It's official: West Memphis 3 being FREED!

The judge has accepted the plea in this case and the men should be freed TODAY. Watch live coverage here.

West Memphis 3 being freed today?

A mysterious hearing in Jonesboro today is fueling speculation that the WM3 may be released from prison today. A note from Mara Leveritt posted on the WM3 blog yesterday tells us that all 3 men were transported to the hearing with all of their belongings, leading many to assume they're not expected back in prison. Although there's a gag order on the proceedings, sources close to the case tells the AP that the men are expected to be offered a plea that would permit their immediate release.

These 3 men were unjustly convicted after a frighteningly inept investigation & a trial that ignored forensic evidence (including DNA). They've sat in prison for their entire adults lives, having been convicted as teenagers in 1994. They've been robbed of justice in every possible way and endured unimaginable horrors, including beatings and rapes in prison for a triple child murder they did not commit. And all while the real killer or killers has remained free so there's been no justice for the murder victims or their families either.

DAA will update as new information is released. 

DNA testing brings justice after decades of despair

There could hardly be a better follow-up story to that recent post about the importance of forensic science. A recent story from WPXI (read it here) details the multiple murder convictions of a California serial killer. Rodney Alcala's first known crime was in 1968, when he abducted an 8 year-old girl on her way to school. He brutally beat her with a lead pipe and raped her repeatedly but was caught thanks to the quick action of a witness to the abduction. That witness likely saved the little girl's life, as Alcala's next victims were all murdered after being raped and tortured in various ways.

West Memphis 3 in the news

Tonight, CBS's 48 Hours will feature Johnny Depp discussing the case of the WM3 to bring attention to this gross miscarriage of justice. Props to Johnny for using the release of his new movie to publicize the plight of these young men. All too often, we're ininudated with celebrities talking out of their ass about things they have no real grasp of, so it's great to see someone using their fame for a good cause now & then.

Science & yokels just don't mix

Ted Bundy is the most notorious killer to have been convicted of murder using forensic odontology (dentistry). After murdering almost 30 women (maybe even closer to 40), he still hadn't been connected to all of his crimes. Even after multiple arrests & jail escapes, he was still killing. One of his last massacres was a sorority house attack in Florida. The only evidence linking Bundy to that crime was bite marks. Without the bite mark evidence, he may not have been convicted of the two murders, both of which resulted in death sentences. Soon after, he was tried for another murder (believed to be his last) where he was largely convicted on the basis of fiber evidence.



This short history of forensic science is a quick lesson needeed before reading another far more troubling story. There's not much that could be more troubling than a sociopathic serial killer murdering lots of innocent women, but some miscarriages of American justice are equally chilling. In 1993, three 8 year old boys were murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas. Soon afterward, 3 teenage boys (one of them mentally retarded), were convicted of the crimes. Two received life sentences, the other's on death row. There was no forensic evidence linking any of the teens to the crime; In fact, fibers, bite marks & other scientific findings generally exclude the suspects. It seems as though the jury was influenced by sensationalized media coverage of the horrific crimes, as well as unprofessional investigative tactics & a foolhardy judge who made light of scientific data & evidence.