Damien co-wrote the song "Army Reserve" with
Eddie Vedder on the new Album.
Army Reserve
How long must she stand
Before the ground, it gives way
To an endless fall
She can feel this
War on her face
The stars on her pillow
She's folding in darkness
Begging for slumber
I'm not blind
I can see it coming
Looks like lightning
In my child's eye
I'm not frantic
I can feel it coming
Violently shakes
My body
Her son's slanted
Always giving her
The sideways eye
The empty chair where dad sits
How loud can silence get?
And mom, she reassures
To contain him
But it's becoming a lie
She tells herself
And everyone else
Father is risking
His life for our freedoms
I'm not blind
I can see it coming
Looks like lightning
In my child's eye
I'm not frantic
I can feel it coming
Darling you'll save me
If you save yourself
About me:
Shortly after three eight-year-old boys were found mutilated and murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, local newspapers stated the killers had been caught. The police assured the public that the three teenagers in custody were definitely responsible for these horrible crimes. Evidence?
The same police officers coerced an error-filled “confession” from Jessie Misskelley Jr., who is mentally handicapped. They subjected him to 12 hours of questioning without counsel or parental consent, audio-taping only two fragments totaling 46 minutes. Jessie recanted it that evening, but it was too late— Misskelley, Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols were all arrested on June 3, 1993, and convicted of murder in early 1994.
Although there was no physical evidence, murder weapon, motive, or connection to the victims, the prosecution pathetically resorted to presenting black hair and clothing, heavy metal t-shirts, and Stephen King novels as proof that the boys were sacrificed in a satanic cult ritual. Unfathomably, Echols was sentenced to death, Baldwin received life without parole, and Misskelley got life plus 40.
For over 13 years, The West Memphis Three have been imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit. Echols waits in solitary confinement for the lethal injection our tax dollars will pay for. They were all condemned by their poverty, incompetent defense, satanic panic and a rush to judgment.
But there’s still hope for them, and you can help.
~By Burk Sauls
www.wm3.org
CURRENT CASE UPDATES
As of April 2008
1) World Wide West Memphis Three Day is May 30-June 3. WAD is “celebrated” by Supporters the World over throwing benefits to raise money for the WM3 Defense Fund.CURRENTLY ANJE VELA IS HELPING THOSE WHO NEED IT WITH WAD DETAILS. PLEASE EMAIL HER AT: velaentertainment@yahoo.com FUNDS ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED RIGHT NOW SO PLEASE GET INVOLVED!! With the case moving along now with hearings in the Fall the Lawyers’ fees will be SKYROCKETING! The WM3 truly need our help, now more than ever!
2) In the Spring Damien Echols’ defense team held a press conference to show the new evidence, including DNA results, after the Writ as filed in court. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO WATCH IT! And also, take the time to read the Writ that was filed. ( Click Here to View Writ AND HERE TO VIEW THE PRESS CONFERENCE
3) A hearing was held for the WM3 recently where dates for further hearings were set. To read about this hearing: CLICK FOR HEARINGS
3a) DAMIEN ECHOLS RECENTLY DID AN HOUR LONG, LIVE INTERVIEW ON LARRY KING LIVE. To view the interview CLICK HERE
6) EVERY TUESDAY WM3 CASE CHAT IS HELD ON THE WM3 DISCUSSION BOARD AT EZBOARD! Chat starts around 9PM EASTERN and ALL are welcome; old-timers, newbies, Supporters and Non-Supporters! PLEASE JOIN US! Follow the link then the instructions to join chat: CLICK HERE TO FIND WM3 CASE CHAT ON TUESDAYS
6a) The main discussion BOARD for the WM3 is located on Ezboard. Come over, head to “Welcome” and introduce yourself, then maybe head over to “Newbieville” to get acquainted with the site and discussion. “General Discussion” is for the more in-depth case discussion, ranging from discussion on testimony to medical examiners to current WM3 events. CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE WM3 DISCUSSION BOARD
5) Eddie Vedder, a long time and very vocal WM3 Supporter, has come through for the boys once again. READ THE STORY HERE
6) Recently to help folks with the Rock For Freedom Weekend WM3 fundraiser that took place in April, I expanded on a Blog I wrote a year ago on HOW TO DO A BENEFIT. Many great Supporters helped me with the ideas that went into it, particularly “STL” (Chandra). If you’re planning one soon, you may want to check it out! CLICK HERE FOR BENEFIT TIPS
Now is NOT the time to mistakenly think that our work as Supporters is over! Now, more than ever, Damien, Jason, and Jessie need us to not only continue our fundraising efforts, but to multiply our efforts more so than ever before! With the filing of the new evidence will come even more filings, hearings, possibly more DNA testing and case investigation. Currently we're expecting the first of many hearings will be held in Arkansas on April 14th. As of now, no one is sure if the hearing will be open to the public or not. If the hearing does take place, Damien & Jason, positively, will be there, and possibly Jessie Misskelley as well. This is the beginning of the new evidence being put on the record at the State level. This will be Damien's last round at the State level, after which he'll move onto Federal, whereas Jason & Jessie both have several tries at the State level still before them.
PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN THE UPCOMING WAD EVENTS!
Free The West Memphis Three!
Much love,
Nancy (Boohiss)
Currently there are three WM3 Events a year. The first, “WM3 Awareness Day “ (WAD) is held in June yearly. The second, being held for the first time, “Free the West Memphis Three Week”, is November 13-19 this Fall, and the new Rock for Freedom Weekend, which was recently in April and may happen again this Summer. Benefits are held all over the USA as well as many other countries!
The proceeds from all benefit concerts, auctions, etc. go to the WM3 Defense Fund. The Defense Fund pays lawyer & investigative fees, DNA testing fees, as well as any other testing that may be needed. The Fund is for ALL three of the WM3, although Damien’s appeal is moving forward first, since he has a time limit (he’s on Death Row), and anything gathered by his legal team will be shared with the legal counsel for Jason & Jessie.
It is imperative that all Supporters participate in the events and do everything they can to help one another. These funds are imperative to save Damien’s life, and to free Jason and Jessie as well. Information on yearly events can be found By Clicking Here at Tammy’s WM3 World Awareness Page, and events are constantly being listed on Damien’s page Right HERE .
As I’ve stated above, if you need any help networking with other Supporters in your area, please PM me here and I will be happy to help you!
Good luck researching and welcome to the “Free the WM3”-family. We’re all here to support one another while we’re supporting Damien, Jessie & Jason! So, be sure to share info, share photos, and help your fellow Supporters! By helping them, you’re helping the WM3 even MORE!
Get involved! Stay involved! FREE THE WEST MEMPHIS 3!!!!!!!!
Heres sending many, many thanks to those of you reading this note. It means you are interested in this case, and thats what were trying to do, raise interest and awareness.
It also means you may be willing to donate to the defense, which would be a huge help to us. Were currently getting important work done in the fields of pathology, forensics and investigation, thanks to many of you, but we have a lot of work to do.
Damiens is the only case being reviewed in state and federal court at present, but donated funds are going to the efforts to appeal Jason and Jessies cases as well. All three cases benefit directly from the defense fund.
We are currently awaiting results from DNA testing, which is a lengthy process. Progress is being made, however, and defense funds will also help in completing that work.
Its amazing how much support we receive from around the world, and we are grateful. Not a day goes by that Damien and I arent touched by someones note of kindness, or the feeling that we arent alone in our fight for justice.
Thanks to all of you out there, for your letters, your generosity, your thoughts - your support. We wouldnt be where we are now without your help.
Most sincerely, Lorri Davis
DONATING
Defense Fund, Commissary Fund, & Book Lists
THE DEFENSE FUND
The WM3 Defense Fund is currently run by Damien Echols’ wife, Lorri Davis. When the job of raising funds became too great for those at WM3.org to handle themselves any longer, Lorri stepped in to help. She travels to events, does speaking engagements, and many other things to help raise funds.
