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Research Paper On West Memphis Three

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Jaymee Rich
Nyah Brown
English 11-5
9 May 2018
West Memphis Three: Guilty or Innocent?
Introduction
In the court of law, guilty and innocent alike are protected by certain rights. Is it better to assume a man is guilty based on stereotypes and prejudice? Evidence must be substantial and confessions must never be forced or excessive. All evidence must be legally obtained, but sometimes things don’t happen the way they are supposed to. For in May of 1993, unspeakable acts rocked the community of West Memphis, Arkansas. Three boys would go on an innocent bike ride and never return, and three older boys were blamed. There were many problems with the trial, including invalid evidence and faulty confessions, like those forced from the mentally disabled. …show more content…

Damien Echols was a 17 year old dropout at the time of the crime. He had been previously hospitalized because of his psychiatric problems and attempted to drink his own blood in hospital. He WAS put on suicide watch during his time in the hospital as well as claiming he was going to be the next Charles Manson or Ted Bundy. Although he was a suspect, the only thing tying Echols to the case was the blue wax on the boys shirts and the polyester cub scout hat fiber that was found on a shirt at his house (“The West Memphis Three Trials: An Account”). Another thing that was played upon was the fact that Damien also believed in practicing magic, as well as the fact he already had a criminal record for burglary and sexual misconduct (The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and …show more content…

He was Vicki Hutchenson’s neighbor, who later plays a role in the trials of the three boys. Jessie had an astoundingly low IQ; it was only 72. Jessie was tried and questioned separately from the other two. He was the only one who confessed to any wrongdoing. It is possible that this was a result of his disability combined with the questioner’s approach and tactic. Dan Stidham, a lawyer involved in the case, said that Jessie “could have been made to say anything” (“The West Memphis Three Trials: An

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