alone are quite capable of every wickedness." - Joseph Conrad
news
48 Hours comes to Little Rock to interview WM3 supporters, Lorri and Damien
Veteran correspondent Erin Moriarty (shown here) of 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.
Read Full ArticleWM3 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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Above the law, Part 2
While America and the world look on, we here in Arkansas are struggling with a capricious state supreme court that increasingly has come to symbolize our tattered legal system. Here’s my latest attempt in the Arkansas Times to explain just a little bit of what the WM3—and the rest of us—are up against.
Read Full ArticleArkansas high court displays contempt for its own rule
A column I’ve written about the latest example of shoddy court practices, especially as they relate to the West Memphis case, appears in this week’s Arkansas Times. It’s titled Above the law.
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"Boys on the Tracks" Now in Paperback
letters
'Invested in a wrong decision'
I purchased and read your book, Devil’s Knot, several years ago after watching the HBO documentary "Paradise Lost". I was very impressed by your open-minded treatment of the subject matter. I later read that you actually prefer to write about the official process rather than “true crime.”
I think you did an excellent job of painting the picture of how a law enforcement officer, and then an entire system, can become invested in a wrong decision. You provide a valuable education on how fallible humans who are sworn to uphold the law (and one would assume, the truth) can actually be. I have met so many people whose minds are closed to the possibility that people in power can and do make mistakes and even intentionally obscure the truth.
I wanted to also compliment you on answering letters published on your website. Your answers are valuable because to have credibility as a journalist, you have to be open to all possible truths. Your "transparency" is important.
I hope you continue your valuable work. Those holding positions of power are answerable to the public and the public needs journalists such as yourself to go beyond the official story and hold them accountable.
Kelly Wagner
Pennsylvania
P.S. I believe that 2010 will be a pivotal year for the WM3. Those men and the murdered children deserve better, and so does Arkansas.
Hi, Kelly,
Your letter meant a lot to me, and I’m sorry I’m just now getting around to responding. It seems my work comes in chunks, during which I let my correspondence—and my web site—lapse. I’m going to try to get better about that this year. I particularly appreciated your sense of how “an entire system can become invested in a wrong decision.” That is certainly what’s playing out, while days and months turn to years in prison for Damien, Jason and Jessie. I believe that one of the few benefits of their ordeal will be that thousands of folks will understand very well that people in power, as you say, “can and do make mistakes and even intentionally obscure the truth.” I hope that they will not simply assume that this is an isolated phenomenon, something that only could happen in Arkansas. Unfortunately, I’ve learned, it’s widespread and common. Like you, I believe that this year will mark a turning point, though not the triumph for justice we want. The wheels of the legal system will have to turn longer for that. Thanks so much for writing.
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