Why were the boys tied in the manner they were?

[askfornina]

thanks for trying nephers i have seen the footage from paradise lost, i am wondering if that is the only thing available.

 

[HRCODEPINK]

There was never any compelling piece of inculpatory evidence in the first place, we all heard the state read out their list of evidence to be presented at the evidentiary hearing, and it was pathetic. People who haven't grasped the notion that innocent people make confessions would be fooled, but most people know in this day and age that the existence of a confession is not enough. If it was, the Central Park Five, (all five of whom confessed to a crime they didn't commit), would still be behind bars, as would the Guildford Four, Judith Ward, the Birmingham Six, Stefan Sisko, the Maguire Seven, and many, many others.

Apart from the confessions, the state had a jailhouse snitch and two little girls. I don't blame Scott Ellington at all for making the decision he made. Nobody in their right mind would want to prosecute that case. It was a turkey.

The Norfolk Four confessed also. http://www.norfolkfour.com/

Why Would Anyone Confess To A Crime They Didn't Commit?

Read more: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/front...m_medium=feeds&utm_source=feeds#ixzz1WLtiQqk9

A recent study by the University of Virginia School of Law revealed that [PDF] of the 252 people exonerated since 1976 based on DNA evidence, about 40 of them had confessed to the crime!

http://www.stanfordlawreview.org/system/files/articles/Garrett.pdf

It happens all the time....

 

[Compassionate Reader]

There's a whole thread in this forum about false confessions.

[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127073"]On False Confessions - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]

 

[Compassionate Reader]

alright guys, sorry i have to ask this, but are there pictures of the discovery site with the bodies? i have searched and i can't find them. were they not released? are all descriptions based on documents?

Out of respect for the families of the victims, the pictures of the bodies are not on the Internet. IIRC, you used to be able to see them if you went to West Memphis and asked the WMPD for access to the evidence in the case. I imagine that you can no longer see it now, however. The best that's available IIRC is the footage in the first documentary.

 

[Pensfan]

I know this idea might be very far fetched but I was thinking about Hobb's pentecostal background and if I remember correctly there was another case in West Memphis were a child died during an exorcism? Could the tying have been part of something like an exorcism?
http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200901/200901_112_Theo_Enrichment.cfm

Uh...Damien Echol's fan club can't have it both ways. If it is an incorrect prejudgement to assume Damien is suspect because of his religious beliefs and interest in the occult, then it is an incorrect prejudgement to assume Hobbs is suspect because of his religious beliefs and interest in the Pentecostal faith.

 

[Cappuccino]

Pensfan - on what grounds do you accuse this Claudici person of being "Damien Echols fan club"?

It looks to me like he/she is simply posting thoughts on the crime, not asserting anything as fact, and certainly not acting like a representative of anybody's fan club.

I think your sneering post constitutes a personal attack.

 

[Pensfan]

Pensfan - on what grounds do you accuse this Claudici person of being "Damien Echols fan club"?

It looks to me like he/she is simply posting thoughts on the crime, not asserting anything as fact, and certainly not acting like a representative of anybody's fan club.

I think your sneering post constitutes a personal attack.

The supporters of Damien Echols do not want to be known as his fans? Fine, I will change my future posts to Damien Echol's supporters. Do all posters sneer that disagree with your assessment of the Memphis Three?

 

[IrishMist]

The supporters of Damien Echols do not want to be known as his fans? Fine, I will change my future posts to Damien Echol's supporters. Do all posters sneer that disagree with your assessment of the Memphis Three?

*bold emphasis mine

An awful lot of them do, yes.

 

[Cappuccino]

The supporters of Damien Echols do not want to be known as his fans? Fine, I will change my future posts to Damien Echol's supporters. Do all posters sneer that disagree with your assessment of the Memphis Three?

I think you would be an awful lot more accurate, not to mention less offensive, if you dropped your silly obsession with Damien Echols altogether.

Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols, and Jessie Misskelley were all accused of this crime together. The supporters of innocence in this case are supporters of all three, just as I suppose any non supporters still left out there believe in the guilt of all three. Deal with reality, please.

 

[Pensfan]

I think you would be an awful lot more accurate, not to mention less offensive, if you dropped your silly obsession with Damien Echols altogether.

Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols, and Jessie Misskelley were all accused of this crime together. The supporters of innocence in this case are supporters of all three, just as I suppose any non supporters still left out there believe in the guilt of all three. Deal with reality, please.

My silly obsession?

If you don't like to read the mental health facts that I post, put me on "ignore".

 

[Cappuccino]

I have no problem with reading the Exhibit 500 stuff that you, and many other non-supporters, post all over the Internet with the over confident, and over zealous, belief that you have found a smoking gun.

I only have a problem with you misrepresenting people who post general thoughts or questions about the prosecution's theory of this crime, as if they were "Damien Echols fan club."

Everybody has the right to post their thoughts, theories, and questions on this most bizarre of cases. You have no right to demean anyone who questions your personal ideas by slotting them into some imaginary "fan club."

 

[claudicici]

Uh...Damien Echol's fan club can't have it both ways. If it is an incorrect prejudgement to assume Damien is suspect because of his religious beliefs and interest in the occult, then it is an incorrect prejudgement to assume Hobbs is suspect because of his religious beliefs and interest in the Pentecostal faith.