The Defense Fund is not used for “personal” items, such as cold medicine or stamps, it is used ONLY for the Defense of Damien, Jason and Jessie. It pays for things
such as: DNA testing, investigative fees, and lawyer fees. Every time an investigator must go to ask someone a question, there is a charge. Every time Lorri Davis calls Damien’s lawyer, there is a charge. When the DNA testing was needed over the past two years, Damien’s legal team had to come up with that money THEMSELVES; the State does NOT pay for such things. Every day the fees stack up, which is why it’s so important to constantly replenish the fund.
Currently Jason and Jessie’s attorneys are waiting for the conclusion of Damien’s appeals to move forward. Jason’s case may depend very much on what happens with Damien, since they were tried together, and his case will no doubt have some effect on Jessie’s situation as well. Any information, DNA testing results, etc. done or found by Damien’s legal team will be shared with Jason and Jessie’s lawyers. However, right now we have no idea what legal battles lie ahead for Jason and Jessie, so we must continue to replenish
the fund, and continue to RAISE it. Heaven forbid that there is enough money for Damien, but later, not enough for Jessie!
Donating To The Defense Fund
Please make your check or money order payable to:
Damien Echols Defense Fund
PO Box 1216
Little Rock, AR 72203
Or use PAYPAL!
It..'s easy, free and allows you to use your credit card.
We suggest that International Supporters use this option.
Click THIS LINK to find out more. ***Please use LDavis11@hotmail.com as the .."recipient.." address.***
PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR NAME & ADDRESS TYPED IN YOUR MESSAGE! The button you can click to include your address does not always work.
COMMISSARY FUNDS
Commissary funds are for the men’s personal use. Out of these funds they may buy stamps, toothpastes, medicines, pens, paper, etc. You must donate SEPARATELY to these funds if this is where you would like some money to go. DO NOT FORGET their prisoner numbers; the money cannot be dispensed without them!
BOOK LISTS Book lists are lists on Amazon.com where Damien, Jessie and Jason have requested books they would like to read and you may purchase one for them. Once bought, a book is automatically taken off the list, so do not worry about duplicate purchases.
Sending Books To the WM3
NOTE: Jessie prefers magazines. He likes wrestling most of all.
SENDING LETTERS Writing letters to the WM3 is a great way of showing your support! A positive note telling them that you are out here thinking of them goes a long way. Please understand, however, that Damien and Jason, especially, but Jessie as well, are very VERY busy, and many times cannot write back. Do not take this personally. Many cannot fathom that a person could actually be “busy” all day in prison, but it’s not only possible, it’s quite common. Remember, the Supporter movement has become a large one, and these guys are getting a great deal of mail; Damien sometimes receives in excess of 200 letters in a day! Just reading those could take all of his spare time. Jason and Jessie have jobs that they do; this takes up time. If they are taking classes of any kind; that takes up more time. If they’re working on any projects of any kind, like Damien, who is always working on something, that takes up even more time. And all the boys have family and friends that they must write first, before us, and this takes time as well. If I was Damien’s wife I would certainly expect him to write ME before he wrote a Supporter, wouldn’t you? That being said, they do try hard to write to Supporters, because they do appreciate us all so very much. Write to them with a giving spirit, and tell them of your Support without expecting things in return from them. That is a gift in itself!
Who I'd like to meet: AN URGENT LETTER FROM LORRI DAVIS, DAMIEN ECHOLS' WIFE:
Sent out 22:50 Monday 6th Aug 07 BST
A Letter from Damien's wife to ALL supporters.
Please send out so as to reach as many as possible!
Dear Friends & Supporters:
For more than a decade, thousands of you from all over the world have spoken out about the grave injustice in West Memphis, where three men including my husband were wrongfully convicted of murder.
You have spoken out to raise money and awareness; you have brought widespread attention to this case and refused to let people forget that three men are in prison for a crime they did not commit; and you have made a difference, through creativity, passion and sheer force of will.
The families of the West Memphis Three (Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin) can never thank you enough. Today, I am writing to you because we urgently need your help. Whether you have supported and followed the case over the years, or you are just learning about this tragic injustice, we need you to step up today.
Over the last two years, compelling new evidence has been discovered by DNA tests, forensic pathologists and investigators. The lawyers are working to assemble what will be a dynamic appeal; one that will change forever the way this case has been perceived, and will prove once and for all -- the innocence of the three convicted.
