Breaking News

Not merely knitting news, this time, but actual real news!

Some of you may be familiar with the case of the West Memphis Three, a murder case in which three teenage boys were convicted for killing three 8-year-olds, in West Memphis, Arkansas. The teenagers, now fully grown men, have been in prison for 16 years (one of them on death row) while a growing group of supporters have argued that they were wrongly convicted, and have fought to have them exonerated. After years of legal battles, and having many DNA tests performed on the evidence (which have found DNA that doesn't match any of the convicted men) today they are finally being released from prison. As always, the WM3 site has the latest news on the case.

At this time, it appears that the three men have entered an Alford plea, which is a type of guilty plea that means that they maintain their innocence while admitting that the prosecution may have enough evidence to convict them. I have to admit that I'm still a bit flabbergasted that the case hasn't been entirely overturned, based on the lack of evidence, but at least the guys are finally getting to go home and be with their families and friends.

If you would like more information on the case, there have been two documentaries released: Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, which covers the flawed trial and conviction and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations, which follows up on the three men and their fight for freedom, several years into their sentences. A third documentary was slated for release next month, but I imagine the filmmakers will do some more shooting and re-editing, based on today's news.

Goes to show - what seems like an endless battle can be worth the effort. Sometimes the good guys win.