To all my friends and family, my attorneys and advocates, and to those of you from every corner of this earth who have stood beside us these long years, please know that I will forever be indebted to all of you for helping me to become a free man. Each and every day I was the beneficiary of acts of kindness and humanity from people of all walks of life, of all ages, nationalities, religions and political persuasions. The enormity of the support Lorri and I received throughout this struggle is humbling.I have now spent half my life on death row. It is a torturous environment that no human being should have to endure, and it needed to end. I am innocent, as are Jason and Jessie, but I made this decision because I did not want to spend another day of my life behind those bars. I want to live and to continue to fight for our innocence. Sometimes justice is neither pretty nor is it perfect, but it was important to take this opportunity to be free.
I am not alone as there are tens of thousand of men and woman in this country who have been wrongfully convicted, forced into a false confession, sentenced to death or a lifetime in prison. I am hopeful that one day they too will be able stand with their friends and family to declare their innocence.
This whole experience has taught me much about life, human nature, American justice, survival and transcendence.
I will hopefully take those lessons with me as I embark on the next chapter in my journey and along the way look forward to enjoying some of those simple things in life like spending Christmastime, Halloween and my birthday with those I love.
At a news conference afterward, Echols paid tribute to his wife Lorri Davis for her work in seeking his freedom. They met and married while he was in prison and, until recently, all meetings with Death Row inmates, by family members or not, had to be conducted with participants on either side of a glass window. At the news conference, Echols embraced Jason Baldwin, who refused a deal to testify against Echols in their 1994 trial and who joined the plea deal on Echols' behalf though he objected to being forced to plead guilty.
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Listening to Jason Baldwin's comments about why he finally decided to plead guilty to a crime he did not commit- so that Damien Echols would be off Death Row and a free man- showed Jason has grown into a class young man.
Jason has more character in one of his little finders that our trolls TRUMPPerry2012 and November have in their entire bodies.
You boys could learn a lot from a class act like Jason Baldwin.
Max, a question for you- after listening to the press conference with Damien, Jessie and Jason, it appears that all 3 had to agree to the deal for the prosecutors to sign off on it- all or none, in other words. Is that correct?
Damien Nichols states the joy in celebrating Christmas, Halloween, and his birthday. He was accused of being involved in Satanic activity. The link with Halloween would appear to reinforce this image. Also, a marriage is not a marriage until it is consumated. Until the present, the comment states that there was always a glass partition between the two while he was on death row. Therefore, they were not married.
Maybe your fingers have trouble typing the balderdash that you are spreading. I would HOPE that a killer would "grow up" after helping snuff out the lives of three children.
I am dismissing your comments of comparing a killer to people who have a differing opinions on a narrow minded blog site. I have to imagine you're DRUNK!
Speaking of class? How in the hell would you know, Sound?
got Wayne's balls in your mouth, perry? ain't that what tea-bagging is all about? Sound is right--no character., no hat, no cattle, just bullshit. You'd argue with a sign you painted yourself.
Wayne Dumond had a witness/victim within inches of his face that steadfastly sticks to the claim that Wayne Dumond was guilty.
There is not even a hair or fibre or witness or any evidence tieing any of the 3 to the scene of the massacre.
So in that regard I do not see any logical reason to mention Wayne Dumond's case or outcome in this matter.
The frustration of their blood lust will have the Perrys of this world digging deep into their diapers and slinging their steaming brown "opinions" on blog walls across the state.
It is useless to attempt to correct them.
Mark Frances
Please submit proof of your valid marriage (consumation) so that we will be able to rest assured knowing your marriage is "legal".
My wife (unverified by any other than ourselves) will have our 20th anniversary in mid September but since we never had a witness other than ourselves, a couple cats and a dog, can I get out of buying my "allegded" wife a gift?
Also Echols mentioned celebrating Christmas BEFORE mentioning celebrating Halloween so should that indicate he is Jesus-curious at least?
Boy howdy, did the wm3 slicksters get educated in prison!!! First they confess to cops on tape, innocent teenage girls at a ball game and then a jailhouse snitch. All appeals are upheld. Then today they plead GUILTY!!! Dissing everyone that thought them innocent, yet everyone is hoodwinked to the TRUTH and pities the MURDERERS for a few years punishment. Lol at idiots!!!!
Surely all the trolls understand that Halloween is a contraction for All Hallows Eve, the night before All Saints Day, and has been a part of the practice of their good Christian forebears since the Middle Ages?
And there I go, despite my own excellent advice, trying to teach a pig to sing.
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Mark Twain.
