The West Memphis Three Trials

Though it may seem that the debate over the death penalty only most recently surfaced, the dreadful tradition of capital punishment arrived in the United States at the time of the colonists. In the 17th century, most people were hung, beheaded, burned alive, or crushed under stones. All of these were in public, where a large crowd gathered to watch the horrible sight, similar to the tradition in old Europe. Eventually, the 19th century favored hanging as the most common form of execution. This marked the start of a more humane approach accepted as constitutional as executions moved away from the public eye. More developments came in the 1800’s as a movement to abolish capital punishment arose. This effort was stalled for a time during the Civil

Capital punishment has been a controversial issue that still exists in America today. Capital punishment is a law passed by the government to punish any individual that has been convicted of committed a heinous crime. The death penalty has been a method used throughout history as punishment for criminals. The punishment also known as the death penalty is a scheduled execution, which would be done with lethal injection. The reason why this punishment is chosen is because when crimes are committed that shock the conscience, the immediate emotional reaction is to retaliate with severe punishment (Schnurbush 2016). The death penalty is debated when it is brought up, opinions vary from one group of people to another, one side says the execution is murder, and the other saying that it is justice being done. Each side presents valid arguments to why people should be for it or against it; people’s opinions are formed by personal beliefs.

The topic of death penalty is highly controversial and debated on in American society. The death penalty has put many convicted murderers and criminals on the government. Using death sentence as a punishment for extreme crimes portrays America in a negative way. Although the death penalty brings justice to violent criminals, I argue that the death penalty is immoral and financially crippling the United States.

In the 1800s during the time of prison reform, the use of capital punishment and conviction with the death penalty became increasingly stigmatized- less and less was this an acceptable form of punishment and grew to be seen in a much more negative light. Throughout American history, the death penalty through hangings and other execution styles was a part of public society and was often a form of entertainment. Gradually these executions moved out of the public limelight and into a more private sphere, often within the prison walls, and eventually made their way to death by electric chair and lethal injection. Increasing focus on morality led the states and country to tend toward these more ethical ways execution, yet the death penalty has still

There was no evidence collected and tested at the crime scene which could have proved who committed the murders. A lieutenant who contacted a juvenile officer in Memphis both agreed that the murders had to have been done by someone in a cult. The juvenile officer quickly knew of someone who was involved in a cult and said this juvenile could be capable of a crime like this. The accused, Damien Echols, was immediately interviewed and asked questions that the police believed no one but the killer would know the answers to. The answers that were given by Damien Echols were known answers throughout the community and this made Damien look guilty. Damien’s appearance was very strange and different and he was not considered “normal” in the communities beliefs. He was considered guilty by his Wiccan beliefs and his gothic appearance. Not only was Damien deemed guilty of this crime, but two other boys were also accused of these murders. There are many inconsistencies with the case. The police did not collect all evidence in the woods that could have been collected to possibly link the murders to someone. According to TruTV Crime Library, there was a boy who claimed he saw who committed the murders. He claimed he even saw men who spoke Spanish commit the murders. He later changed his story and said he saw one of the victim’s fathers killing the three boys. This same boy could not even identify two of the boys

Another subtopic that has caused much debate along with the death penalty is the increasing influence of today’s media reporting on capital punishment cases and pushing to have televised executions as a form of retribution for some viewers and a kind of morbid reality show- entertainment for others. This also brings in the question of whether or not media coverage of executions

On May 5th, 1993 three eight year old boys were reported missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The boys were found the next day, hog tied in a wooded area called “Robin Hood Hills”. After the case had been “thoroughly” investigated, the West Memphis Police announced on the news that they had found the murderers, pointing fingers at Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin, three teenagers who were different from the norm in West Memphis, making it easy for them to be accused. I believe the boys were wrongfully accused of this crime because there is a lack of evidence in the case pointing to the boys, and the crime just seems to convenient for these three to actually pull off.

The murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael had tremendous impacts on the U.S. The impact of the three murders was large because they helped to propel the issue of civil rights into a national issue (Sinnot 1). Apart from affecting the Freedom Summer volunteers; the three murders affected black Mississippians and U.S. politics. Impact on the Volunteers

Today there are so many outlets readily available at hand for information wit television, movies, news, and social media. It is very hard not to see updates all day long and gain some form of understanding. There are multiple news outlets that report the facts in some way, television shows that discuss topics or enact them, and movies that display information too. The death penalty has been discussed with articles and interviews by major news outlets such as CNN, ABC, NBC, and the Posts. TV shows have been produced as well with On Death Row, Death Row Stories, and Rectify. Movies such as The Thin Blue Line, Live from Death Row, Paths of Glory. In some way each media form present information to a viewer to help shape their opinion on the

The history of the United States is bursting with instances of extreme racism, discrimination, segregation and prejudice. The gruesome murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year old, Chicago teenager shined a light on these subjects. The Mississippi Trial of 1955 which was the trial held for Emmett Till’s murder, became a sensational case that was watched and followed around the United States. The response followed by the trial would shape the history of racism in the United States, catalyzing many civil right movements, protests. Without massive coverage of the event through the Chicago Defender, the trial never would have become famous, leading to an enormous draw back in civil right movements both at the time and throughout history.

Chris Byers, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch were the three innocent eight year old boys who were on a bike ride adventure on May 5, 1993 and never returned home again. Family, friends and the entire community were mortified beyond belief. It was unspeakable what happened to the boys. Chris, Michael, and Stevie were found in Robin Hood Hills naked, bound and mutilated. Immediately, rumors began that due to the brutal nature of the crime, it had to be that of satanic doing. On the flip side of the above innocent youngs boys, there are the three very troubled teens that live in the same town. Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin. They were three well known teenagers in West Memphis Arkansas. The three teens had definitely made a name for themselves in their home town. There were rumors of

In his article, “The Nightmare of the West Memphis Three”, Rich explores how the people of Memphis drew horrific conclusions about people based on the lifestyle they chose to practice. The article highlights the trials and tribulations faced by the accused three young teenagers. Rich does this by citing the popular documentary series “Paradise Lost” which is an in depth analysis into the lives of the accused, the victims’ families and members of the community. This paper outlines how the belief system of that time superseded the inconclusive evidence, which ultimately led to an unfair trial. By “othering” and “marginalizing” those three teens, the society and police created a scenario that aligned with their belief system at the time.

Paradise Lost is a documentary that tells the story of three teenage boys that were accused of murdering Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Steve Branch. The three teenagers, Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols, and Jason Baldwin were convicted and sentenced to life for the murder of these three little boys. After 18 years of imprisonment, the state realized that they mess up and gave the chance for Misskelley, Echols, and Baldwin to declare themselves guilty. As a result, they were free, but still with hopes that things would clear out and they finally declare them completely innocent of the death of these boys. The case of the West Memphis Three was an example of an ineffective operating system. They didn’t present all the evidence of the

In this paper, the authors examine how the death penalty argument has changed in the last 25 years in the United States. They examine six specific issues: deterrence, incapacitation, caprice and bias, cost innocence and retribution; and how public opinion has change regarding these issues. They argue that social science research is changing the way Americans view the death penalty and suggest that Americans are moving toward an eventual abolition of the death penalty.

The Arkansas trial raised discussions about the demarcation of science from nonscience. Towards the end of the trial Judge Overton justified his decision by providing five criteria, which stated the definition of science. Discussions arose which argued for and against these criterias. One of the philosophers that claimed that creation science was indeed science was Larry Laudan. Laudan expressed his disappointment towards the decision of the trial, and stated that the trial failed to recognise the falsifiable theories that creationists made. Gilkey and Ruse were a couple of the philosophers however, that agreed with the decision arguing that creation science failed to comply with the standards of science especially through its conclusion of an unexplainable divine creator. In this essay, I will discuss the arguments that aid the demarcation of science from nonscience, and ultimately conclude with an