Story of the West Memphis Three
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Awesome!

Awesome, where did you find this?

Now 11 tracks can't wait

I found this guys. I think this is it?



The West Memphis Three
By Fiona Steel
A Most Heinous Crime

On the afternoon of 6 May 1993, West Memphis was rocked by the news of the discovery of the mutilated bodies of three eight-year-old boys. Rumors regarding the nature of the murders spread like wildfire through the town. It was soon well known that the boys had been cut with a knife, raped and at least one of the boy's genitals had been cut, many of these rumors were based on inaccurate police assumptions. By 12.00 p.m. the next day, police were questioning their first suspect, Damien Echols. Several weeks later Jessie Misskelley, an associate of Echols, confessed to the murders, implicating Damien Echols and another friend, Jason Baldwin. Soon after, following a confession by Misskelley, the three teenagers were arrested and charged with the murders of James M. Moore, Steven E. Branch and Christopher M. Byers.

The citizens of West Memphis were relieved that the monsters that had committed these heinous crimes had been apprehended and justice would be served. There was a great deal of anger in the community directed towards these three adolescents, supposedly involved in Satanic cults, who were accused of killing three innocent boys as part of a Satanic ritual. Rumors of Satanic groups had abounded in this dominantly Baptist community for decades. Details of their exploits were well known although there was never any proof of any murders actually having been performed in the past. From the time the arrests were made until they were tried, local papers fed the community's blood-lust, with stories of Satanic abominations appearing on a regular basis.

On Wednesday 19 January 1994, Jessie Misskelley was sent to trial after an attempt to have his confession suppressed was denied. Two weeks later, he was found guilty on one count of first degree capital murder and two counts of second degree capital murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole. He was seventeen years old.

The trial of Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols began on Tuesday 4 February 1994. On Monday 18 April 1994, they were both found guilty on three counts of capital murder. The next day Jason, just sixteen, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of forty years. Eighteen-year-old Damien Echols was sentenced to death by lethal injection.

More than five years after these sentences were handed down the three young men continue to proclaim their innocence and are persevering in their attempts to have new trials granted. This in itself is not unusual. There are many guilty men who have succeeded in tying up the legal system in the process of appeals for as many as fifteen years. What is unusual in this case is that they are not alone in proclaiming their innocence. Thousands of American citizens are convinced that Jessie, Jason and Damien were wrongly tried and convicted and are now lending their support to the fight for justice. Everyday this support is growing and now includes many criminal and legal experts who are throwing the weight of their knowledge and experience behind the three boys.

Damien Echols claims that he was found guilty long before the trial began because he was considered weird by many in the community, having practiced the Wicca religion and listened to the music of supposedly Satanic groups such as "Metallica." Jason believes he was found guilty by association. Jessie claims that his confession was coerced, claiming he had told police whatever they had wanted him to so that they would let him go.

Under question in this case is not merely whether Jessie, Jason and Damien are guilty or innocent, but whether the correct legal processes were upheld to secure their convictions. Was the basic tenet of the American legal system, the presumption of innocence, discarded in order to satisfy a community's call for the revenge of the dreadful murders of three innocent children?

I remember when this happened and I've always thought those boys were innocent. It will be interesting to hear David's take on this.

kind of a dumb song name though haha. Doesn't sound disturby.

GuiltyPleasures wrote:I remember when this happened and I've always thought those boys were innocent. It will be interesting to hear David's take on this.

it must be ironic for you then to hear that disturbed is writing a song about this incident. i sorta wish i was able to hear about this when it happened but im far too young for that. i just read the whole wiki page about the West Memphis Three and im very interested in this. i know far too little to actually take a side, but i feel that crime scene investigation should be taken seriously. it is universally cruel for an innocent to be found guilty. disturbed has enlightened me. they're are writing about something i believe in.

Smitk1592 wrote:kind of a dumb song name though haha. Doesn't sound disturby.

Agreed. Asylum isnt my fav name for a song or album but it's Disturbed. You KNOW the song will be total kickass.

ShockAndAwe wrote:

Smitk1592 wrote:kind of a dumb song name though haha. Doesn't sound disturby.

Agreed. Asylum isnt my fav name for a song or album but it's Disturbed. You KNOW the song will be total kickass.

Three is new to me, and i can tell you....I AM JUMPING OUT OF MY SKIN FOR THIS SONG! Disturbed never disappoints, they are the greatest and always will be band in the world, most creative, talented, skilled, etc band ever, or ever will be.

yeah it will be good. I got no worry about that

^ same here disturbed hasn't disappointed me yet (im letting awtd slide) and i never expect them to. they are too good for that :)

does sound like something david would write about it would seem that the world aint a just place and its not great song title i think and subject matter

4everDisturbed wrote:

GuiltyPleasures wrote:I remember when this happened and I've always thought those boys were innocent. It will be interesting to hear David's take on this.

it must be ironic for you then to hear that disturbed is writing a song about this incident. i sorta wish i was able to hear about this when it happened but im far too young for that. i just read the whole wiki page about the West Memphis Three and im very interested in this. i know far too little to actually take a side, but i feel that crime scene investigation should be taken seriously. it is universally cruel for an innocent to be found guilty. disturbed has enlightened me. they're are writing about something i believe in.

