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48 Hours comes to Little Rock to interview WM3 supporters, Lorri and Damien

Posted by Mara on Tuesday June 16, 2009
48 Hours comes to Little Rock to interview WM3 supporters, Lorri and Damien

Veteran correspondent Erin Moriarty (shown here) of the from the CBS news show, 48 Hours, spent yesterday and today in Little Rock interviewing Lorri Davis and several supporters of the West Memphis 3 for an hour-long program on the case that’s scheduled to air this fall.

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WM3 supporters upstage Fogelman's campaign announcement

Posted by Mara on Tuesday June 9, 2009
WM3 supporters upstage Fogelman's campaign announcement

Members of Arkansas Take Action, a group critical of the trials that resulted in murder convictions for Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr., walked out of a press conference held Monday at the state capitol by Judge John Fogelman to announce his candidacy for the Arkansas Supreme Court. (See video here.)

In 1994, Fogelman, then a deputy prosecuting attorney, helped win the convictions of Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley, who were teenagers at the time. In the years since, Fogelman has often stated that he believes the three are guilty.

Those protesting at Fogelman’s announcement wore T-shirts that read “Abuse of Power.” The protesters walked out of the confenence room as Fogelman read his campaign announcement to the media.

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Check out our peaceful, new Web site--with an emphasis on justice

Posted by Mara on Tuesday June 9, 2009
Check out our peaceful, new Web site--with an emphasis on justice

Some of you have been kind enough to inquire about my health, given that I’ve left this site unattended for so long. The good news is that I’m fine, thank you. The better news is that part of the reason I’ve been absent is that I’ve been helping develop a new site, one with a mild presence but big ambitions. It just went “live” this week, so I invite everyone to visit: JustUsFriends.org. And if you decide to sign up, feel free to talk about this case, or any other justice-related matters, on the message boards.

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Student interviews Judge Burnett; he says of Echols, "My court is through with him."

Posted by Mara on Tuesday June 9, 2009
Student interviews Judge Burnett; he says of Echols, "My court is through with him."

Last November, Lindsey Fry, a student at Lyon College in Batesville, AR, interviewed Judge David Burnett, (shown above during the trial of Jessie Misskelley, Jr.,) for a class assignment. At my request, Fry, who is currently working at television station KATV in Little Rock, sent me her report on that interview, which I am happy to publish here.

The Real Story Behind the Controversy
By Lindsey Fry

With nervous smiles and floor-locked eyes, the 250 people packed into the Craighead County circuit courtroom waited to hear the verdict on Damien Echols, 19, and Jason Baldwin, 16. The room stirred with anticipation as the eight-woman, four-man jury entered to reveal their judgment on the boys accused of murdering three eight-year-old victims, Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers. As the jury prepared to release its decision, Judge David Burnett warned against any outburst from the audience. The silenced courtroom sat anxiously as Burnett announced the jury’s verdict finding the boys “guilty of capital murder.” Echols would later be sentenced to death and Baldwin to life without parole. The decision on Saturday, March 19, 1994, would continue to be a debated topic years after the West Memphis case ended. The Jonesboro courtroom, overwhelmed with different emotions, exited the building where dozens of reporters waited to question family members and attorneys about the court’s decision. Making headlines in 1993, the ongoing case continues to attract interest across the country. Family members, attorneys, investigators, and defendants have been interviewed numerous times for newspapers, books, and documentaries; however, a key character, Judge David Burnett, who gained national recognition and suffered a great deal of turmoil from the 1994 case, has yet to become fully known by the public. During the November 2008 interview, Burnett commented on his personal experience, his legal career, as well as his position in the West Memphis case, explaining why the case has become the “controversy” it has evolved into.

He believes the public and the media have taken the 15-year-old case to an “extreme and unnecessary” level of importance, stating that there were no objections to the decision in March 1994, because the majority of people believed the boys were guilty.

However, after journalists such as Mara Leveritt, and pop stars such as Natalie Maines from the Dixie Chicks, have begun speaking against the case, the pubic has protested for a new trial.

“If I would have known then what the case would become today,” said Burnett, “I probably wouldn’t have agreed to take it.”

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