I’d like the opinions of the people here at SDMB because I’m sure that I will get an honest and diverse group of opinions; I don’t want a bunch of hysterical rambling that “THEM BOYS WAS SATANISTS!” nor do I want “THEY WERE RAILROADED BY A BUNCH OF IGNORANT RELIGIOUS FANATIC REDNECKS!” Is there any hard evidence suggesting that they were guilty? Is there any hard evidence to completely exonerate them? The movies were interesting, but I can’t help feel that the producers wanted to promote a specific outcome. Your thoughts?
No offense but the West Memphis Three isn’t exactly a household name…
This site has compiled a lot of the information that was gathered. Chances are it won’t change anyone’s opinion one way or the other, though.
Weren’t they a band from the Early '60s Folk-Music Scare?
Now, I hope we all can agree here that Satanic ritual abuse, let alone murder, is pure-crazy UL. Doesn’t mean these guys were innocent – but it casts doubt the way the evidence of the cops framing OJ cast doubt on his guilt, and properly should have.
Several opinions have been expressed on this board, previously. None of them appear to be ones that the OP has rejected:
West Memphis Three: Miscarriage of Justice or Liberal Cause Celebre du Jour?
I’m doing a internet radio show about the West Memphis Three - questions needed
West Memphis Three Witness Recants Testimony
On the other hand, a fairly simple Google search, (or even an SDMB search), could have prevented you from looking snide.
I was barely out of high school when I first heard of the WM3 (though I don’t know if anyone was calling them that back then). I just assumed they were guilty even though I knew nothing about the case. Hey, they were convicted and how many convicts swear they were innocent? I didn’t learn anything about the case until 2007 and I honestly couldn’t understand how the jury convicted those three young men based on the case the prosecution made.
Railroaded by trailer park rednecks!! 
Seriously, there was NO hard evidence whatsoever with the WM3. They wore Ozzy tees and had a book about Wiccan. Any hard evidence pointed mainly to the stepdad of one of the victims.
Watch Paradise Lost PST 1 & 2. Even the parents of the victims thought they weren’t guilty after some time.
Also read “The Devil’s Knot”. This follows the investigation from the start up to sentencing. This is a tiny town with, like, 6 cops. They’ve never seen something like this. It was bumbled from the start, getting bogus accounts from a nutty hairdresser and a son who had over eight different stories, a black man in a sports car bogus story, victims bodies not refrigerated at morgue, etc.
Most disturbing was Jamie Misskelly, a kid with an IQ of 72, who was interrogated for 12 hours, no lawyer or guardian present, with only 46 minutes of interrogation taped. WTF??? The confession notes show Jamie being led by cops through a story he could never remember. They fed him names of acquaintances, led him through times of day (“It was after school.” “Don’t you mean at night? No, not a gun, Jamie, a knife, right??”) Corrupt “experts” who never went to college, corrupt judges, etc.
Unbelievably stupid.
This case would’ve been tossed out in any major city at the time for lack of evidence. I think small towns like this, if anything this awful happens again, the state should send the proper forensics team and a prosecutor to see over the investigation.
Here’s a great section of the trials and the roundup of unreliable witnesses and testimony that judge Burnett allowed at trial. Also evidence that was inadmissible for the defense.
So many of the people in West Memphis seemed to think that Damien’s Gothic sppearance and lack of a recent haircut was evidence enough. And then Misskelley “confessed” and it just became an open and shut case.
They just didn’t do it and it is a shame that they had to accept the plea that they did to get their freedom. I understand why they took the plea, but that wasn’t justice.
After they left prison they were treated to dinner at a restaurant. They were just blown away by cell phones and how everyone seemed to have them.
I think they have been called The West Memphis Three for a very long time. It would have been so easy to bring in experts from the other end of the bridge in Memphis. But since it was a different state, maybe they couldn’t do that. I don’t know.
I don’t think the people of Memphis or Tennessee have any desire to spend money from their budget on a case in Arkansas anyway. Most police departments in Arkansas probably would have enlisted the aid of the Arkansas State Police for a crime of this nature. However the WMPD was under investigation for the theft of some drugs from a joint Crittenden County task force and some people believe this led them to refuse any aid from the state police. Yes, the Arkansas State Police asked the WMPD if they wanted any aid and were refused.
I still find it nearly unbelievable that three young men were convicted on the basis of the evidence presented by the prosecution. But I’m equally baffled by the lack of professionalism of the WMPD and what the judge in the case allowed into evidence.