The filing will include new evidence that is backed up with factual, hard science; a miraculous development in this error-ridden case.
Your support over the years has enabled us to achieve unbelievable progress. We are now asking for your help to put all of this effort to work in the courts. We need the resources that will enable our experts, lawyers and investigators to work full time over the next couple of months, so the appeal can be filed as quickly as possible.
Time is running out, and we need your help. Please make checks payable to
The Damien Echols Defense Fund,
PO Box 1216,
Little Rock, AR 72203.
You can also donate online, through PayPal to:
Ldavis11@hotmail.com
If you have ever considered donating, the time is NOW.
Cases like this take years and cost millions of dollars. We are in the final lap toward overturning these convictions and finally securing justice, but we simply cannot do it without the money it takes to bring all of the science and expertise and investigation into court so that the truth can finally come out.
I am not an expert on the law, science, the criminal justice system or the art of fundraising and organizing. What I know for sure is that these three men are innocent, and that we can prove it if we have the money it will take in the next four weeks to file the appeal that has been more than 10 years in the making.
Please help us, and please know that your support has already gotten us farther than many people thought possible.
Thanks very much,
Lorri Davis and the Damien Echols Legal Team
Do False Confessions really happen? Do people really confess to things they didn’t do? Sadly, the answer is “yes”, and it’s more common than you’d might think!
Jessie Misskelly confessed twice to the WM3 murders. Jessie went to the WMPD, voluntarily, to report rumors that he had heard, in the hopes of winning the reward money that had been offered. Jessie told Detectives that he had heard Damien Echols & Robert Burch committed them (a rumor that had already been reported). Jessie was asked to take a polygraph test, but then was told he had failed (Later, at trial, a Poly-expert, Warren, would say that Jessie had, in fact, passed the Poly). He was then told, “You’re lying, but you’re brain is telling us the truth”. He was also threatened with the electric chair if he didn’t confess. Jessie Misskelly is “Borderline Retarded” with an IQ of 72 (100 is average, 70 and below is retarded); he functions on some levels like a small child, and on others, like a 6th grader. So, a 17 year old kid, mentally impaired and being threatened wit the electric chair……..finally gave in after nearly four hours and confessed.
“The Softball Girls”, Jodee Medford & Christy Van Vickle are two girls who testified that they heard Damien Echols make a statement at a Softball field. The claimed they heard him say, “I killed those boys. I’m gonna kill two more, then turn myself in. I’ve already got one picked out”
But the girls totally contradict one another on the stand. Read for yourself and make up your own mind. The following INCLUDE MY OPINIONS AND FACTS Did Damien Echols make a confession, in front of a crowd of people at a Softball Field or did these girls maybe want some attention, then become afraid to back out.
Here is a post I made on the subject on the WM3 Ezboard. This post also shows that people did know about Jessie’s confession, that people in the community knew, before the Softball Girls made their statements to family/friends or law enforcement ANY OPINIONS STATED ARE MINE, AND ARE JUST THAT; OPINIONS. I INVITE YOU TO MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND ABOUT THIS! Where there are facts, I have backed them up with testimony and links.
The testimony I..'m quoting is not always fluid; there are “snips”.
Jodee Meford..'s mother testifies that the date her daughter heard Damien at the ball field was around Memorial Day, which was th 24th of May.
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medford: No, I was just walking around the corner, gonna go talk to some of my friends and I saw him and I heard him.
Davidson: Ok. Who were you with?
Medford: Noone. By myself.
Davidson: Nobody. Um - were you with uh - uh - Miss VanVickle that just testified?
Medford: No, we weren..'t together.
Davidson: You weren..'t together?
Medford: No sir.
CLICK HERE FOR TESTIMONY
----------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
Ok, notice here that Jodee CLEARLY states that her and Christy Van Vickle were NOT together when she heard Damien say this.
Medford will say that this night was the first night she had EVER seen Damien; she could remember him, and what HE looked like, but NO ONE else? I find this odd.
