Now one of the most infamous tales of wrongful convictions and the complete failure of the American judicial system, the case of the West Memphis Three has been chronicled in the “Paradise Lost” film series, which revealed the struggles of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. as they deal with being falsely accused and convicted in the murder of three children. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg had her own film “West of Memphis” debut at Sundance in January, which we called an exhausting and exhaustive chronicle of justice, which has finally been acquired for release.
Sony Pictures Classics has announced that they've picked up the Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh-produced film, which mostly uses newly uncovered testimony to point the finger at Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of one of the victims of the 1993 crime, who is now a potential suspect due to the physical evidence that could link him to the crime and incriminating statements from his ex-wife, neighbors, and even his nephew, who's gone on record stating that Hobbs had confessed to him. “West Of Memphis” sparked some friction between Berg and “Paradise Lost” filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofksy, but our writer at Sundance found it to be “more often than not an emotionally effective investigation into how real-life villainy may be more insidiously present than commonly assumed.”
As you may know, there’s a bevy of West Memphis Three-related projects on the way in the wake of the trio’s release from prison, including a Johnny Depp-produced adaptation of Echols’ memoir, and the Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth-starring “Devils Knot,” which is to be helmed by Atom Egoyan. It’s certainly a good time to take in a good amount on the subject, which is an incredibly intriguing tale for out time.
Now word on a release yet, but we’re sure Sony Classics will get it into theaters this year.
I'm simply astounded that there are still people out there who believe the WM3 are guilty.
They cite Jessie's statements. Take the time and READ THEM. They are ridiculous at best – http://www.dpdlaw.com/jmstatements.htm . Only someone with an IQ lower than Jessie's could possibly cite these as a basis to believe in guilt. They're internally inconsistent and don't align with ANY of the physical evidence – not one piece.
They cite Damien's psych issues, as if this substituted for evidence. There was not a single hair, fingerprint, footprint, drop of blood, or strand of DNA that linked back to the WM3. In spite of Damien having shoulder length black hair and always wearing Army boots, which leave a somewhat distinctive print.
Asserting that the WM3 are guilty does nothing more than make you look foolish.
Even the victims' families (with the exception of the Moores, who refused to meet with the investigators in 2007) have seen the truth. The WM3 aren't guilty. Hobbs most probably is.
"…..which revealed the struggles of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr…"
"Itâs certainly a good time to take in a good amount on the subject…"
Actually, it's time for a project that details the struggles of the victims families through all of this. The "good amount" that you're referring to is all the stuff out there that only gives the murdering-west-memphis-three account of what happened. Three children struggled in vain for their lives and their families continue to struggle partially because hollywood "celebrities" and uninformed "journalists" continue to plead the false innocence of the west memphis three. There were multiple confessions by Jessie Misskelley, a jury conviced them and the convictions were upheld. They then pled guilty in August 2011. How much more false hero-worship to these three get the benefit of?? Don't spend another dime for their cause. Instead go to: callahan.8k.com and wm3truth.com to read the facts of this case.