Can we now look for the "true" killer/killers? If NO evidence points to these three then look for who it does point to. If the evidence points back to these three - then here we go again.
Could it be the "deal" was made just to keep the state from being brought into court & held accountable for poor police/court work? The one getting protected the most is the great state of Arkansas. Arkansas could lose a LOT of money if a civil action was taken... A LOT of $$$.
The three young lives lost deserve justice.... the three jailed with no real proof deserve justice - the real killer/killers deserve justice.... the State of Arkansas deserves to be held accountable.
You know, if these guys are innocent, I'm glad they got out, sorry they got screwed by the system. I certainly didn't convict them and the evidence is not solid.
.....but real life is NOT CSI. the fact that they didn't find DNA evidence at a outdoor crime scene days after the assault doesn't mean squat. More likely to find a hair from an armadillo than an assailant. There is a lot more to making a case than wiping a swab and sending it to the lab expecting definitive answers.
So as MFrances points out, the "marriage" was supposedly never consumated, can the "wife" now write a book and sell movie rights, makes kazillions THEN consumate that "marriage" and share the ill gotten bucks with her man, or all three?
LOOPHOLE! Thanks MFran!
MissEllie, this 'deal' is exactly because the State wants to be absolved of any liability in falsely imprisoning these three men. There are many on this blog who just don't understand the concepts of Justice or of Law&Equity.
Maybe, someday, the murderers of those three boys will be found.
For the freed men, life now becomes much tougher. Behind bars they were ironically protected from harm. Outside of prison, they will face a lifetime of public ridicule and doubt. In our society, once convicted, you are always convicted...innocent or not.
And then, I could go all into Biblical Justice, but I'd rather not bore my fellow Arktimes bloggers or Perry2012 with Biblical tales of forgiving murderers and scoundrels.
The plea deal was not true justice, but I am ecstatic that the WM3 are free. Anyone who doesn't understand why they made the plea deal is a complete and total idiot, or they don't know the facts of the whole case. The only reason they were offered the plea deal is b/c the prosecution KNEW that once the retrial was granted, the WM3 would be exonerated. No reasonable juror could possibly rule "guilty" in this case b/c of the evidence that proves that these 3 were in no way involved in the crime. If the prosecution was SO sure they were guilty, why not go to trial? The prosecutor admitted in a press conference that if the case went to trial, the WM3 would be likely found "not guilty" and they would COMPLETELY lose, rather than get a guilty plea. It's the only leg the prosecution had to stand on, and they knew it, as did the WM3, and anyone who knows anything about this case. Now the real killer, Terry Hobbs, will never face justice for murdering 3 children. So, while I'm elated watching the WM3 walk out of prison, it's bittersweet b/c of how much of a travesty it is that the justice system has failed the 3 murdered children and their families. However, no moron's ignorant comments are going to ruin today's jubilation for the exoneration of 3 innocent men. Celebration time for me and millions of WM3 supporters. We know you are innocent, we know why you took the plea deal (b/c you've been in jail 18 years and wanted it over as quickly as possible), and we continue to support you now that you can lead your life the way it was meant to be led - - free!!
@mudturtle But they did find DNA from two other suspects, Terry Hobbs and his friend so the fact that they found their DNA and none of the WM3's is a logical dismissal of your argument. Now if they had found absolutely no DNA of anyone else then yeah it wouldn't matter. I sincerely believe Terry Hobbs and his friend killed those boys. Why was only his stepson partially castrated? No those two are some sick f#cks and will pay some day!
Oh my God, you idiots saying that they're guilty need to watch the Paradise Lost documentaries. The ballpark girls said that they made up their story. The "confession" that was obtained from a self-admitted "slow" kid under threat of not being able to see his mother, etc - was proven WRONG. The events in the confession did not add up AT ALL.
The 90s Satanic Panic is bullshit. Do you celebrate Halloween? Does that make you a satanist? I won't be coming back to these infuriating comments. I can't believe how stupid someone like gingerbreadman must be. Way to perpetuate the national belief that your entire state is full of inbred fools. Now, go choke on your Skoal - you white trash piece of shit.
hey Gingerbreadman - where is the evidence about them confession to people at a baseball game, the cops or anyone else? id love to know, especially how they got to go to a baseball game while locked up.
Mark Frances - Troll. Youre full of shit. Plenty of people enjoy halloween for what it is, nothing to do with satanism, its just fun. Damien was just accused of satanism because the hick bible bashers needed a scapegoat and he was the weird heavy metal kid in the backward ass town and was therefore an easy target.
