You really can't be that naive to think that is the only way LE manipulates situations.
Rather, I've no reason to believe Missekelly was manipulated into confessing absent any actual evidence to substantiate that notion.
So I take that to mean you believe the various alibi witnesses may be telling the truth and are simply off on their times and names?
Well for instance I figure the people who testified to going wresting with Misskelley likely did go wrestling with Misskelley, but the evidence leaves me with no reason to believe they did so on the night of the murders.
No, I addressed the argument you made as you made it, while a
strawman is a misrepresentation of an argument created to in aversion to addressing the argument which was actually made.
btw I think I remember someone (tongue in cheek) quoting, "Absence Of Evidence Is Not Evidence Of Absence"
What
I said to you was not tongue-in-cheek by any stretch, and I wasn't
quoting anyone, but rather pointing out a well established matter of logic. Perhaps if you go back and read what I said and consider it in the context I said it, you might better grasp that logic.
You might have already seen this one but I think it highlights many errors very well.
Confession with Comments
I've seen that, but I've not found anything notable in it to support the notion that Missekelly was manipulated into confessing. If you have, please quote it here.
I don't think satanism or the occult or anything like that had anything to do with it.
Echols suggested otherwise during
his trial, regarding his 5/10 interview with Ridge:
23 Q. Now, Officer Ridge has that when you were asked
24 these questions that you say, "It was a thrill kill."
25 Is that your words?
2819
1 A. He asked me what did I think could be the possible
2 motivation.
3 Q. Okay. And you indicated a thrill kill, is that
4 right?
5 A. Right.
6 Q. Or a satanic act?
7 A. Right.
And also on the stand, Echols elaborated on his occult beliefs regarding the murders:
22 Q. Question number 11, "How do you think the person
23 feels that did this?" The answer was, "Probably makes
24 them feel good, gives them power." Now, I guess
25 Officer Ridge said that, too?
2817
1 A. No, I used common sense on that. If someone was
2 doing it, then they must have wanted to. And if they
3 were doing something they wanted to, it must have made
4 them happy. I don't think they were doing it because
5 someone forced them to or because they didn't want to.
6 Q. So in your mind the person that killed these three
7 kids, it is common sense that killing three
8 eight-year-olds would make you feel good?
9 A. Whoever did it, it must have.
10 Q. Okay. And it gives them power. That's also
11 another common sense perspective from you?
12 A. Pretty much.
13 Q. Now, when you say, "gives them power," is that
14 based on what you have read in these books?
15 A. No, it had nothing to do with that, just the crime
16 itself.
17 Q. Killing three eight-year-olds gives you power. I
18 don't understand that. Explain that to me.
19 A. They probably thought, well, that they were like
20 overcoming other humans or something.
...
16 Q. It also states that Damien stated that the younger
17 of the victims would be more innocent and in turn more
18 power would be given the person doing the killing.
19 A. Right.
20 Q. Did you say that?
21 A. Yes.
22 Q. Those are your words?
23 A. Uh-huh.
And Echols' interest in occult means of gaining power is further documented throughout his medical records, such as in this [ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9206361&postcount=50"]Indvidual Progress Note[/ame] from a few months before the murders. Notably:
Damien explained that he obtains his power by drinking blood of others. He typically drinks the blood of a sexual partner or of a ruling partner. This is achieved by biting or cutting. He states “it makes me feel like a God”. Damien describes drinking blood as giving him more power and strength. He remembers doing this as far back as age 10. He does not remember where he learned to do this.
...
He wants very much to be all powerful.
...
Damien relates that a spirit is now living with him. The spirit was put inside him last year. He indicates that a month ago the spirit decided to become part of him and he to become part of the spirit. This is reportedly a spirit of a woman who was killed by her husband. When questioned about how he feels with this spirit or what the difference is, Damien is able to relate that he feels stronger and more powerful with this spirit.
Such evidence taken together suggests Echols was on quest for power fueled by mumbo-jumbo, and attacking three eight-year-old boys became a step on that quest. I'm not convinced he set out to murder though, and am open to the possibility that the decision to murder wasn't made until after the degloving of Christopher Byers which was likely done by Baldwin unless Misskelley was lying in that regard throughout his many confessions.
Then again, perhaps the degloving was committed by someone Misskelley chose not to implicate, maybe "a ruling partner" as Echols spoke of drinking blood from to his psychologist just a few months before the murders. Of course there's no real evidence to suggest additional perpetrators, but absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Also, there's a [ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=53"]Forum Finesse[/ame] section at Websluths for questions regarding how to do multiple quotes and such. I've never bothered to look in it, but I'll keep and eye on it and respond to the best of my abilities if any of you ask such questions there.
