On May 5, 1993, three 8-year old boys were found brutally murdered in the town of West Memphis, Arkansas. The bodies of Michael Moore, Stevie Branch and Christopher Byers were found in a ditch, and according to police, the deaths were the result of an occult ritual. Three teens Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. were quickly arrested, charged and convicted of the murders. Questionable evidence, misleading testimony, and the unfounded theory that the three accused had an interest in the occult have led many to call the arrests and convictions a modern day witch hunt. Several documentaries and books have been dedicated to the case of the West Memphis Three and the convicted men gain more supporters every day.
Now, crucial new evidence has been uncovered, including crime scene DNA that cannot be attributed to either the victims or the defendants -- evidence which not only fails to implicate the three young men but points to others who were intimately associated with the victims. The Arkansas Supreme Court is currently reviewing the new DNA and forensic evidence as well as extensive juror misconduct to determine whether Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley should each be granted a new trial.
In this webcast, two of Echols attorneys, Theresa Gibbons and Donald Horgan, will discuss the history of the case, implications of the new evidence, and what the future could hold for the West Memphis Three.
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