs were found on the boys, one negroid hair and one Caucasian hair.(Sauls) None of these hairs or fibers could be linked directly to any of the three boys. This evidence was also somewhat just tossed aside and overlooked for the remainder of the case… I wonder why?
During the police investigation, it was said that the crime could have been some sort of sexual assault by a serial killer, but there was no trauma on the boys anuses found by the coroner. Most of the clothes were found in the water next to the bodies, but instead of being torn all of the clothes were turned inside out. Two of the three pairs of underwear were never found, nor were Christopher Byers missing parts. It’s said that serial killers usually take something of the victims, but I’m not convinced Echols, Baldwin or Misskelley would do anything like that. Also at the scene, no blood or weapons were found anywhere around the area. The day after the bodies were discovered, Damien Echols was quest...
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Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills. Dirs. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. DVD. HBO. Hand to Mouth Productions, 1996
“Case Synopsis by Burk Sauls” in “Case Introduction” in “Case Info”. Burk Sauls. Los Angeles, CA. 2/10/08. .
“Case Synopsis by Dan Stidham” in “Case Introduction” in “Case Info”. Dan Stidham. Los Angeles, CA. 2/10/08. .
“Unveiling the ‘Wilding’”. Soyini Driskel. Harlem, NY. 2002. 3/12/08
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“Duke Lacrosse Case: District Attorney Nifong Breaks His Silence on Prior Rape
Allegations”. Chris Cuomo, Mary Harris and Lara Setrakian. 2006. 3/12/08.
It is the case against “Dr. Wolodzko” (defendant) by “Mrs. Stowers” (the plaintiff) in Wayne County court for the actions taken by the defendant and confinement of the plaintiff in the private mental hospital based on valid court order.
Recommendations: It is recommended that our law office regretfully deny service to Ms. Carry based upon the precedent in Kentucky. Based upon the analysis the issue, it is apparent that Ms. Carry would not receive a promising conclusion to her situation. Due to the facts involved and the cases discussed (which are somewhat on point) Ms. Carry does not make a claim in which relief can be granted.
...lice or lawyers used their integrity. The police skirted around the law and use evidence that the witnesses said was not correct. They had a description of the suspect that did not match Bloodsworth but, they went after him as well. They also used eyewitness testimony that could have been contaminated.
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 they saw any kind of medical examiner (Leveritt 23). Later, three teenagers (Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley) were tried with only an inaccurate confession (that was later recanted) and uninformed tips from concerned citizens (Robertson 2). They decided to enter Alford guilty pleas after repeat accusations and little other option (Robertson 3). They became known as the “West Memphis Three.”
The first suspect is Edward “Bennie” Bedwell. Bedwell was a local dishwasher who was questioned at a local motel for three days (Sigona). What supported Bedwell as a suspect is that he actually confessed to the murder (Sigona). There were multiple problems with Bedwell’s confession, however. The first problem with his confession is, “Bedwell couldn’t read or write, so it would be nearly impossible for him to understand what he was confessing to” (Sigona). The second problem with his confession is “After a time, everyone realized Bedwell’s story didn’t add up. There were inconsistencies, including the fact that Bedwell said he was with the girls for a month before they died” (Sigona). Finally, the main problem with his confession is that the girls were dead within four hours of leaving home (Sigona). The other suspect in the case of the murder of Barbara and Patricia Grimes is Max Fleig. Max Fleig was a young man in his teens when the Grimes sisters were murdered (MacGowan). Max offered to take a lie detector test, which he failed (MacGowan). The reason Fleig was released even after failing the test is “The police began to focus on him as a prime suspect until they were told that it was illegal to polygraph someone underage. The police released him, many of the authorities thinking he was their man” (MacGowan). Another example that supports Fleig as a suspect is that he was imprisoned later in his life
Garcia, D. (August, 26 2011). Brandy Hall Case Being Looked at Again. Retrieved from My Hometown News: http://myhometownnews.net/index.php?id=84053
Although later investigation proved that there are some other men who look similar to the stretches but the police didn’t bother to do further investigation because all they needed was someone to place the blame on. Tommy Ward, known to police because of prior criminal record, was called in for questioning. He was asked where he was on Saturday night and he said that he was fishing with Karl Fontenot and later at a party till 4 A.M. Karl Fontenot was also asked to come for questioning, but he never did. Both of them were cleared because both of their hairs do not match the suspects. Then one day Jeff Miller, a young man came in the police station. He told the police that two women, who had been at a party the night Haraway disappeared, saw Tommy Ward leaving the party in a pickup truck, which he borrowed from his friend Jannette Roberts. When he came back to the party, he was crying and told his friends that he raped and killed a girl from a store and now he feels terrible about it. This information was given by two women because Jeff Miller was not at the party. These questions remain unclear of why these two women did not come forward on their own? Or why did they
Melvin, Justice. "In The Supreme Court Of British Columbia." Issues In Law & Medicine 9.3 (1993): 309. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Two detectives were assigned to the case: Harry Hanson and Finis Brown. [2] When they and the police arrived at the crime scene, it was already swarming with people, gawkers and reporters. The entire situation was out of hand and crowded, everyone trampling all over any hopes for good evidence. [2] One thing they did report finding was a nearby cement block with watery blood on it, tire tracks and a heel print on the ground. There was dew under the body so they knew it had been set there just after 2 a.m. when temperatures dropped to 38 degrees.
Roy A. SLACK, et ux. V. Dorothy VILLARI, et vir.; 59 Md.App. 462 Court of Special
In the town, of West Memphis, Arkansas, three eight year old boys (Chris Byers, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch) went missing May fourth, the following day they were found bruised, mutilated, hogtied, and stripped of their clothes with signs of rape present due to the dilation of the anus. The body of Byers was found submerged in the creek about 60 yards south of Interstate 55(Crime scene or dump site?). The other two bodies was located exactly five feet in both directions of Byers body. (It was determined that Moore and Branch both died from multiple traumatic injuries to the head, torso, and extremities with drowning; while, Byers died of the multiple traumatic i...
During late October in 1967 a man named James Richardson was charged for the murder of his seven children. The children were poisoned and it is believed that he was the one who poisoned them. There is no solid, or reasonable evidence that it was him. Anything that even remotely points to him is all people’s speculative opinions. Everything seemed to be stacked against him. James Richardson was wrongfully convicted for the murder of his seven children, and there is some evidence that points towards who most likely did it.
Rockwell, P.E.,M.D. Director of Anesthesiology, Leonard Hospital, Troy, NY, U.S. Supreme Court, Markle vs. Abele, 72-56, 72-730, 1972. P.11
Stewart, S. D., & Croudep, C. (1998-2012). The clark county prosecuting attorney. Retrieved from http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/index.htm
Rockwell, P.E.,M.D. Director of Anesthesiology, Leonard Hospital, Troy, NY, U.S. Supreme Court, Markle vs. Abele, 72-56, 72-730, 1972. P.11