west memphis three's flame, birthday royale, the week ahead.

The justice system is a slippery slope at best. Recently, there have been rumblings of a new trial for Damien Echols, one member of the infamous West Memphis Three, who is on death row. The other two men, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin, are also imprisoned serving life sentences. The three men were tried and convicted of killing three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993. The prosecution team stated the primary motive stemmed from a form of Satanic ritual. Testimony has been questioned, words have been fabricated and forensics, which seemingly would provide the pudding, has been faulty.

"Cause there was an on scene deputy

And he had it in for the West Memphis Three

Got them for murder of the first degree

But the crowd wanted more"

[Unfortunates by State Radio]

In November 2010, the Arkansas Supreme court ordered a judge to review new DNA that potentially could exonerate the men. The lower court is now questioning the jurors of the trial and it's possible that all three men will receive a new trial. I have been following this case for quite some time and it's gaining a lot of notoriety even though it's been on a carousel. Today, on CNN's site, David Mattingly interviewed Echols in his maximum security prison. We were only privy to small portions of the interview and it ended in a cliffhanger as Mattingly asked Echols if he committed murder. There was no response and the video ended.


Nevertheless, I cannot fathom the debate whether to give the men a new trial. There is no proof of the slayings and the original evidence is crumbling. It's quite sad. If we've learned anything from Troy Davis' case, it will be a lengthy drawn out process. The West Memphis Three should be rotting in prison if guilty but so much is unknown. I find myself in a quandary: did these murders actually happen, or does the perception and influence of men killing children disrupt all claims of innocence? Does Satanic thoughts lay the framework in its own right? It's a case worth giving attention to and a few moments of awareness.  I want to be believe in the justice system, and I really want to believe in the goodness of people.


I needed to spew that. It's important. In unrelated news, it was not knock-down-drag-out in nature, but conquering Foxwoods is firmly off the to-do list. We drank and lost money. The latter of which became a rolling trend as the night progressed. The birthday boy did his thing and was giddy at the turnout. I have known him since in utero and of all the memories we’ve shared this one sticks out. I suppose when you love gambling and love your friends, a casino filled with your friends is choice. He was thankful and we’re thankful to have him. At one point, he reminded me to look back at my mindset and demeanor at this time last year. For better, my head’s above water and often times you can’t move forward without looking back.

After the much-needed weekend away, it’s time to get back to business and to focus. Preparation for two important meetings this week has begun and I’m looking for positive results from both of them. I am eager and nervous. Indeed, the adrenaline is flowing through me. That’s what happens when you want something so badly. Hopefully, on Friday, when these meetings conclude, I’ll be able to purchase Dispatch tickets with less weight.