If you get a chance read the autobiography titled, Almost Home by Damien Echols...it gives you an idea on how much those 3 young men were screwed over by the so-called justice system...you also can watch the documentaries that HBO did on the story on you tube..here is the link..Paradise Lost

nerezza_regni wrote:

4everDisturbed wrote:

GuiltyPleasures wrote:I remember when this happened and I've always thought those boys were innocent. It will be interesting to hear David's take on this.

it must be ironic for you then to hear that disturbed is writing a song about this incident. i sorta wish i was able to hear about this when it happened but im far too young for that. i just read the whole wiki page about the West Memphis Three and im very interested in this. i know far too little to actually take a side, but i feel that crime scene investigation should be taken seriously. it is universally cruel for an innocent to be found guilty. disturbed has enlightened me. they're are writing about something i believe in.

If you get a chance read the autobiography titled, Almost Home by Damien Echols...it gives you an idea on how much those 3 young men were screwed over by the so-called justice system...you also can watch the documentaries that HBO did on the story on you tube..here is the link..Paradise Lost

I had just posed a question on Twitter about what crimes one could be accused of simply by the kind of music they listen to...never mind that you never committed said crime, the accusers just want someone to blame. That's what happened to the West Memphis Three. In the mind of the townsfolk, these boys were odd, weird and (God Forbid!) listened to heavy metal.

When rock n roll started to become popular back in the 50s, preachers actually preached against it, calling it "the devil's music". And this was relatively benign stuff like Elvis! It saddens me that people still think this way, even now.

And all of us, being Disturbed fans... a heavy metal band led by a short, bald Jewish man! In some minds of the populace, that just can't be a good thing.

Narrow mindedness is exactly what Disturbed is against-- "We are the ones who will open your minds/ leave the weak and the haunted behind..."

Nerezza... thanks for the link and the title of Echols' book. I'll definitely be checking those out!

GuiltyPleasures wrote:I had just posed a question on Twitter about what crimes one could be accused of simply by the kind of music they listen to...never mind that you never committed said crime, the accusers just want someone to blame. That's what happened to the West Memphis Three. In the mind of the townsfolk, these boys were odd, weird and (God Forbid!) listened to heavy metal.

When rock n roll started to become popular back in the 50s, preachers actually preached against it, calling it "the devil's music". And this was relatively benign stuff like Elvis! It saddens me that people still think this way, even now.

And all of us, being Disturbed fans... a heavy metal band led by a short, bald Jewish man! In some minds of the populace, that just can't be a good thing.

Narrow mindedness is exactly what Disturbed is against-- "We are the ones who will open your minds/ leave the weak and the haunted behind..."

Nerezza... thanks for the link and the title of Echols' book. I'll definitely be checking those out!

yeah thanks for the book and link to the documentary i will check those out. And hey if you want a prime example of this listen to the song "No More Mr. Nice Guy". When Alice Cooper was writing rock n roll society thought he was evil

4everDisturbed wrote:

GuiltyPleasures wrote:I had just posed a question on Twitter about what crimes one could be accused of simply by the kind of music they listen to...never mind that you never committed said crime, the accusers just want someone to blame. That's what happened to the West Memphis Three. In the mind of the townsfolk, these boys were odd, weird and (God Forbid!) listened to heavy metal.

When rock n roll started to become popular back in the 50s, preachers actually preached against it, calling it "the devil's music". And this was relatively benign stuff like Elvis! It saddens me that people still think this way, even now.

And all of us, being Disturbed fans... a heavy metal band led by a short, bald Jewish man! In some minds of the populace, that just can't be a good thing.

Narrow mindedness is exactly what Disturbed is against-- "We are the ones who will open your minds/ leave the weak and the haunted behind..."

Nerezza... thanks for the link and the title of Echols' book. I'll definitely be checking those out!

yeah thanks for the book and link to the documentary i will check those out. And hey if you want a prime example of this listen to the song "No More Mr. Nice Guy". When Alice Cooper was writing rock n roll society thought he was evil

Hard rock and heavy metal have been blamed for everything from the downfall of society, to the Columbine tragedy, to suicides (Ozzy's "Suicide Solution"), to what happened to the West Memphis Three. When I mentioned that I had been a fan of Disturbed since their debut in 2000 on Facebook, a friend from high school wrote "Disturbed's music is...disturbing." I doubt very much this person ever heard a Disturbed song or knew the background of the members (especially David).

I've always been open to all kinds of music, and I like quite a bit of it. But I always go back to the genre I became enamored of when I was 11 years old. And I turned out all right (much to my parents surprise LOL). I feel no urge to kill someone, take my own life, or commit a crime because of what I listen to.

I live in the Bible Belt, and there are plenty nutjobs around here who will damn me to hell and back, but you know what? I don't care. I'll listen to whatever music I want. Just as long as they keep their narrow minded opinions to themselves, because they'll be talkin' to the hand!