It would be great if somehow they find a way to extract several million dollars from the state and its representatives who did this to them.
I would be happy with simply imprisoning the prosecuting attorney, judge and jury for 18 years, but that's really just simple justice and really doesn't compensate the WM3 for what we took from them.
>>Also, a marriage is not a marriage until it is consumated. Until the present, the comment states that there was always a glass partition between the two while he was on death row. Therefore, they were not married.<<
Marriage is a social and contractual agreement between two consenting adults of legal age to hold thenselves before society as partners through life. Nothing is said in any law about consummation or a requirement to have sexual intercourse with one another or anyone else.
But hopefully the Echolses will have a little quiet time one of these days to work on that alleged technicality.
Depending on whose word you take for it, America's prison are chock-full of innocent people. But at some point in time, at least 12 people listened to the evidence and decided that they did indeed do whatever it was that brought them before the court. Sometimes, as in this case, those 12 folks were mistaken, and it's comforting to know that things can eventually be sorted out.
America wins, not when somebody gets convicted, but when one of her citizens receives justice in her courts system.
I guess we all have our opinions and thankfully we live in a nation that allows us to do so. I have followed this case since the beginning, I truly believe the real killer(s) are still out there. The shameful thing is that six families lost loved ones that day those 3 boys were murdered, at least now three families are given the opportunity to be with their loved ones. There has been a lack of justice for all six families and at least this a crucial step in seeking justice for the murders of Christopher, Michael, and Steven. The world is now aware that the real killer needs to be brought to justice, the state of Arkansas confirms that by allowing this plea. They have already acknowledged that they do not have enough evidence against these 3 men. So say what you want, believe what you want...but I believe that Damien, Jessie and Jason are innocent and I believe that one day they will exonerate themselves completely. I pray for all the families involved. I ask that anyone who agrees not to forget about the three 8 year olds that were murdered May 6, 1993.
I work in the legal system, and it amazes me to see how many juries get it wrong. And they blindly go wherever the prosecutor and law enforcement lead them. It's sad. I'm not saying that all police and prosecutor's are bad - they are not. But often times they are hardened, narrow-visioned, lazy and the result is injustice. And you people who interject religion into everything - just need to shut up!
They are maintaining their innocence by pleading guilty. Anyone ever heard of the Alford Plea? In this plea the defendant or defendants DO NOT admit the act and ASSERT INNOCENCE, but admits that sufficient evidence exists with which the prosecution could likely convince a judge or jury to find the defendant guilty if they so feel. Upon receiving an Alford plea from a defendant, the court may immediately pronounce the defendant guilty and impose sentence as if the defendant had otherwise been convicted of the crime.
For the idiots out there...this means that Damien, Jessie and Jason are still maintaining their innocence but in order to keep Damien from being murdered by the state of Arkansas, Jessie and Jason stepped forward and decided to go with him on the Alford Plea. No one forced them. They did it on their own. And they won because there is NO EVIDENCE that ties them to the case.
Anyone who isn't a supporter of the WM3 literally have no clue about this case. Read up on it. Even the parents of the three young boys who were murdered in 1993 are WM3 supporters. Oh yeah...and take a look at Terry Hobbs.
THE WM3 ARE FREE! JUSTICE!
I have only one comment.. Get The Fuck Out Of Arkansas and move somewhere you will be treated like humans! I dont even in live in Arkansas and I wouldnt want to! I would welcome you and all your families here in Pennsylvania. Thank God you are all free.
Artificial
I go with their lives "changing" but question "tougher". Sounds similar to Bachmann's pledge claiming blacks were better off in slavery since the fathers weren't absent.
I understand your concept but tougher sounds incorrect.
I am happy that they were finally released. It's a pity that they had to go the guilty route in order to get out though. I hope they can somehow get back to a relative normal life. If they were smart they would move out of the area. People are always going to look at them as if they are guilty. I do feel bad that due to crappy police work those 3 eight year old's killer/killers are still out on the loose. If things were handled properly, by the police, from the begining the majority of the crap that has gone on wouldn't of. I hope that one day the WM3 can clear their names so people will leave them alone for good.
I don't see anything wrong with Jason Baldwin wanting to celbrate all of the things that he missed, he was a child himself, interested in goth and rock music but not raping and mutilating a child. I believe the court system finally found some evidence (maybe they knew it all along) that these boys were innocent from the start. Never mind all of the other weird sh** that was happening with the step father (Byers') now he even advocates for their freedom. I live in Chicago. I had to do a thesis on the West Memphis and I have to tell you, I'm not an attorney but all of the research that I did...I did not find anything that remotely pointed to them killing those little boys. It's sad because a killer is still at large in that community. But I'm grateful that they are finally being freed. I beleive the community as a whole knows that they are innocent as well. That was the biggest case ever for Arkansas and they definitely did not handle it correctly from the start.
