The story of the crazy wrongful conviction.
All the victims on May 5th, 1993 went out but did not come back till the evening, so they were reported missing by their parents in West Memphis. The bodies were recovered the next day from a drainage ditch in the woods of Robin Hood Hills. The boys were abused, and Byers' body was mutilated. Authorities linked the murders to Satanism.
Damien Echols, a high school dropout and self-proclaimed Wiccan, was questioned immediately but denied any link to the boys or their killings. However, authorities kept track of Echols, and Vicki Hutcheson's child, who claimed to see the murders helped them. Officers advised her to contact Misskelley, Echols' neighbour. She told the police that on May 19, 1993, she, Hutcheson, and Echols attended a witches' gathering in a nearby field. After the gathering became an orgy, she begged Echols to take her home while Misskelley stayed.
Authorities conducted an interview with Misskelley using this information. He denied any participation at first, but later admitted that he had helped hold the three boys. Even though there was no physical evidence linking any of them to the murder, they were all arrested in June 1993.
Misskelley's trial, which started in January 1994, was held separately. His attorney focused on Misskelley's coerced confession. Although his early claims did not match physical evidence. He was judged guilty of first and second degree murder in February 4, 1994, and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of release.
Baldwin's and Echol’s trial started soon after. Since Misskelley had refused to testify, prosecution had to rely on other evidence, such as Echols's supernatural fascination. Echols' love of Stephen King and Metallica was used as evidence against him by the prosecution. Baldwin's confession to the murders was supported by a fellow inmate, and two women claimed to have overheard Echols' confession while watching a softball game. March 18, 1994, upheld Echols and Baldwin's first-degree murder charges. Echols was executed, while Baldwin got a life sentence without parole.
The case garnered worldwide attention. Several films and novels were published, and many renowned personalities have supported them for their wrongful conviction. Hutcheson revised her statement in 2004, stating she lied because police threatened to blame her for the murders. In 2007, a victim's tangled hair was tested for DNA but it didn't match none of Echols, Misskelley, or Baldwin’s hair.
On August 19, 2011, court reversed their convictions after reviewing these evidences, including charges that the jury foreman introduced Misskelley's inadmissible confession during deliberations. Later that day, Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley filed an Alford plea, admitting guilt but claiming innocence. A 10-year sentence was suspended in exchange for time already served, and they were released.
A new DNA evidence was submitted in the case in 2007, leading to a new trial. In 2011, the West Memphis Three reached an agreement in which they pleaded guilty to lesser charges in exchange for their release. They were released in August 2011.