Ex-MISFITS Singer MICHALE GRAVES Speaks Out on the WEST MEMPHIS ...
Blabbermouth.net - White Plains,NY,USA
... has written a feature story in this month's issue of the Atlas Plugged webzine on the growing campaign to free the West Memphis Three â three young men ...

Saving The West Memphis Three

For 13 years, the case of The West Memphis Three has continued to inspire people from all across the globe to coordinate, network and fight to free three innocent men.

On May 5th 1993 in West Memphis, Arkansas, local police and residents alike went looking for three children who had been reported missing and last seen heading towards what was called Robin Hood Hills. The next afternoon, police found the dead bodies of Chris Byers, Steve Branch and Michael Moore. The three 8 year olds were found naked submerged in a drainage ditch, savagely beaten and stabbed repeatedly. Their hands were bound to their ankles with their own shoelaces. Chris Byers appeared to have been the focus of the attack and had been castrated.

Police began to suspect local teenagers had sacrificed the children to the Devil. Authorities eventually arrested Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley after he confessed to them. Misskelley was a mentally handicapped 17 year old, who, with no lawyer or parental consent, was subjected to 12 hours of interrogation, which finally produced a 46-minute error-filled confession that implicated 18-year-old Damien and his best friend Jason. All three were eventually found guilty and Damien was sentenced to death by lethal injection.

The police found no irregularities or incriminating evidence at the home of Damien Echols when they visited and questioned him the day after the murders. The only thing out of the ordinary according to the Police was his knowledge and belief in the Wicca religion. According to a police document, the first thing that stood out to the interviewing officer was a necklace that Damien claimed he had bought earlier that day at the mall. The necklace had a pentagram on it.

Damien was the town weirdo who dressed in black and wore Metallica and Slayer T-shirts. He was the kid who wore black trench coats and army boots and marched to the beat of his own heavy-metal drummer. He was the first person that juvenile officers, who were bent on proving West Memphis was in fact being infiltrated by a satanic cult, looked to whenever anything went wrong in town. He was the kid the cops messed with all of the time. He and Jason, admittedly, mostly just "hung around," which easily gave outsiders the impression that they were "shady. " In reality, they were just poor white teenagers from Arkansas doing the best they could. They loved hanging out, listening to music and trading tapes. Damiens thirst for knowledge was unquenchable and he loved reading and writing. He was endlessly curious and poured over his books. But his outward appearance to the folks of West Memphis was interpreted as evil. To some, his Iron Maiden T-shirt provided them proof.

Soon after the discovery of the slain kids, an HBO documentary team began making a film about the case. Local media ascended upon the mostly conservative Christian town and contributed fuel to the fire of gossip and rumor that was already running rampant and circulating among residents and families concerning devil worshipping cults and Damien Echols. Soon it seemed everyone had a tale to tell - none too tall to believe.

There were no positive representations of any of the accused. The sensationalism of the media coupled with the core beliefs of the religious community solidified fear and added to what is known as "Satanic Panic. " It appears to many to be the same sensationalism and panic that swept a small Massachusetts village in the 1600s, which led to the Salem witch trials. The West Memphis Three case serves as a stunning example of intolerance and corruption. A modern day witch hunt.

From the very start of the Robin Hood Hills Murder investigation there is evidence that the police began to focus on Satanic worship as the key motivation behind the murders and quickly did away with all other conclusions.

One would think it unimaginable to be convicted in this country by the things that convicted Damien, Jason and Jessie. Police found no evidence anywhere at all of anything that would lead anybody to believe that these murders were linked to a cult or had anything to do with worshipping the Devil. Police, however, did dismiss some things that seem to make much more sense considering the circumstances.

On the night of the murders, local police received a call from the manager of a fast food restaurant near Robin Hood Hills. He reported that a black man, "dazed and covered with blood and mud," had been in the womens restroom for about an hour. An officer followed up the call by driving up to the drive-through window. She never got out of her car. She never even went inside. She testified later that she had not gone inside because the restaurant was out of her ward. She also agreed that it had been near the area where the boys were last seen. Most people would agree that a disoriented bleeding man with mud on his feet might arouse suspicion, especially when there were three children who had been reported missing two hours earlier and last seen two miles from that location.

