Tag Archive for: Jason Baldwin

West Memphis Three on 48 Hours Saturday

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West Memphis Three Press Conference

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This was an interesting press conference to watch. These men are clearly overwhelmed and exhausted by the system.  I think they were very genuine and sincere in this interview. 

When I watch Damien Echols, I see a deep thinking man, who has a lot of intellect. He is the one who obviously speaks on their behalf because he is most comfortable doing so.

As more interviews, come out, let me know.

West Memphis Three and An Alford Plea

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If you haven’t read the news today, there is chatter all around the Internet that the West Memphis Three may be released this afternoon.  For all of us who believe in their innocence–that’s amazing news.  But there is a glitch.  While there is a gag order on anyone speaking about the case, Forbes is reporting that the court is going to allow the three men, who were incarcerated almost two decades ago, to change their plea to an Alford plea.

If you haven’t heard of an Alford plea, you are not alone.  An Alford plea is where the defendant agrees to plead guilty, but maintains he is innocent, but he does so because he agrees that the prosecutor has enough evidence to convict him.

From Wikipedia:

According to the University of Richmond Law Review, “When offering an Alford plea, a defendant asserts his innocence but admits that sufficient evidence exists to convict him of the offense.”

Mark Byers, the father of one of the boys who were killed, said that when he talked to the prosecutors, they planned to enter a no-contest plea. He also said that he believed this was a cop-out by the state so they don’t have to admit they made a mistake.  

I’ve also read that only 2 of the 3 men will be released on time served and one will remain in prison. 

I would really like to hear from these men, if they get released.  Are they feeling immense fear after being wrongly convicted that they could be falsely convicted if they went to trial again, as the system failed them once?  Or is there truly sufficient evidence in this case that they feel could win a case against them?

I have to admit if I was railroaded once by the system, I would not take a second chance and I would get out to live my life anyway I could.  I would be jaded for a lifetime, without question, but I wouldn’t care about what anyone thought as long as I had freedom.

Imagine being set free and trying to live a life if you are these guys. Their chances of successful integration into society would be immensely difficult.

This will be interesting to watch develop.  Seeing the men speak out, if they get released, will truly be fascinating!

West Memphis Three Get Hearing

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If the video doesn’t load, click here.

To read my thoughts on the West Memphis Three, click here.

Paradise Lost

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One reader was kind enough to share with me that Paradise Lost was on YouTube (Thanks, Angel). It’s in 15 segments that are 10 minutes long each. Thanks to all the people who shared links with me. I was fortunate enough, yesterday, to have the time to watch all but one segment of the documentary (segment 7 wouldn’t load for me, so I skipped it), and it is an excellent documentary.

Read moreIf the footage shown in the documentary is in actual sequence of events–that is, the footage of the boys talking in the videos were recorded prior to or during trial, I believe what these boys are saying in the segments shown in the documentary is truthful. That is all I can say. If, however, I find out differently, that any of the footage comes from after the trial, I retract this statement.

I was troubled by two things I saw in the while watching the trial. I was troubled by Mark Byers’ testimony about the knife that he gave to the HBO crew while they were shooting the documentary. The crew found what they thought was flesh and blood in the crevice of the knife, and so they gave it to police.

Police sent Byers’ gift knife to HBO to the crime lab, and the DNA matched both Byers and his son, Chris. With that, the defense team decided to put Byers on the sand. Byers, however, couldn’t remember a lot of things on the stand. When he was asked tough questions about the DNA on the knife, only then does he conveniently remember he cut his thumb out of the blue, when minutes before he didn’t. It was alarming, yet it is later discussed that he had a brain tumor. This may or may not explain his erratic behavior, but it needs to be taken into account.

Also, at the end of the documentary, I was really taken back at the footage that is shown of Byers after the verdict was read. They show him in utter surprise when hearing the verdict. Why on earth would he be surprised?

Everyone else in the courtroom seemed to feel the convictions were coming, or they were overwhelmed with grief. Yet in a strange twist, he was utterly shocked! So much so, you couldn’t miss it. It makes you wonder, does he know something that no one else knew? Even Damien and Jason felt like they had lost the case before the verdict. That’s what so surprises me about Byers’ behavior. Why on earth the shock? It’s very perplexing to me.

Clearly, this case is a travesty of justice, and needs new hands and fresh eyes. Where was Byers that night? Does he have a credible alibi? How about Terry Hobbs? Does he have a credible alibi? And last, who was that guy at the fast food restaurant that was all bloody? We need many more answers, I think, before we will know the truth.