If you have never been to Arkansas, then I can not fault you for your narrow-mindedness. I was born and raised here and have been a supporter of these three boys/men since I was 18. I am 35 now. This state, particularly in this case, has embarrassed me too many times to count. Their are many, and I mean MANY ignorant people in this state who have embarrassed me too many times to count. But there are even more really terrific people all over the state of Arkansas, people I've met, people I've only read about and people I haven't met, who make me proud to be who I am and to come from where I come from. There are even more of us here who have supported these boys from the beginning. And I can promise you, there are as many people in Pennsylvania who would chase Damien, Jason and Jessie out with pitchforks and shotguns as there are here. Ignorance exists everywhere, and too much of it indeed.
Sure enough, lots of "opinions" sliding down the walls. Both sides.
How many of the opinionated stood before the bench? Risked so much as Friday's dinner?
HOPE COLD CASE PEOPLE WORK ON WTF DID KILL THOSE INNOCENT LIL BOYS! GLAD THESE THREE ARE FREE WAS A TOTAL HUNT CAUSE THEY WERE JUST DIFFERENT IN A LIL TOWN- WOW!? BUT STILL THE FACT WHO KILLED THOSE ADORABLE JUST RIDING THEIR BIKES LIL BOYS - I SAY THE STEP-FATHER TILL THIS DAY!!
@sylvia I appreciate what you are saying about there being many good people in Arkansas, I'm sure there are. But I just looked at the Wayne Dumond case (was commented on earlier), and OMG you've got to admit, justice can run amok in Arkansas.
If the State truly believed at this point they were guilty they would have gone to a new trial. They would not have offered them any kind of plea deal where they were allowed to walk free. However, they needed to save face and hopefully, avoid a lawsuit. Face it , This was was a botched investigation . They focused in on 3 kids who were different and jumped on the satanic panic syndrome that was rampant at the time.
I think the real killers have been right there all along. After all who's DNA was found? No this isn't CSI but after all these years there was DNA evidence there.
Who was Mr. Bojangles?
So many questions still unanswered .
If they are guilty (which I do not believe they are) why isn't there any true physical evidence that points to them ? All you have is a very messed up confession that doesn't add up , given by a kid who's I.Q. is border line retarded. A story from a jailhouse snitch and a story some little girls told . That does not equal physical evidence.
Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, they are free at last!
*** FREED, THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE ***
These men are completely NOT guilty. There is no evidence against them, they didn't even KNOW each other before all of this happened. How can you idiots say that they are guilty!? Would the state let them go if they REALLY thought they were murderers?! They spent almost a decade in prison for something they did not commit. If you don't believe me, read Devils Knot. It's a history of their entire lives, mostly Damiens. You can clearly see that the only reason he was convicted was that he practiced Wicca other than christianity, and he listened to Metallica for fucks sake! Arkansas needs to admit they screwed up instead of making them plead guilty and dangling their lives by a thread! So pull your heads out of your asses and grow the fuck up, maybe research something before you accuse someone of fucking murder and molestation.
Just a gut feeling, but I've held it for years. When I saw the documentaries I immediately suspected the murdered boy's stepfather and to this day, I'm convinced he was responsible. As I said--just a gut feeling.
The reason (I believe) they forced them to take a guilty plea before releasing them is so they could not turn around and sue the state for the lost 18 years they were robbed of.
Kaitlyn, sweety
They were convicted in a court of laws.
Relax honey, all you have is your opinion
Maybe u are the one that needs to "grow the fuck up"
SOOOOOOOOOOOOO VERY HAPPY THAT THESE INNOCENT MEN ARE FREE,UNFORTUNATELY;THEY HAD TO PLEAD GUILTY TO LESSER CHARGES IN ORDER TO BE SET FREE.HOWEVER,IF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS THOUGHT FOR A SPLIT SECOND THEY WERE THE REAL KILLERS;THEY WOULD HAVE NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED THIS PLEA AGREEMENT! THE NEW HEARING THAT WAS SCHEDULED FOR 12-5 WOULD HAVE GRANTED A NEW TRIAL FOR THEM;THUS GETTING THE MEN ACQUITTED!WHICH IN TURN WOULD HAVE MEANT 3 MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR LAW SUITS AGAINST THE STATE;ALL THAT AVERTED BY OFFERING THIS DEAL!MY LAST WORDS:GOOD LUCK TO DAMIEN,JASON AND JESSE,START PUTTING YOUR LIVES BACK TOGETHER AS FREE MEN!TO THE STATE OF ARKANSAS,FIND THE TRUE KILLERS AND GIVE THE THREE LITTLE BOYS JUSTICE;SO THAT THEY CAN REST IN PEACE AFTER 18 ALMOST 19 YEARS!!!
