West Memphis Three
The West Memphis Three I sit in a crowded court room. I am a juror in the case of the State vs. Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin. Everyone in the country has heard about the West Memphis Three. The murders of Steven Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore took place on May 5, 1993 in Robin Hood Hill West Memphis, Arkansas.(West Memphis 3) They have been headline news for over a year now. I already have an idea of what I think happened before I have even heard one word from either side. I could just feel the tension in the room as the defendants walked into the courtroom. People who had been talking and moving about just suddenly stopped to watch as Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin walked to their seats with their attorneys by their sides. They did not make eye contact with the parents of the victims. Who would though? I did not and I was not even on trial. I sat there waiting for court to start knowing that the verdict was going to be perfectly clear. They were guilty! I had already seen in all the papers and on the news stations enough to know they were devil worshippers. How my prospective would change by the end of the trial. Soon after Judge Burnett walked in the trial began. The Prosecution could not use Jessie Misskelley’s confession in the trail, but I, along with most of the other jurors, had heard it. The first witnesses to come to the stand were Anthony and Nerlene Hollingsworth. They both testified that, “They had seen Damien and his girlfriend after nine thirty walking near the Blue Beckon Truck Stop, which is near Robin Hood Hills.”(Free West Memphis Three) They said,” Damien’s clothes had mud and dirt on them.”(Free West Memphis Three) The next witnesses for the defense, Christy VanVickle, testified that she over heard Damien Echols say,”I killed the three boys.” Another girl testified that one day at a softball game she overheard Damien Echols telling some of his friends, “I killed the three little boys and before I
Cited: Free the West Memphis Three. 15 Sept 2008 http://www.wm3.org/live/contact/index.php. Paradise Lost. Dir. Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky. Perp. Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky, Jessie Misskelley, Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Sr., Pam Echols, Joe Hutchinson, Domini Teer, John Mark Byers, Mellissa Byers, Terry Hobbs. Home Box Office. 1996 West Memphis 3. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. 15 Sept 2008, 14:21 UTC 16 Sept 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West Memphis 3&oldid=243658085.