West Memphis 3 Essay

Seventeen years ago a tragedy happened in West Memphis, Arkansas. On may 5, 1993; Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Steven Branch were riding their bikes and skateboards through a housing development area a few minutes away from their homes. A member of the West Memphis community last spotted the eight-year-old boys heading towards Robin Hood Hills. Later that evening, they were reported missing, and the next day, their bodies were found mutilated and murdered in a creek in Robin Hood Hills. Who could be so cold-hearted and cruel to do this to three little boys? The West Memphis Police Department (WMPD) already had their suspects picked out before any proof had been submitted: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, who came to be known as “The West Memphis Three” (WM3).
The West Memphis Three. Innocent or Guilty? The lack of evidence, inconsistencies, inadequate training of the police force, and the poorly investigated crime scene all scream “innocent.” On the night of the murders at 8:42, Marty King, the manager of Mr. Bojangles Restaurant, which is near Robin Hood Hills, called the police and reported that an African American man who was bloody and muddy had been sitting in the women’s bathroom for an hour. The office that responded to the call drove through the drive-thru and never even came inside. Keeping this in mind, an African American hair strand was found at the crime of the scene.   This little bit of information proves that the WMPD did not thoroughly investigate all possible suspects.
The final and most important problem that I discovered was that no one investigated John Mark Byers, Christopher Byers’ stepfather, who in my opinion is the most reasonable suspect. John Mark Byers gave HBO, the network who taped filmed the documentary on the WM3, “Paradise Lost,” a knife. Later, that knife was turned in to the WMPD because blood had been found on the knife. The blood type matched Christopher’ blood type, yet when Byers testified, he...