Ok, now she starts to change her testimony from what she gave in her statement. Now she says Heather was standing BY him, whereas earlier in testimony AND in her earlier statement, she states over and over, that she was alone.
Ok, here she says that SHE HAD NOT SEEN DAMIEN ON TV before she made her statement to police.
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
pause)
Medford: Well, I think -
Davidson: When was the first -
Medford: - Yes, yes it was, ..'cause I was like, babysitting and I saw him on tv and I called my mom and told her that that was him and she said .."Ok..."
Davidson: Ok, so only after you saw something on tv did you contact the police, is that what you..'re telling us?
Medford: But, I had told my mom, yes sir.
Davidson: You had told your mom. You and your mom hadn..'t talked with the police before then, had ya?
Davidson: In the statement that you gave to the police, is it true that you said, .."That was the first time I ever seen Damien and the next night, he was there, too..."
Medford: Um hmm.
Davidson: Well, did you see him that next night?
Medford: Yes sir.
Davidson: Well that..'s not true then, now is it? You saw him more than once then.
Medford: No, the first night I saw him was the night that he said that.
Davidson: And - but earlier, I can..'t, uh - in our testimony, in what you said here today, you said that..'s the only time you..'ve ever seen him. Now, which is it?
Medford: It was the first time I seen him, not the only time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, she changes AGAIN. This is getting really confusing to me now.
Davidson: What about uh - who else was there with you?
Medford: With me?
Davidson: Yes.
Medford: At the girl..'s club?
Davidson: Um hmm.
Medford: Jessica and Jackie and Christy and my mom.
Davidson: Who is Katie Hendrix?
Medford: My cousin.
Davidson: And wasn..'t she there, too?
Medford: Yes sir, but we didn..'t bring her or anything.
Davidson: Ok. What did he say the next night?
Medford: He didn..'t - I didn..'t - I wasn..'t around him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Again, she..'s changing, possibly. You can..'t tell: is she saying he was at the ball park again the next night and she just wasn..'t near him (what she seems to be saying to me), or he wasn..'t there at all? You can..'t really tell for sure.
I think this part speaks for itself. She can’t remember anything he said before OR after the statement, nor can she recall what tone of voice he said it in; did he yell?……she also says she doesn’t even know how close she was to him.
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Davidson: Ok. Now, there was a police officer out there that night, wasn..'t there?
VanVickle: Yes sir.
Davidson: After you heard this, did you walk over to the police officer and tell him that?
VanVickle: No sir.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now THIS is the oppostie of what Jodee says; Jodee testifies that she DIDN.."T see a police officer.Once again, stories totally different. I also find it a tad bit odd that a police officer was standing RIGHT THERE, and she could have told him. Earlier, she says she ran away in fear……but if she was scared, why not tell the cop? But, then, after that, she says she can’t remember if she ran away, in fear, or just walked off.
Davidson: When did you finally tell somebody about this?
VanVickle: About a few weeks or a week after I heard it.
Davidson: Ok. And it was after, uh - Damien had been arrested, is that correct?
VanVickle: Yes sir.
Here, I have a hard time believing that these girls heard that he committed these murders, and then didn’t go to police until weeks afterwards.
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fogleman: About where I am?
Think about 15 to 20 feet. Anyone would need to be speaking at a fairly good volume of voice for you to hear them clearly, as they were surrounded by up to 10 people, and also, the ballpark was full of people…all of whom would’ve been making noise that he had to speak over, loud enough, to get to Christy, who’s 15-20 feet away.
For a point of reference, Damien made his statements to the WMPD on May 10th, and only FOUR days later, is when Joni Brown hears this
The Statement of Joni Brown (not a Softball girl, btw) FOR JONI..'S STATEMENT CLICK HERE
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Friday night, May 14th, about 8:30 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. Whitney Nix told me that Robert Burch had told her that him and Dameon Echols had murderd them three boys and that they were gonna murder 2 more kids before they turned themselves in to the police. And Jennifer Ashley told me before Whitney did. And then a guy came up to me and told me that he suggested that I stay away from them guys.
J.E.B.
I have written this statement consisting of 1 page(s), and I affirm to the truth and accuracy of the facts contained therein.