After the boys bodies were found, police followed up on this report and took blood samples from the toilets. Later an investigating officer testified the he "lost" those samples. Maybe the bleeding man covered in mud had something to do with the murders? There is an overwhelming consensus among supporters that it was Chris Byers stepfather, John Mark Byers, that killed the children. He was the last one to see Chris and admittedly disciplined Chris just before he went missing. Mr. Byers has a long history of violent behavior. He was a drug addict and convicted felon with severe psychological problems. His stepson, after all, seemed to be the focus of the attack and was also suffering from psychological problems that were causing problems at home and in school. Chris had become uncontrollable and was supposed to be taking medication.

There was a knife Mr. Byers gave to the HBO filmmakers with blood on it that matched not only his blood type but also that of his slain stepson Chris. When police questioned him, Mark Byers claimed he had never used the knife before. That is until blood was found on it. Then, contrary to what Mr. Byers stated when first questioned about the knife, he testified in court that he remembers that he trimmed his nails with it and might have cut his finger while trimming venison around the Thanksgiving holiday.

Two HBO documentaries have been made about the case of The West Memphis Three. Set against the music of Metallica, these award-winning films inspired Kathy Bakken, Burk Sauls, Grove Pashley and Lisa Fancher to coordinate and began a website called WM3.org. It remains the best place to go for all relevant up-to-date information and has launched a worldwide movement of supporters and activists. The case is also well documented in a book called, "Devils Knot" written by Mara Leveritt, who is one of the only journalists in Arkansas who really looked into the case. This book is also an exceptional resource for information.

This cause has also gained the attention of an assortment of actors, athletes, comedians, bands and celebrities. Margaret Cho, Marilyn Manson, Eddie Vedder, Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra, and Alkaline Trio all continue to support this cause. Other organizations such as Music 4 Life, The Coalition To Abolish The Death Penalty and The Innocence Project are working to free the men as well.

I began "The Almost Home Campaign" in January 2006 after learning that Damien Echols had written a book entitled "Almost Home Vol. 1." In coordination with WM3.org and Music 4 Life, I produced a 55-city tour to promote his book and raise awareness and support for The West Memphis Three. In May 2006, Damien also had his first art show in San Francisco, which helped raised money for The Legal Defense Fund.

June 3rd 2006 was designated as West Memphis Three World Awareness Day. Supporters, activists, organizations, bands and businesses all over the world staged events, rallies and concerts.

Recently a letter-writing campaign produced hundreds of handwritten letters that were delivered to and laid out on the steps of Arkansas Governor Huckabee's office.

Should an eccentric teenagers preference for music and art compounded with a belief in the Wicca religion serve as the only evidence that condemns him to death in an American court of law? Should his best friend be found simply guilty by association? Should a mentally handicapped 17 year old's confession, wrought with error and obviously coerced, confine him to life imprisonment plus 40 years?

There is just simply not enough evidence to rationally believe what the state of Arkansas says happened, much less prove it. But still they were found guilty. Members of that jury have since said that they were exposed to outside information. Some of them based their deliberations on Jessies confession, which they had heard about. The confession was not admissible because Jessie refused to testify for the prosecution.

Damien Echols awaits the results of DNA evidence as part of his appeals process. This is his last chance.

Burk Sauls articulated what I believe to be the heart of this movement when he wrote that, "the police not only betrayed the memory of Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore by not investigating their deaths more effectively, they betrayed Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley by using them as scapegoats to take the fall for their shoddy work.

"This betrayal, the solemn photographs of those three murdered 8 year olds and the young men in prison for something they did not do, are the things that drive people toward a better understanding of the specifics surrounding this phenomenon. If we refuse to turn our backs on this case, and the forces that cause these kinds of things to happen, then maybe, if we really care about things like truth and justice, we can help to keep this type of witch hunt from happening again."

Michale Graves is the former singer for the Misfits. His first solo album, Punk Rock is Dead, was released by Horror High Records in 2005. He has also written songs with Damien Echols, to be released in 2007. In addition to his work in support of the West Memphis Three, he is frequent contributor to www.conservativepunk.com. He can be reached through his Myspace page at www.myspace.com/gravesmichale. More information on the West Memphis Three is available at www.wm3.org or www.myspace.com/almosthomevol1.

Posted by X on Wednesday, August 23, 2006 at 5:56 PM | Permalink