Just in case you have somehow missed the whole thing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Memphis_3

I searched, but could not find anything anywhere on 2+2. It wouldn't matter anyway, because I need to know what The Lounge thinks.

Look, I'm not trying to rock any boats or just bring up hot button topics, but...

I cannot say that I am convinced these guys did not do this. Granted, there are glaring issues, and granted, a bunch of celebrities say they didn't do it, but I'm not convinced.

That said, I'm not at all convinced they DID do it either.

Boy, that one kid's father sure is sketchy and awful though.

And what the hell was with the guy at the Bojangles Restaurant?!

Very weird case.

Anyway, I cannot imagine convicting these guys on the evidence they have, but, as I said, I wouldn't be shocked if they had done it, either.

Is there something I am missing? it seems like everyone is sure they either did or didn't do this, and I can't imagine being sure of anything about this case.

Did I mention how weird that Byers guy is?

This.

I was in high school in Memphis when this all went down, so I remember it quite well. Even then I had a sense that these kids were getting railroaded. Knowing what I know now I don't really have a good idea of whether they actually did it or not, but the evidence that was presented in court is pretty flimsy and not enough to warrant a conviction IMO.

i think it's pretty obvious they were not the types who would do anything like that.

but i saw that probably biased documentary, forget the name of it.

It was called Paradise Lost, and seriously, how did you get THAT from that?

I mean, the Damien Echols is hugely impressionable and out to impress. I would say he's exactly the type; only problem is that he's also exactly the type who would get railroaded on such a charge.

In the sequel to that documentary (Revelations), they ask Jason if he thinks Damien might actually have done it, and he pauses a LONG time and says "Well, they sure made it seem like he did." I was really surprised by this response, because at this late stage, there should be no uncertainty whatsoever.

And of course you have the Byers guy making himself look guilty, just confusing things further.

In my mind, there is no doubt they are innocent. Victims of a flawed justice system full of power hungry sickos that use a jury verdict and their own career aspirations to never right the wrongs or apologize for the mistakes they are a part of.

I was getting my hair cut a couple of weeks ago, and the guy cutting it mentioned something about how he doesn't care about any other topic than global warming, and I said "Well, it's very true that we should protect the Earth and respect the natural world, but it seems there is at least a little doubt in the scientific world that global warming is a man-made problem."

To which he replied "I am absolutely 100% sure that global warming is a product of mankind's abuse of the Earth. I would bet my life on it."

The reasons certain topics are interesting for rational, reasonable people to discuss is precisely because they are not categorically defined.

As for irrational, unreasonable people...well, I don't know what they find interesting.

From everything I know of, it doesn't appear they are guilty. What makes you think they may be guilty with the cold facts?

Thank you. This is what is bugging me.

I am not an attorney or a judge, but I can say that it looks like they were wrongly convicted, based on the evidence, which was virtually non-existent.

That, however, does not mean they did not do it.

If you had just been wrongly convicted of such a horrible thing, condemned to die by lethal injection, would you make some sinister speech on camera about becoming the "West Memphis Boogieman?"

And as I said before, the one kid seems not to be so sure that Echols didn't do it.

As for the other kid's confession, while it is strange, I think the defense's explanation for it is adequate (sub-par intelligence, coerced confession).

So to be more clear, I do not believe they ought to be in jail or on death row, but I guess more than anything, I am trying to say that I am not 100% certain of their innocence.

Believe me, I am just as in need of a "see what the dumb criminal justice system does to outsiders"-type story as anyone, so I'm not just being contrary.

And be honest--in Revelations, the blonde woman in the Free the WM3 group seems like one of those weirdos who fall in love with death row inmates, in spite of being an attractive and seemingly intelligent woman. When they're doing the chatroom with Echols, she looks like a fan backstage after a boy band show, waiting for an autograph.

Regardless, just wanted to see if everyone was "100% sure" that they're innocent.

We know for certain that they were not found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Concerning Echols friend not sure, is this suggesting Echols did it himself?

I watch a lot of the dateline/48 hours type courtroom stuff. The slightest hint of motive plus the state/cops saying they did it seems to be enough for 90+% conviction rates. They always play out the same way in my mind: Yeah he probably did it, there was that one piece of damning (circumstantional) evidence, but no chance I could vote guilty on this. FF through the mcdonalds ad, Jury takes 3 hours to come back guilty. They interview 4 of them, no mention of the 1 real piece of evidence, didn't like the way he looked, or fake cried, etc, etc. LIFE


And these are often wealthy people with top lawyers.

Obviously your barber doesn't read Speshul Sklansky Forum; get a new barber IMO.

This gets muddles in cases like this (e.g., Peltier, Mumia). There are different levels:

- Those who think are they innocent and wrongly convicted
- Those who think they are probably guilty, but still wrongly convicted and that wrongful conviction should be remedied.
- Those who think they are guilty, and wrongly convicted, but don't care and think they should still get the death penalty.
- Those who think they are guilty and the conviction was fine.

With Mumia and Peltier I am in the second category. With the Memphis 3, I don't know enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgen2DUACGE

This might help. Even the wacky father guy has changed his tune, and if you'd seen him in the documentaries, you would have bet your liver he would be intransigent in this view...forever.

It's seriously confusing.

And I REALLY want to know about the Mr. Bojangles suspect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNXVq2lJ57A

(starts at 1:40)

wow just read up on this whole case...very interesting...from my last hour or two of research i would conclude that the WMPD completely butchered the case and were under pressure to convict someone and these poor guys were wrongfully convicted as a result. how the f could the jury have convicted them beyond a reasonable doubt, that's wicked. Can't wait to watch the paradise lost documentaries mentioned.

You will enjoy them. They're worth watching just to see Byers. He is one weird dude.

The 'Occult expert' at the Echols trial was such bs.

It seems to be horrible luck for all 3 (if innocent) that none had an alibi.

Bumping for death row interview.

A new trial is starting to look like a possibility, at least.

yeah, this was a great documentary

if they are guilty? i have no idea, the documentary seems to say they were not, or at least the trial was wrong

but i havent been there, dont know the facts and only saw the docu

thats why i find the comments on youtube etc. a little laughable

have any of you read the case or know where i can find it?

Big problem to me is trial by a jury of Arkansas ****heads. Bunch of Bible-thumping sister-****ing hypocrites, more than ready to convict 'that weird kid' and his friends.

Having grown up in Arkansas (Chicago yankee born, tyvm), I am allowed to say this.

West Memphis is a bizarre place. It feels bad. My sister lived in Marion for a few years. I hated going there to visit.

Yeah, smaller cities in any southern town can be like that. Also, for having lived in arkansas my whole life your description is a little off

So, pretty much like everywhere else in the US.

(I have lived in Arkansas (among about a dozen other places))

Which part? Sister-****ing? or ****head? Because Bible-thumping cannot be denied.

Though daughter-impregnating ran damn close to sister-****ing in the Ozark town I was in.

if they really want more support why dont they just have jessie miskelley do an interview and tard it up? they say he operates at a 5 year old level and i cant find any clips of him on the internet talking about any of this and apparently hes the one that implicated them all? well i want to hear him talk about this.

the stepfather did it obv.

next!

byers is one psychotic dude, no doubt about it, but now one of the other father's is a bigger suspect. very interesting case. this case and the jon benet case are both fascinating.