My Theory

[Compassionate Reader]

IIRC, the juvenile records of the WMFree revealed some juvenile crimes, but nothing serious. Presumably, at eighteen, the juvenile records are expunged. (At least that's how it's supposed to happen. However, we are talking about Arkansas.) As to Damien's statement, I imagine that most people who only had a juvenile record would say something similar.

 

[UdbCrzy2]

All of the video that I have seen of Jessie leads me to believe that he is borderline mentally retarded. I have worked with many students in this IQ range, so my opinion on this issue is somewhat biased by what I have seen of people in this range. However, I feel it is a good bias, more like an insight into people in this IQ range. But, that's just me.

Here is a video on YouTube of him speaking and NO he's not retarded or borderline or like a 5-year-old or any of that nonsense. He sounds like he has a speech impediment and has an Arkansas accent.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtLJyRUBUJg&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL"]Jessie Misskelley - YouTube[/ame]


Here's Jason Baldwin, he's from Arkansas too, Says, You'uns or Y'uns. Oh, yeah and keep sending us money too.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OasAyP6G07s&feature=autoplay&list=ULXtLJyRUBUJg&lf=mfu_in_order&playnext=1"]Jason Baldwin - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Compassionate Reader]

Sorry, but I disagree about Jessie. He sounds like the kids I used to teach who are borderline retarded. I don't hear a speech impediment at all, just a "slow" kid - well, man. Jason has an Arkansas accent, as does Jessie, but he sounds much more articulate than Jessie to me. Damien always sounds articulate and well read. I guess that's because, having been on Death Row, he was the one always interviewed. That makes him more practiced at being interviewed. Jason seems to be getting more comfortable as time passes, too. I hope that Jessie will eventually grant interviews. However, I'm sure that his low IQ is the main reason that he doesn't want to do so right now.

 

[UdbCrzy2]

Sorry, but I disagree about Jessie. He sounds like the kids I used to teach who are borderline retarded. I don't hear a speech impediment at all, just a "slow" kid - well, man. Jason has an Arkansas accent, as does Jessie, but he sounds much more articulate than Jessie to me. Damien always sounds articulate and well read. I guess that's because, having been on Death Row, he was the one always interviewed. That makes him more practiced at being interviewed. Jason seems to be getting more comfortable as time passes, too. I hope that Jessie will eventually grant interviews. However, I'm sure that his low IQ is the main reason that he doesn't want to do so right now.

BBM

So, do you believe that someone is able to increase their IQ?

I think you believe that Echols will be cured of mental disease too to the point of not needing a doctor or medications.

What kind of a school did you teach at anyway? Was it the public school system? Just curious.

 

[Compassionate Reader]

BBM

So, do you believe that someone is able to increase their IQ?

No. IQ cannot be increased substantially as a rule. I was saying that Jessie's low IQ makes him feel uncomfortable in interview situations. I'm hoping that he will eventually feel comfortable enough to participate in an interview. That won't mean that his IQ was increased; it will just mean that Jessie will have expanded his comfort zone.

I think you believe that Echols will be cured of mental disease too to the point of not needing a doctor or medications.

It depends on what "mental disease" we are discussing. Personally I believe that much of Damien's problem at the time was teen angst coupled with poverty. Since he is no longer a teenager, I believe that his depression and anxiety are "cured." I believe that some professionals exaggerated some of Damien's symptoms for various reasons. As I have said before, I have heard students make similar statements about killing a parent or a peer. It never happened. It was just said for shock value or attention. IMO, that's why Damien said many of the things he did. Also, he used these outlandish statements as a way of distancing himself from the town that hated him. It was a defense mechanism.

What kind of a school did you teach at anyway? Was it the public school system? Just curious.

I don't know why it matters, but it was a public school. In fact, in the 25 years that I taught school, I taught at one middle school and four different high schools in two different states. The bulk of my career (23 years) was in inner city high schools in the fourth largest city in the US. I taught all levels of students, from the mentally challenged to the gifted. I'd say that about 90% of the students that I taught were living in poverty.

 

[Cappuccino]

Not sur where to put this, but its as good here as anywhere...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPkivEqmAXc"]John Mark Byers names a suspect - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Cappuccino]

So what do you reckon, people? Did David Jacoby's hair really fly there on Harry Potter's wand?

 

[AngelontheRiver]

Even if Misskelley is borderline retarded, that doesn't prove he was lying. It is a typical defense sideshow.

 

[claudicici]

I partly agree,even if he is borderline retarded doesn't prove he was lying.
What proves he was lying is that most of the things he said during the "confessions" make no sense and do not match the crime scene.

 

[Compassionate Reader]

Even if Misskelley is borderline retarded, that doesn't prove he was lying. It is a typical defense sideshow.

