The West Memphis Three may be released from prison today in a plea deal. Since their conviction and incarceration in 1994, Damien Echols has been on death row; Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. have been serving life sentences.
In May 1993, three young Cub Scouts, Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers, were brutally murdered. Their bodies were found in a drainage ditch in Robin Hood Hills, a suburban neighborhood in West Memphis, Arkansas.
Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley became immediate suspects as they were already believed to be troublemakers, unstable, and in Misskelley’s case, a practicing Satanist by police and the community-at-large. They were interrogated several times in the weeks following the murders and all three were arrested on the strength of an alleged confession made by Misskelley. They were convicted and sentenced during brief trials in the first three months of 1994. The convictions have been upheld on appeal and retrials have been denied.
Since their incarceration, a small but vocal group have maintained the innocence of the West Memphis Three. The crime scene was poorly contained, the evidence collection was disorderly and a nearby blood stained public bathroom was ignored. The police looked for no other suspects and have been accused of coercing Misskelley’s confession, only 46 minutes of a 12 hour interrogation were recorded and introduced as evidence, as well as the main witness’ statements, which was fully recanted ten years after the murders. Ongoing evidence testing has not implicated any of the convicted parties. Even the families of two of the murder boys, Byers and Branch, have publicly expressed doubts regarding the guilt of the West Memphis Three in the last few years.
The hearing today is reported to include a plea that, while not completely exonerating them, will allow the three to walk free today. A brief release on the West Memphis Three website states that they have left their cells with all of their belongings as they head to court and are not expected to return.
Even if they leave the Arkansas State Prison today, this is no happy ending. Three children lost their lives in a horrific act of violence. Three other young men have lost eighteen years to the prison system. Everyone loses when the justice system is broken.
Update: CNN reports they will go free.