This statement was completed at 3:39 p.m., on the 22 day of May, 1993.
WITNESS: Bill Durham
[signed] Joni Brown
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a bit from Robert Burch’s statement:
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROBERT STATED THAT HE HAD HEARD THAT THE WRENS HAD DONE THE MURDERS. ROBERT FURTHER STATED THAT HE HEARD THAT FRANKIE KNIGHT HAS SAID THAT DAVID WREN IS THE PERSON WHO KILLED THE BOYS ALONG WITH SOME OF HIS FRIENDS BUT THAT THIS WAS ONLY A RUMOR THAT HE HAD HEARD. ROBERT ALSO STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THAT FRANKIE MAY HAVE WATCHED THE MURDERS BUT, AGAIN HE SAID THAT WAS ONLY A RUMOR.
ROBERT STATED THAT HE WAS AT THE SKATING RINK LAST NIGHT AND THAT HE SAID JASON BALDWIN WAS THERE. JASON BALDWIN STATED THAT SOME PRIVATE DETECTIVES HAD STATED THAT HE AND JASON WERE THE ONES WHO DID THE MURDERS. ROBERT SAID THAT HE KNEW JASON FROM WHEN HE USED TO LIVE AT HIGHLAND TRAILER PARK AND THAT HE ALSO KNOWS ANOTHER JASON BALDWIN WHO LIVES IN THE AREA OF STEWART STREET IN WEST MEMPHIS. THE JASON BALDWIN WHO MADE THE STATEMENT ABOUT THE MURDERS LIVES IN LAKESHORE TRAILER PARK AND IS A LOT SKINNIER.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A great example of how the rumors were flying.
Ok, this is what those statements give:
1) The rumor that Damien had said ‘I killed the three boys; I plan to kill two more, then turn myself in”, was already being repeated. So, it CANNOT be said that the Softball Girls were the only ones to have heard this. Joni is saying that on May 14 she was told about this…….the Soft Ball girls said they heard him say this, approximately two-three weeks later (date is not clear, but the Mother states she thought it was before Memorial Day). So, it is now CLEAR that it is POSSIBLE that these girls could have heard about Damien’s “confession”, through the very active grape vine.
2) Jodee and Christy completely contradict one another
"Here is something you can't understand, how I could just kill a man." - Cypress Hill
I love this song, and of course, the lyrical mayhem and murdering rhymes of the great Cypress Hill. Be Real's sneery, cheery cadence lends lightness to the incomprehensible idea of taking another life. But then again, is that act so incomprehensible? Cypress Hill also speaks to me, because I have such rage inside me, having asked myself the question - could I kill someone? I think we all have that killing instinct, that fire within. It is an animalistic yet highly human response. If I visualize going to the post office, where the lines are too long, and the window on the end is about to close, leaving only one window open, out of the dozen that should be in operation, it assures me to know that I have a seven day waiting period in order to purchase a firearm, and that would inevitably place me in another long line, so that killing a clerk would do no good except to expedite my own death by firing squad. If I am behind someone at a toll booth, and they do not have the exact change, I shudder to think what their fate would be if I were packing heat.
What is that saying, "Judge not, lest ye be judged?" I can't help but to judge, and that is why I hate judgment. I dare not cast the first stone because I am so down with sin. Looking into my own prejudices and biases, which might be different than those of the status quo, yet still exists as hatred within my heart, I hate to think that I am guilty of the same crime as those whose ideas I try so desperately to fight. If I have the capacity for such hideous thinking, I don't want to know the thoughts of those who might be less compassionate. Which is why I don't think that the government should have the power to enforce the death penalty, in any situation. If my own murderous tendencies can be felt on the surface, how could I in good conscience put the power of life or death in the hands of a bureaucracy, or worse, a theocracy?
So many people on death row do not belong there. We kill the innocents time and time again. The American judicial system is guilty of more crimes than any criminal - yet the issue never seems to get anywhere. The prisons are so racially imbalanced, what could the reason for that be, if it is not clear and present racism?
