Surf_Nazis_Must_Die 8958 Report post Posted August 23, 2011 http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/west-memphis-three-freed-18-years-190729722.html Thoughts? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ottawaadventurer 5114 Report post Posted August 23, 2011 I have followed this story for years. Read everything I could, saw all the documentaries, etc. I think it's about time they were set free. There are just too many holes in the prosecution case. I have always felt that life in prison needs to be reserved for solid cases. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kubrickfan 12836 Report post Posted August 23, 2011 From what I gather, the prosecution is pretty much complicit in allowing these guys to plea the way they did, so to me that's a tacit admission by the prosecution of errors in the state's case against these guys. The ugly question is who really did it and are they still walking around ... With any luck, they got hit by a bus. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest p**h*x Report post Posted August 23, 2011 It is wonderful that they are free. I have followed the case for a very long time and was quite pleased to see the news they were let out. However, it is a shame they had to plead "guilty" in order to get out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Surf_Nazis_Must_Die 8958 Report post Posted August 23, 2011 I agree Kubrickfan. The whole way the state went about this rubs me the wrong way! By agreeing to this bizarre form of pleading guilty so they could be set free, the WM3 lost the chance to sue the state over all of this mess. In the end this feels like a bastardization of justice. The state has managed to admit they were wrong without actually admitting any wrong doing and in such a way that they can never be brought to account for all of it. This sets a dangerous precedent :( Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kubrickfan 12836 Report post Posted August 23, 2011 I agree Kubrickfan. The whole way the state went about this rubs me the wrong way! By agreeing to this bizarre form of pleading guilty so they could be set free, the WM3 lost the chance to sue the state over all of this mess. In the end this feels like a bastardization of justice. The state has managed to admit they were wrong without actually admitting any wrong doing and in such a way that they can never be brought to account for all of it. This sets a dangerous precedent :( You are right, but (as a lawyer), if I was the prosecutor, I'd feel pretty good about things. The guys who maybe didn't do it went free and I protected my client's interests. In other words, do you want to stay in jail probably forever and maintain your right to sue, or get out and get on with life? To me, for better or worse, it is a study in negotiation power. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phaedrus 209521 Report post Posted August 24, 2011 Unfortunately, this sort of abuse seems all too common in the US. The main problem, as far as I can see, is that prosecutors have absolute legal immunity for anything they may do relating to their jobs, which means they can trash justice with impunity. A good blog to read, for those who are interested in following this sort of thing... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nicolette Vaughn 294340 Report post Posted August 24, 2011 I remember watching an espisode of 48 hours Mystery about The west Memphis 3 and actor Johnny Depp was a strong advocate for them who believed in their innocence. As someone in the article is quoted as saying, they shouldn't have to plead guilty to be free. The justice system in the U.S. too often convicts someone based soley on circumstantial evidence or investigators browbeating them into a guilty confession just to say they've solved the crime so prosecutors can take the case to court. And the fact that the state will not be held accountable for this is alarming. It really is a sad thing for these men to basically lose 18 years of their lives. They cannot get those years back and not even be compensated for it. IMO, these men have been punished enough. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
