Shadows of Injustice: The West Memphis Three and the Legacy of Satanic Panic

The Tragic Discovery in West Memphis

On May 5, 1993, the quiet community of West Memphis, Arkansas, was shaken to its core. Three eight-year-old boys—Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers—went missing. The following day, their lifeless bodies were discovered in a wooded area known as Robin Hood Hills. The nature of their deaths was both brutal and perplexing, setting off a chain of events that would captivate and divide the nation.

The Arrests and the Birth of the West Memphis Three

In the weeks that followed, law enforcement focused their attention on three local teenagers: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr. Echols, 18, was known for his interest in the occult and unconventional appearance, which included wearing black clothing and listening to heavy metal music. Baldwin, 16, was a close friend of Echols, and Misskelley, 17, had a reported IQ of 72, indicating borderline intellectual functioning. The trio was arrested and charged with the murders, largely based on Misskelley's confession, which he later recanted, claiming it was coerced during a lengthy interrogation without legal counsel or parental presence. ...Read More

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