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NEWS & LETTERS, June 2004West Memphis ThreeIn this day and age, "Salem Witch Trial evidence" should not be admissible in a court of law. Such is the evidence by which Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley were convicted of the murder of three eight-year-old boys. These murders were committed in Robin Hood Hills in West Memphis, Ark. The local "good old boys" methods of obtaining crime scene evidence left much to the imagination and speculation of the local police investigator, Gary Gitchell. In his efforts to solve these heinous crimes under his watch, he grasped at straws as to who might be a likely suspect by enlisting the speculation provided by a juvenile probation officer who happened to be present at the crime scene. On this flimsy evidence Damien Echols, a loner who liked heavy metal music and the occult, was blamed for it. His friend Jessie Misskelley, 17, was coerced into a confession even though a lie detector test proved that he was innocent. Through a tearful confession of more than five hours the police concluded that this young man, whose IQ was 72, was guilty as well. Jason Baldwin was found guilty for no other reason than merely being associated with them. The evidence, what little of it was available, was so contaminated the conclusions were ineffectual. Powerful media hype added to the paranoia surrounding the three young teens. No other suspects were even considered nor investigated and DNA evidence was not pursued. The victims did not appear to have died where they were found in the wooded area. Lack of blood evidence at the crime scene confirmed the murder probably did not occur there. The supposed "crime scene" had no notable footprints even though the ground had been saturated with rain. Further evidence revealed the bite marks on the children did not match those of the defendant's teeth. Furthermore, 24 hours had passed before a report was investigated about a bleeding and muddy man who was spotted at a short distance from the crime scene. The bible-belt satanic paranoia in Arkansas influences the fanatics who wish to blame people that do not fall into their strict ideals of Christian traditions. This idea of satanic blame comforts the local population into the belief that all will be right as soon as the devil worshippers are brought to trail. Paranoia and media hype combine to distort and invent clues as well as obscure the truth from being revealed. Since these murders occurred in the early 1990s in a small town, the science of gathering evidence and information were somewhat limited. Important evidence and clues were not followed through because the police in charge of this case saw three easy suspects. Henry Rollins, Lemmy Kilmister and other musicians are in the process of raising money to get the DNA evidence necessary to clear them. --Mike M. |
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