A spectacular essay from Peter Jackson:
I'm sorry if you don't know what I'm talking about - but those who do, will no doubt be celebrating along with Fran and myself.
But let's not think for a second that justice was served today. Far from it. Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are finally free to get on with their lives after spending 18 years in prison in Arkansas for a crime they did not commit, but I'm finding it very difficult to suppress a deep anger.
Fran and I got up at 3am this morning to watch the live feeds from Jonesboro, Arkansas - we wanted to see Damien, Jason and Jessie walk free. That did happen, but not before we had to sit through a self righteous lecture from Arkansas State Prosector, Scott Ellington. Kind of tarnished the joy of seeing them released. I need to vent.
The fight to free the West Memphis Three has been raging for nearly all of the 18 years since their farcical 1994 convictions for the triple murder of three young boys, fueled hugely by the excellent "Paradise Lost" documentary released in 1996. Jason and Jessie were sentenced to life, Damien was sentenced to death.
This morning the State of Arkansas finally released these three innocent men. This was done on the strict condition that they agree the State prosecutors did the right thing in 1993 and their original convictions were in fact, justified. It's called an "Alford Plea", and in theory it allows innocent men to walk free, so long as they are happy to have their convictions stand, and lose any right to claim compensation from the State for wrongful imprisonment...
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