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West Memphis 3 Freed
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Anonymous
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44199686/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/#.Tk6jznO4L-Y
Strange plea arrangement. I think they are innocent, but I guess it's better to get out of prison. |
Anonymous
| The plea deal sucks. Now they can't sue. |
Anonymous
I never thought of that. Is this why the prosecutors were so adamant? They want protection against future actions against them? |
Anonymous
This is horrible case and the prosecutors know they put them in jail because they were of Damian Echols saying he worshiped the devil (or so they said). It's horrifying that they served so much time in jail for a crime they didn't commit when time and resources could have been spent looking for the real killers. |
Anonymous
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So am I to understand correctly that an Alfred plea basically says, 'we are not admitting guilt, but the evidence is such that it looks that way.'
Or did their plea include a guilty admission (when in reality, they will say they're innocent)? |
Anonymous
| I've posted about this case in the past and I'm glad to see that I was not the only one aware of it. Yes, the plea deal might 'suck' but three innocent men (who were kids when convicted) are free! Best news I've heard all day! Justice works in strange ways, but ultimately, it works. Too bad they can't sue-how much money would 18 years of deserved but denied freedom cost? How would one determine such a figure? I hope they can go on to prove their innocence and live their future lives in peace. Again, this case is one of the most egregious examples of total misconduct and subversion of what might be the greatest legal system in this world. |
Anonymous
Perhaps they will be able to sell their story rights. It would be a help to get them back on their feet. One of them has an IQ around 70. I don't know if he has any family to look after him. |
Anonymous
I have followed the case and glad that they were released. Reminds me of the Norfolk 4 case and the case of Cameron Todd Willingham which in some cases is more egregious and sad. If anyone doubts the idea os miscarriage of justice, take a look at any of these cases in depth. |
Anonymous
| Are the prosecutors or law enforcement officials doing anything to find the people who really committed this atrocious crime? |
Anonymous
He's dead now, so there's no fixin' that. |
Anonymous
| Any criminal attorneys out there who could chime in here? What is your opinion of this particular plea deal? The defendants agree to plead that there was enough evidence to convict them but still maintain their innocence? Are they considered guilty or innocent legally? It's an interesting plea in that there was practically NO direct evidence in this case of guilt-no DNA, no witnesses, no crime weapon (a knife recovered in a lake near one of the suspect's homes was presented in court as possibly being the crime weapon, but no unopposable evidence determined this). They basically had only the coerced confession of a mentally challenged teenager who couldn't even get the facts of the crime straight without the interogators feeding him information. Anyone? I'm a layman and I would love to hear a professional's take on this-there must be a lawyer somewhere around here. |
Anonymous
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I grew up in Memphis. I remember watching all the local coverage. I was barely 18. I could not understand how they were convicted. I think the plea is ridiculous. I wish they could sue the hell out of west Memphis. The kids have no education,no money and never will be the same.
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Anonymous
no case closed |
Anonymous
How can you say that justice works? Taking away 18 years of someone's life and offering them nothing for their suffering is far, far from just... |
Anonymous
| One oddity about the MSN story is that the writer identified Byer's father as his "adoptive father" instead of just his father. Why is this relavent? Did the crime affect him any less because of how he became a father? As the parent of adopted children, I am bothered by the subtle implication that the fact that his boy was adopted makes any differene when describing this father's grief. |