Episode 180: The West Memphis Three (An Interview with Dan Stidham)

On the evening of May 5, 1993, three eight-year-old boys—Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers—went missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The next day, in a nearby wooded area, the boys were found brutally murdered, bound, and submerged in a drainage ditch. The horrific nature of the crime shocked the community, and police quickly arrested three local teenagers—Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley—based on a coerced false confession, no solid evidence, and Satanic panic.This is the story of three innocent children whose lives were stolen in an unspeakable act of violence. It’s also the story of three wrongfully convicted teenagers who spent 18 years in prison, one of them on death row, for a crime they didn’t commit—the victims of a flawed justice system and a community in the grip of fear.In today’s episode, I’m honored to discuss a case that has gripped me for many years with the one man who has been involved since the beginning: Jessie Misskelley’s original defense attorney, case advocate, and author of the recent book, A Harvest of Innocence: Judge Dan Stidham.This is our discussion about his book and the tragic case of the West Memphis Three.A Harvest of Innocence by Dan Stidham on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Harvest-Innocence-Untold-Memphis-Murder/dp/B0CMYZ2BT7 Judge Stidham’s website: https://www.danstidham.com Email Judge Stidham with information about the case: [email protected] & Justice with Bob Ruff podcast: https://www.truthandjusticepod.com Paradise Lost documentary series: https://www.max.com/shows/paradise-lost/d509d74f-3c01-4367-9a42-a3aece5de4c9 The Forgotten West Memphis Three docuseries: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12092348/ West of Memphis documentary: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2130321/ Photos related to today's episode can be viewed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpod You can also follow the podcast on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpodTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/STLCpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@STLCpodMy Linktree is available here: https://linktr.ee/stlcpod Visit the podcast's web page at https://www.sufferthelittlechildrenpod.com. By supporting me on Patreon, you'll also access rewards, including a shout-out by name on the podcast and exclusive rewards. Visit www.patreon.com/STLCpod. You can also support the podcast on www.Ko-Fi.com/STLCpod. Join my Supporters' Club: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-children--4232884/support This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.Music for this episode is licensed from https://audiojungle.net. Subscribe to Suffer the Little Children:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/suffer-the-little-children/id1499010711Google Podcasts: https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&apn=com.google.android.music&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/I5mx3lacxpdkhssmk2n22csf32u?t%3DSuffer_the_Little_Children%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/show/suffer-the-little-children Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-children/PC:61848?part=PC:61848&corr=podcast_organic_external_site&TID=Brand:POC:PC61848:podcast_organic_external_siteSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0w98Tpd3710BZ0u036T1KEiHeartRadio: https://iheart.com/podcast/77891101/ ...or on your favorite podcast listening platform.If you see something, say something. https://childhelp.org