It also doesn't prove he was there. His mental deficiency should not be an issue. However, the claim by the prosecution that they didn't know of Jessie's mental deficiency IMO is a bold face lie and typical of the sideshow that the prosecution conducted with their mail-order PhD occult expert, their grapefruit demonstration and many other spurious actions that were at best unethical and at worst immoral. In a small town like the West Memphis/Marion area, everyone knows who "rides the short bus." For the prosecution to claim otherwise is beyond disgusting.

 

[UdbCrzy2]

It also doesn't prove he was there. His mental deficiency should not be an issue. However, the claim by the prosecution that they didn't know of Jessie's mental deficiency IMO is a bold face lie and typical of the sideshow that the prosecution conducted with their mail-order PhD occult expert, their grapefruit demonstration and many other spurious actions that were at best unethical and at worst immoral. In a small town like the West Memphis/Marion area, everyone knows who "rides the short bus." For the prosecution to claim otherwise is beyond disgusting.

Now you are twisting the truth again when you claim that he was mentally retarded or even borderline. It's what defense lawyers do when their client is facing the death penalty.

Misskelley IQ testimony from 2-defense experts admitted that it was not true that he was retarded or even borderline

Dr. Wilkins:
http://callahan.8k.com/wm3/wwilkins2.html

Dr. Rickerts:
http://callahan.8k.com/cgi-bin/i/images3/jm_trial/jm_rickert/jm_trial_2165.jpg

http://callahan.8k.com/images3/jm_trial/jm_rickert/jm_trial_2180.jpg

http://callahan.8k.com/cgi-bin/i/images3/jm_trial/jm_rickert/jm_trial_2181.jpg


The defense also had an occult expert, but decided not to call him. The satanic panic theory was sensationalized by the HBO/Devils Knot money makers.

I consider some of the claims I see on this thread as being outright falsehoods and no links to back them up, just falsehoods.

I don't understand why supporters continue to spin the truth when it can be proven with true actual documents of the truth. I know OTHER message boards allow people to post falsehoods as the truth, but I KNOW WS is different and would NOT want someone posting outright falsehoods.

 

[AngelontheRiver]

Misskelley stated he told half truths to intentionally throw the police off. He also seemed to be trying to minimize his part in the murders. I theorize he regretted he was involved in it.

The police made a mistake to dwell on the possibility of satanism. It was a pure thrill kill. They are a lot more common these days. Not so much then.

 

[claudicici]

:banghead:
...if you think you need to explain to a 17 year old what a penis is then you obviously think that person may be slow.
Whether or not Jessie is borderline retarded LE undeniably thought he was and yet interviewed him for hours without a parent or a lawyer present.


I'm not sure where you get your statistics on "thrill kills" but I'm sure not much has changed in the past 10,50 or 100 years.
I see rage and sadism in these murders.

 

[AngelontheRiver]

Being "slow" has no bearing on being capable of committing a crime and lying. He had previous experience breaking the law. He confessed multiple times.

I don't have thrill kill statistics. Just my observation from media accounts. People, even children, killing just for fun. Or to see what it's like.

 

[AngelontheRiver]

:banghead:
...if you think you need to explain to a 17 year old what a penis is then you obviously think that person may be slow.

Sometimes in the south we call everything below the waist "bottom." Southern euphemism. My granny said, "Be sure to warsh good, especially your bottom".

Of course the police would need to clarify which aspect of the bottom was involved.

People are using his way of speaking to support things without a true understanding of his culture.

 

[UdbCrzy2]

You are right Angel. I hear supporters downgrading Arkansas often. We had a great President come out of the state of Arkansas.

I think they are forgetting about the convicted having a southern accent and all three were uneducated. Even today Baldwin uses the phrase 'Y'uns' when he refers to a group of people and this is after he got a GED. So, it's a culture thing and some can't understand.

Claudicci knows that they asked him about 'penis' because he was calling it a 'thang' and 'bottom'. I guess that post was missed by him/her.

 

[claudicici]

.....in that case they would have asked "do you mean his penis?" not "do you know what a penis is?",not once but twice.

 

[AngelontheRiver]

He may have never heard it called a penis. I guess I see him as being "slow" but fairly wily. I grew up with boys like these three.

 

[claudicici]

So you think it's ok to interview an underage boy ,doesn't matter how slow he actually was but LE obviously thought he was,just like you do,for hours without a parent or a lawyer present?So you think it's ok that once you coerced a confession from this boy you don't try to verify it by at least taking him to the crime-scene but instead you keep on trying to alter the statements until they come closer to what you want to hear?
I hope that never happens to myself or my child.Because it's against everything this country should stand for.

 

[AngelontheRiver]

I don't think that's what happened. If he was an inner city kid the same age, suspected of a drive-by, with similar circumstances, would you be outraged? If so, there's plenty sitting in prison that would love a similar campaign for freedom.