West Memphis Three Interview

[thinnerair]

Damien Echols was interviewed by Larry King the other day. Apparently, some new evidence has been found that could help solve their case, but who knows....

Anyway, Larry King is a douche, but here are the video clips of that interview:

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[Yablonowitz]

I'm getting fucking groggy now trying to keep this up. Never again. Please don't stop me now. Just a few more to go.

[kitt kat]

I actually watched this when it was on CNN the other night.

I don't know what to think. You really, truly, want to believe this guy is innocent, but you never know in things like this. Murderers can often be charismatic, intelligent, and overly convincing. Until the DNA evidence is a bit more substantial and more thoroughly analyzed, then maybe I can take a side. But now, everything is still too muddled. It's a sad story, but...

[thinnerair]

If you film enough interviews with a person that is somewhat linked with something, you can really make that person into whoever you want them to be. In this case, they really made him out to be this devil worshipping leader that forced his two friends into killing people. They described as his court demeanor as defiant and arrogant, which has to mean that he's guilty or that he worships the devil. Any 17 yr old faced in that situation will probably act like that because they don't realize that their whole life is on the line with something like this.

[thelastgreatman]

From what I remember of the HBO documentaries about this case, he wasn't really disrespectful of the court at all I don't think. In fact he seemed really aware of the consequences he was facing and I believe acted quite appropriately in court. Granted, I haven't seen them in a couple years, but that case was serious bullshit, man. His conviction was based on a mental incompentant's confession (better believe that shit was coerced, probably violently--silly abusive police), totally circumstantial physical evidence and unbelievably poor excuses for testimony from some girls who claimed they'd overheard him admitting to the murder or something.

Basically, this kid was just one of millions of poor losers who dabbled in the occult and wore all black (phreaks, we called them in my town) and listened to Manson and crap because he lived in some shithole and hated it. But even in the interviews from Paradise Lost I can tell he's not remotely capable of those murders, he doesn't have real crazy in him. He's actually even a little smart, or at least smarter than your average Tennessee resident, and somewhat articulate. He got railroaded by a bunch of redneck assholes.

The DNA evidence only needs to provide reasonable doubt. He was convicted on completely insufficient evidence the first time. I didn't watch all these 'cause I don't have the time, but if you haven't seen Paradise Lost and although less good the sequel to it as well, check 'em out. Those kids shouldn't be in jail.

[kitt kat]

^1. It took placin Arkansas, not Tennesee

2. They accused him of being a satanist because he listened to Metallica, not Manson. In the CNN interview, he brings up a good point saying that now, you can hear Metallica on classic rock radio stations, and no one accuses those stations of being satanists. I thought it was a valid point to bring up, actually.

3. The DNA evidence was sketchy though...Something about it bring from one of the kids' fathers...on the shoe of a kid who wasn't his.

[thelastgreatman]

Right, I'm recollecting from the very comprehensive documentaries, not some fucking Larry King interviews. Larry King is dogshit, I'm not gonna watch those. There was a LOT of evidence that should have qualified as reasonable doubt. Was there any DNA evidence against them, btw?

[thinnerair]

Quit it, Randy. You're gonna break my thread!


There was no evidence placing them there at the scene. In fact, some of the new evidence found puts others at the scene through DNA. Also, what were considered knife wounds in fact turned out to be potential markings made by turtles in the water post-mortem. The kids could've died by blunt force and/or drowning, but because they were quick to wrap the case and they had suspects and a bullshit confession, the case got settled and moved on.