Ed fills in for Douglas Dietrich's radio show, Firing Lines in this classic episode examining the West Memphis Three.


WM3" redirects here. For other uses, see WM3 (disambiguation).
"Jason Baldwin" redirects here. For the former Australian rules footballer, see Jason Baldwin (footballer).
The West Memphis Three photographed after their arrest in June 1993 by the West Memphis Police Department

The West Memphis Three are three men who, as teenagers in 1994, were tried and convicted of the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin to life imprisonment. During the trial, the prosecution asserted that the children were killed as part of a Satanic ritual.[1][2][3]

A number of documentaries have explored the case. Celebrities and musicians have held fundraisers in the belief that the three men are innocent.[4]

In July 2007, new forensic evidence was presented in the case. A status report jointly issued by the state and the defense team stated: "Although most of the genetic material recovered from the scene was attributable to the victims of the offenses, some of it cannot be attributed to either the victims or the defendants." On October 29, 2007, the defense filed a Second Amended Writ of Habeas Corpus, outlining the new evidence.

Following a 2010 decision by the Arkansas Supreme Court regarding newly produced DNA evidence and potential juror misconduct,[5] the West Memphis Three negotiated a plea bargain with prosecutors. On August 19, 2011, they entered Alford pleas, which allowed them to assert their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict them. Judge David Laser accepted the pleas and sentenced the three to time served. They were released with 10-year suspended sentences, having served 18 years and 78 days in prison.[6]