Like Cappucino stated I am not a "Daminen Echols" fan,I am somebody that is interested in the truth and I shudder still when I think about the horrific crime that happened 18 years ago.I am also disgusted that 3 innocent people where put in prison without evidence.
I don't think Hobbs is suspect because of his faith.I think he is suspect because he used to beat Stevie,rape and beat his other son and ex wife,beat Amanda and most likely raped her,aussalted Mildred French,killed his brother in law and his hair was found at the crime scene and he lied in his interviews.
That's why I think Hobbs is suspect.
The tying up of the boys seems very odd to me so I'm just trying to make sense of it and I do think it's a far fetched idea but since Hobbs is my suspect for reasons stated earlier I came across this article that talks about the "binding " and "loosening" during a pentecostal exorcism and they actually bind the person when they want to cast out the demons.I thought it was interesting,that's all.

 

[Pensfan]

Like Cappucino stated I am not a "Daminen Echols" fan,I am somebody that is interested in the truth and I shudder still when I think about the horrific crime that happened 18 years ago.I am also disgusted that 3 innocent people where put in prison without evidence.
I don't think Hobbs is suspect because of his faith.I think he is suspect because he used to beat Stevie,rape and beat his other son and ex wife,beat Amanda and most likely raped her,aussalted Mildred French,killed his brother in law and his hair was found at the crime scene and he lied in his interviews.
That's why I think Hobbs is suspect.
The tying up of the boys seems very odd to me so I'm just trying to make sense of it and I do think it's a far fetched idea but since Hobbs is my suspect for reasons stated earlier I came across this article that talks about the "binding " and "loosening" during a pentecostal exorcism and they actually bind the person when they want to cast out the demons.I thought it was interesting,that's all.

Satanic churches also practice ritual exorcisms, but they exorcise God.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/satanist-c...ivic-center-exorcism-ritual/story?id=11524098

 

[my2sense]

Satanic churches also practice ritual exorcisms, but they exorcise God.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/satanist-c...ivic-center-exorcism-ritual/story?id=11524098

Did you read that article? They were parodying Christian exorcisms. They are a bunch of people who think of themselves as their own gods. They are essentially athiests. It was a pretty interesting article. I won't be joining them anytime soon, but it's still an interesting read.

 

[Pensfan]

Did you read that article? They were parodying Christian exorcisms. They are a bunch of people who think of themselves as their own gods. They are essentially athiests. It was a pretty interesting article. I won't be joining them anytime soon, but it's still an interesting read.

Yes, they hoped to present their version of a Christian exorcism. Many of the satanic rituals are altered versions of traditions and sacraments from the Christian and Jewish faith. They practice altered forms of the Christian sacraments and traditions of marriage, funeral services, priestly ordinations, Holy Communion, Mass/Divine Liturgy, commandments, bells in their masses, communion from chalices, feast days, and more.

 

[claudicici]

I just don't understand what that has to do with the crime since no one suspected or convicted where members of a satanic church.

 

[Pensfan]

I just don't understand what that has to do with the crime since no one suspected or convicted where members of a satanic church.

My2sense asked me a question and according to Websleuth’s policies, I am allowed to answer her/him.


In regard to your statement that none were involved in a satanic church, you are correct. None of the Memphis Three were involved in organized satanic worship. This is somewhat misleading though. Damien Echols made numerous statements that he saw himself as being involved in demonology and he owned satanic items. His parents also expressed their concern about his interest in "satanism/devil worship".

To be accurate, here are the (shortened for brevity) mental health counselors' reports and the emergency room reports documenting Damien Echol's statements that he was involved in demonology. Find the complete reports here: http://callahan.8k.com/

9/1/92. Officer Ortez is called to the Echols‟ apartment in Oregon. Damien transported to St. Vincent‟s Hospital.
Emergency Room Report:
Parents state that he has sniffed propane, glue, gasoline and almost any other drug that is possible. Parental concerns regarding satanism, devil worship.



9/14/92 to 9/28/92. Readmitted to Charter Hospital from Juvenile Detention Center.
Progress notes: Belief in devil worship, has agreed to threatening to “kill” others. Bizarre behaviors. Stated he had attempted suicide before and “wasn’t worried about trying again, because I know I can come back." Peers complaining of Damien making growling sounds at them.


1/5/93. Mental Health Center reopens case:
Says he thinks a lot about life after death--”I want to go where the monsters go.” He admits being caught with satanic items, but denies cult involvement.Continues talk of satanism. Possible deprogramming needed. Could be a danger to others. Continues laughing strangely and getting peers to feed into his satanism.


1/25/93: Speaks of rituals, drinking blood, more involved in demonology. He denies that he’s satanic, seeing himself more as being involved in demonology.

 

[claudicici]

Everything stated about Damien was also true about myself when I was a teenager.
Damien considered himself Wiccan not Satanist.And even if he was read the article you posted,satanists do not kill children.There were no actual satanic cults that committed ritual human sacrifices.
So whether he was satanic,catholic or wiccan,whether he was depressed,psychotic,bipolar or narcissistic how does that make him guilty of this crime?
If Domini or anyone else connected to Damien that night was murdered I would find your posts relevant.
If I would see any evidence that Damien was near the crime scene or with Jessie that night I would find those posts relevant.

 

[Pensfan]

Websleuths does offer an "ignore list" function.

 

[claudicici]

...then what would be the point of a debate?
I would very much like to know why you are sure Damien,Jason and Jessie were hanging around together on May 5th 1993 and killed three children in that location but Damien's Mental Health record or spiritual beliefs don't convince me.