The Case of the West Memphis Three

Welcome back to episode 23 of the Totally Innocent Podcast! This week we take a look at the case of the west memphis three! This topic is quite mixed in terms of podcasts, a lot of people seem to complain that podcasters that cover this topic are extremely bias and always end up leaning one way. There is a reason for that. The way this case was handled was terrible and showed nothing but gross incompetence. If I was around back then I would 100% say "free the west memphis three. Fun fact, Damien Echols is who the character eddie munson from stranger things is based off of. Interestinly as well, a couple people have the last name Byers in this story, with the father of the victim being John Byers! Super cool! Want to write into the show? Send an email to [email protected]! The West Memphis Three are three men convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, United States. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin to life imprisonment. During the trial, the prosecution asserted that the juveniles killed the children as part of a Satanic ritual.[1][2][3] Due to the dubious nature of the evidence as well as the suspected presence of emotional bias in court, the case generated widespread controversy and was the subject of several documentaries. Celebrities and musicians held fundraisers to support efforts to free the men.[4] In July 2007, new forensic evidence was presented. A report jointly issued by the state and the defense team stated, "Although most of the genetic material recovered from the scene was attributable to the victims of the offenses, some of it cannot be attributed to either the victims or the defendants."