“Memphis Three” Free

The 3 alleged killers, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin, known as the “Memphis Three”, have been released after 18 years of jail time. They were put in jail for a very notorious murder of a 3 year old child back in 1993 in Arkansas. They have won their freedom because the Arkansas courts have found more evidence that have doubted them that the “Memphis Three” were the killers.

The way they were freed was by doing what the Arkansas courts call, “Alford plea”. The “Alford plea” is where you plead guilty but then a time is arranged for you to prove your innocence. So the three men pleaded guilty to the murder of the 8-year-old boy back in 1993 but will attempt to prove their innocence a different date.

“Today’s proceeding allows the defendants the freedom of speech to say they are innocent, but the fact is, they just plead guilty,” Scott Ellington, district prosecuting attorney for Craighead County, Arkansas said today.

Jessie Misskelley had admitted to the police that him, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin had raped, attacked and murdered multiple second-graders. Supposedly that is false because Misskelley is mentally disabled.

Henry Rollins, a former singer of the punk band Black Flag, was among those who rallied support for the Memphis 3, releasing a benefit album to aid their defense, had said “I am happy for the guys but so much has been lost,” and he later said “Three boys were killed. In my opinion, the wrong people were incarcerated and the person or persons who did it are still out there, alive or dead, still not brought to justice.”