Gosh, that is great! But Damien Echols had all those mental hospital lock ups because he was so mentally sick. Did they ever get to the bottom of that? It's not like he was a normal kid who listened to heavy metal music and wore black. He was sick enough to threaten to eat his own father and slit his grandmother's throat and his parents were scared of him and his imaginary friend Beezulbub, who would visit Damien every night in his bed and "take him on trips". You know, they claim that he was "just a kid persecuted because of what he wore and who he listened to"...the truth was that he was an incredible danger to himself and others, which was well known at the time. The documents are on the web from the hospitals. Is he well, now? Anyone know?
Perry2012...this dude named 'Jesus' was convicted in a court of law as well. He plead guilty too...even though he was quite innocent.
It is always silly to hear these elitists and say if it is not about jesus (their chosen savior) then it is automatically about satan. To many, who do believe in a divine being, rationalize there is neither jesus nor satan. It is all fairy tales because you can't explain it. You have faith in your chosen beliefs, but by god, you are surely the first one to cast judgement. I always think when someone says I am going to hell.. "REALLY? ARE YOU PSYCHIC?? HOLY CRAP!" then they describe in great detail my glorious death with me burning forever in a firey pit ne'er a drop of water to quench my thirst.. and my skin sheeting off.' so let me get this straight.. I will die with more glory than your christ HAHAHAHA Go read a history book or travel, here's a clue, open your mind to other possibilities. The fact that these kids were convicted based on a satanic premise is so ridiculous to me. How about the fairy unicorn premise? How about some real farking evidence people???I have 3 sons and believe the real killer is known and not prosecuted, nor is he persecuted as these boys have been. This guy wants a normal life. Let him have it. Jesus Christ!
Citizen1...perhaps "more complex" would be better than "tougher". I guess what I meant to say is that I sincerely hope the pressures of being back in the civilian world won't be too much for the three freed men. Sadly Citizen, many in our society would choose a guilded cage, however brutal, over being able to live a normal life filled with responsibilities, insecurities, and dissappointments.
We have our own questionable case in our area http://norfolkfour.com/. No DNA linked these men to the crime and they have a person with no connection imprisoned on his DNA found at the scene. He said he did the crime alone but these men were pushed into confessions under dire circumstances. Sounds similar to this case. I wish all three the best and hope they continue to help other victims of the legal system. It is a shame that the murderer/murderers of three innocent boys is still walking free.
@We aren't in Kansas anymore - It wasn't Terry Hobbs' stepson whose genitals were mutilated. I'm not saying that means Terry isn't guilty. Honestly, unfortunately, if the evidence that has been released is ALL of the evidence, then I don't think there is enough evidence to tie anyone to the murders "beyond a reasonable doubt." People could claim Terry Hobbs' DNA got there by cross-transfer (in other words, since his stepson lives with him, it is possible for DNA to be transferred from him to his stepson in their home).
"Friend"- nobody is saying that Echols is perfect...or a saint...but he certainly should not be in prison for a crime he did not commit.
I agree that anyone TRYING to make a point about this case should make sure that they have read Devil's Knot. That book is what made me interested in this case many years ago.
Please remember that a man ran into a Bojangles restaurant, which was very close to the crime scene, and he was COVERED IN BLOOD and FRANTIC. The police did not even go into the restaurant that night...THEY TOOK A STATEMENT THROUGH THE DRIVE THROUGH WINDOW!! The next day they collected a blood sample, WHICH THEY LOST.
And as far as Misskelley goes, keep in mind that he was interrogated for hours, and told that he could go home if he repeated certain sentences. In fact, for hours he said that they did NOT do it...then he said they did, but in the morning (not possible-everyone was in school). They coerced him into a confession.
And multiple people that claimed that the boys confessed to them have now taken back their statements, and are saying that the police TOLD THEM to lie.
Of course, now they are pathetic papers. You were right about that one.
Hackett... I practice law and I can tell you that unfortunately, that's a large amount…
Funny. Seems I recall just such a scenario being played out before -- traffickers needing…
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