West Memphis Three case
E500018
The West Memphis Three case is a notorious 1993 criminal case in which three teenagers were controversially convicted—and later released—for the murders of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, sparking widespread debate over wrongful convictions and satanic panic.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| West Memphis Three case canonical | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
criminal case
ⓘ
murder case ⓘ wrongful conviction controversy ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
WM3 case
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
West Memphis Three murders ⓘ |
| appeal | multiple post-conviction appeals ⓘ |
| associatedWith | satanic panic ⓘ |
| causeOfRelease | Alford plea ⓘ |
| charge | murder ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| defendant |
Damien Echols
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Jason Baldwin NERFINISHED ⓘ Jessie Misskelley Jr. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| evidence | DNA testing conducted years after conviction ⓘ |
| hasEffect |
advocacy for criminal justice reform
ⓘ
criticism of forensic evidence handling ⓘ criticism of police investigation ⓘ public debate over wrongful convictions ⓘ |
| hasPart |
trial of Damien Echols
ⓘ
trial of Jason Baldwin ⓘ trial of Jessie Misskelley Jr. ⓘ |
| influenced |
discussion of coerced confessions in juvenile interrogations
ⓘ
public perception of satanic ritual abuse allegations ⓘ |
| investigatedBy | West Memphis Police Department NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| jurisdiction | Crittenden County, Arkansas NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| legalOutcome |
Alford plea agreement
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
conviction ⓘ |
| legalStatus | convictions not vacated ⓘ |
| location | West Memphis, Arkansas NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mainSubject | West Memphis Three NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mediaCoverage |
Paradise Lost 2: Revelations
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory NERFINISHED ⓘ Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills NERFINISHED ⓘ West of Memphis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableFeature |
heavy reliance on a disputed confession by Jessie Misskelley Jr.
ⓘ
lack of physical evidence directly linking defendants to the crime ⓘ use of alleged occult and satanic themes in prosecution theory ⓘ |
| numberOfVictims | 3 ⓘ |
| perpetratorAccordingToConviction |
Damien Echols
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Jason Baldwin NERFINISHED ⓘ Jessie Misskelley Jr. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| pointInTime | 1993 ⓘ |
| releaseDate | 2011-08-19 ⓘ |
| startDate | 1993-05-05 ⓘ |
| timePeriod | 1990s in Arkansas ⓘ |
| victim |
Christopher Byers
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Michael Moore NERFINISHED ⓘ Stevie Branch NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.