The West Memphis Three

[Duer 157099]

Yeah, I'm late to the party on this one, just watched all three HBO "Paradise Lost" installments in one sitting.

Whew! That was intense, especially to see how it ended, and to see what it being reported currently:

http://wm3org.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/my-uncle-terry-murdered-the-three-little-boys-in-west-memphis-wm3.html

I'm just shaking my head over all of this. Surely there are folks here who have followed this from the beginning?

[duhneece]

1. I didn't follow the story from the beginning,

But it is another of our US anti-justice stories.

[Ron Obvious]

2. It is a fascinating story on multiple levels

I only watched the first two movies when the WM3 were released last year. I had heard something about the case before, but hadn't taken the time to read up on it until that point.

Watching the first two movies was an eye-opener. First, seeing how someone could be convicted with no credible evidence whatsoever, an obviously-coerced confession, and community prejudice against anyone different. Couple that with the mass hysteria about "Devil Worshippers" and you a have formula for a judicial lynching. "Of course they're guilty! Why, just look at 'em!".

Having been a D&D-playing teenager who dressed in black, was an open atheist in a religious part of the country, this could have been me. Like Damien, I would much rather be feared than despised, so I also generally maintained a "fuck you", sneering facial expression in High School to give myself a workable pose in order to survive. I understood Damien's attitude in court to be exactly that also, and not an indicator of guilt. Being thought of as dangerous, despite all evidence to the contrary, was amusing to me also.

Secondly, it made me examine my own prejudices. Like the HBO filmmakers, and I daresay, the majority of the people who watched the first two movies, I also believed Mark Beyers was very likely the guilty party. To be fair, there was actual evidence against him and he was certainly a scary, violent nutter. But if I'm honest, my gut reaction was "Of course he's guilty! Why, just look at 'im!". Humbling when the DNA evidence pointed to another stepfather who hadn't made any impression on me one way or another up until then.

I haven't seen the third movie yet, but I'm certainly looking forward to it.

[mzmolly]

3. The best film about this case yet, is being premiered at Sundance tonight.

http://westofmemphisfilm.com/

I've been a supporter for about five years. It's wonderful to see the progress that has been made in this case.