Why is there such a thing as "hip hop cops?" There are not law enforcement specialists for other "non-ethnicity" driven music. Could you imagine the "Emo-enforcers?" Narcs in "Jesus is My Homie" t-shirts and reddish-brown vintage Levi's cords, alternating between riding skateboards, hiding in shrubs and documenting Conor Oberst's every move? "Okay, he is leaving his girlfriend's house. I believe that the suspect is crying. copy that. We will be requiring back-up. Tell them to bring Kleenex."
He is sweet, I love that little white boy, he is very sensitive. I am just trying to find out why there has to be a Special Unit for rap stars.
Even if it is not a racially motivated reason, bigotry is still in full effect. Currently, Damien Echols is on death row in Arkansas. He has been there for almost eleven years for a crime he did not commit. He is part of the West Memphis Three, accused of the murder of three little boys, and caught up in the insanity of one community, who sentenced Echols to death and the other two, Jesse Misskelly and Jason Baldwin, to life without parole. No evidence was ever found to connect the then teenagers to the killings. It was all hysteria over the possibility of a Satanic cult living in their midst, and a complicit court system, which glossed over the facts in order to placate the outrage of the locals, and to this day, cannot admit what they have done wrong.
There have been two documentaries, "Paradise Lost," I & II, and two feature films currently in production, as well as several books and numerous writings about the case, websites dedicated to the innocence of the West Memphis Three. Celebrities like Eddie Vedder and Winona Ryder have tried to help to no avail. What right to their lives do we have if it has been shown time and time again that their innocence is real? Not only have the initial terrible crimes still gone unpunished, their effects have merely grown and spread like a cancer into the lives of these young men and their families.
I say 'we' because unless they are free, none of us are free. Of course there are criminals who have been justly apprehended and jailed for their crimes. I am not asking for all the prisons and institutions for the criminally insane to open their doors like school is out forever, but how can we let those who do not benefit from the technological advancement of forensic science in the last decade still wither behind bars? DNA evidence is proving to be the real deal, the be all end all of who is lying and who is not. It is better than Wonder Woman's golden lasso. Unfortunately, it is expensive and therefore mostly unavailable to those serving time for crimes they didn't commit years ago. The only reason they probably were incarcerated in the first place is that they couldn't afford anything but a court appointed attorney, more like a public offender than defender.
I have followed this case for many years, and just recently, I am stepping up my game. I send Damien books from his Amazon Wish List and write about what life and the world is like out here. He's a bright and gentle young man, and very apologetic when he gets behind in his correspondence. He is very much a Kerry supporter, although he preferred Wesley Clark to anyone else so far. Of course, he will not have a chance to vote, since they don't let people who have been in jail do so, even if they do get out, at least not for a really long time.
When you go to the polls, think of him, and all the injustice that exists in our nation today. Know that your voice has to count for many who have been silenced. Don't take freedom for granted, because we don't have it yet.
~Margaret Cho~
THE DEVIL IN WEST MEMPHIS?
LOCATION OF THE KNIFE: LAKESHORE
The dark square in the middle is a man-made lake, where the knife was found behind Jason Baldwin's trailer in only an hour or so.
JAILHOUSE SNITCH: MICHAEL CARSON (click)
LUMINOL PHOTOS: WHERE'S THE BLOOD? (click for all shots)
LAB REPORT ON SOIL FROM THE SITE
PROSECUTION WITNESS RECANTS
STATEMENT YEARS LATER
Vicki Hutcheson testified during the trial that she had been taken to a "Satanic Esbat", orgy included, by Damien and Jessie. Years later, she would recant that testimony, claiming the police had pressured her.
Her son had given a statement as well, claiming he had actally been there when the murders occurred. Part of his taped statement was played for Jessie at one time, IMO, no doubt to frighten him (he had no idea who it was), as the police later did not take Aaron seriously or believe him.
Click below to read where Vicki recants and her son complains about his his words being "messed with".
Stacy, Mia & Marek
WAD, June 2007, Raleigh, NC
West Memphis Three Awareness NC's Friend Space (Top 23)
thank you. i just was thinking one day, i'm obsessed with the wmm3 and thought about myspace. lol. thought i'd give them some props for being so brave.
