The men known as the West Memphis Three, who have been imprisoned for nearly two decades for the murders of three 8-year-old boys in eastern Arkansas, may be released as early as this weekend, MSNBC is reporting. The three men are currently arranging a deal with prosecutors.
As part of the deal, the men, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin, can maintain their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors may have enough evidence to win a conviction. They were convicted in 1994 of killing Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore a year earlier. They were believed to have left the boys’ bodies in a ditch in West Memphis, Arkansas.
Echols was sentenced to death, while the other two received life sentences. Defense attorneys, celebrities and legal experts have all said the men were wrongfully convicted. As a result, the three men won new hearings from the Arkansas supreme Court in November 2010, more than 15 years after they were sent to prison.
The men’s attorneys have pointed to new DNA evidence that may help exonerate them. The news of the hearings comes after even some of the victims’ family members questioned if the right men were convicted of the crime. Byers’ adoptive father John Mark Byers even said he believes the three are innocent.
Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington, defense attorneys and a spokesman for the state’s attorney general have all declined to comment on the case, citing a gag order issued by the judge. But Craighead County Circuit Judge David Laser said he would meet with the men in court.
Written by: Karen Benardello
