More than 1,000 people turned out for last night’s West Memphis Three panel discussion hosted by the Clinton School and the Arkansas Times at the Statehouse Convention Center, a testament to the widespread popularity and interest in the case.
In 1994 Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr., and Jason Baldwin were convicted of the murder of three eight year olds, Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers. Questions regarding the evidence and prosecution of the case have resulted 18 years of controversy.
Just one week ago on August 19th, 2011, the three men were released from prison after ongoing litigation in the case led to an “Alford” plea bargain, which allowed them to plead guilty while continuing to profess their innocence. Controversy surrounds not only the case, but also the recent decision. Four attorneys, a journalist, and an activist discussed the recent and past events.
Arkansas Time executive editor Max Brantley moderated the discussion and began by asking Scott Ellington, prosecuting attorney for the state of Arkansas, how he informed the families of the victims about the plea. He recounted that he was met with near silence by one parent, anger from another, and an exasperated “it is what it is” from Todd Moore, father of Michael Moore.
“I know they are innocent” was proclaimed not once, but twice, by Attorney Patrick Benca, defense counsel for Damien Echols. His friendship with Arkansas Attorney Gen. Dustin McDaniel and a recent lunch meeting had a large role in the development of the plea bargain.
Journalist Mara Leveritt has followed the case since 1993. She described bizarre methods of interrogation and police protocol used during the investigation. In the case of Jessie Misskelley’s interrogation, neither his parents nor an attorney were present and only a small portion was recorded, Leveritt said. She accused the police of exploiting Miskelley’s low intelligence to extract a confession.
Baldwin’s lawyer, Blake Hendrix, said the plea offer was an all-or-nothing deal. If one declined the proposal, the remaining two could not accept. Baldwin initially wanted to turn down the bargain but upon discovering that it would mean leaving Echols on death row he accepted. Hendrix the agreement is an “unsatisfactory compromise”.
Capi Peck, founder of the West Memphis Three advocacy group, Arkansas Take Action, discussed what she called “compelling” DNA evidence that did not match any of the three men convicted of the crime.
The panelists answered questions from the audience and provided some insight on how the recent developments came about. While the members of the panel had mixed feelings regarding the plea bargain, one thing was agreed upon; the real killer could still be out there.
This post was written by Clinton School student Maggie Carroll (’13).
Who was the patrol officer who made the calls at the Bojangels restaurant in West Memphis, Arkansas the night of the murders of the three boys? Is she still employed by the West Memphis PD?