I think some times people have the misconception that online classes are easy. This class was pretty hard for me. I think I would have done alot better if I would have worked more on my blog. I think the class work be better if we were able to free write on the blog more.All in all I think the blogs were a good idea, but it's some times hard to write on a subjesct picked by some one else . I did enjoy reading others post, although it was frustrating when my classmates had not completed their blogs yet. I thought the surveys were pretty cool too. I am all for extra credit! The final was horrible, once again writing on a predetermined subject was hard. I am pretty stressed at this point about my grade. I am walking a fine line between a B and a C. Like a one point fine line. I sure hope it works out as I really need a B!

What's on My Mind

Well after the events of Boston this last weekend I have been thinking alot about our country and the state of chaos we are all in. We all take for granted the freedoms we have, almost to the point we think freedom is owed to us. It is indeed the same freedom so many have paid for with thier lives. We ship are troops over seas to Iraq to fight the terrorist, but indeed the attacks on us have been right here in lady liberty's back yard. The war on drugs has been ongoing since the 80's but we still can't seem to stop the hundred's of thousands of pounds of drugs from entering our country each year. Our foster care system, as a direct result of the drug problem in America, is overwhelmed. Children still slide through the cracks, remaining abused and molested, right here in our country, while our movie stars and idols adopt from another countries. We have stripped lady liberty from her clothing, ripping the moral fabric that makes family. Not long ago TV parents had seperate beds on screen, but now it's not uncommon to see people engaged in sex on TV. How can we as a country teach our children to be leaders when we have allowed so much filth in their brains and fueled their bodies with happy meals. We have a new era on the rise of muderous children as well. I watched the tiny faces of Sandy Hook on my TV and cried. I couldn't help but see my own daughter in the face of all those little kids and my heart shattered. I asked God why? Why ? What happened to that kid that he would kill his mother then all those little kids. Truth is there is no specific answer, but many small answers. I am so saddened that these terrible things happen. I hope instead of everyone screaming we are FREE to be vulger, FREE to own guns, FREE for this and that, that some one realizes our forefathers intended for us to be free to be safe, to own guns to protect our families and feed them, they gave us freedom of speech not so we could hurl obscenities publicly, but so we could express concerns and opinions openly, they gave us assistance not so generations could live off the government but so families could get on thier feet. I guess that's my rant for the day.

essay draft

Hey guys, I am taking a leap here and going to post what I have so far on my essay. Please read and give any suggestions you may have as I need a good grade on this. I am not half way done because I am waiting on another DVD to come in the mail (Netflix) and hoping to be able to speak to Scott Ellington myself.

 To Be Free

Cassie Davis

BRTC Ashley Hall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judge Not

            Wrongful convictions occur every day. With a legal system that is at times dependent on eyewitness accounts and hearsay there is room for error. Sometimes these errors of justice are quickly rectified, but at other times the process can be long and drawn out. In the case of the West Memphis three: Damian Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, were teenagers when they were arrested for the murders of three young boys: Chris Byers, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch. For nearly two decades, although convicted of the crimes, the West Memphis three denied any involvement in the murders. The West Memphis three case is a prime example of how small town misconceptions and rumors can take hold of a criminal case and twist non-existent evidence into concrete evidence, leading to a miscarriage of justice. Damian Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin are innocent of the murders of Christopher Byers, Stevie Branch and Michael Moore.

            On the 6^th of May 1993 most of Arkansas watched the news and learned a terrible crime had been committed. Three little boys had been found beaten, murdered, and thrown in a ditch like trash. As the news spread of the murders of Michael Branch, Steven Moore and Christopher Byers, details of the case began to be leaked. Most details of a murder investigation are kept private. This is done in an effort to keep out false confession and used in following leads from tips. However, news that the boys were found naked, beaten, cut, and that one of the murdered children was castrated quickly spread and became common knowledge in the town. These leaks of information were the first in a series of investigation mishaps.

            With rumors in their ears and a community scared, the pressure was on for the West Memphis Police to find the monsters that did this. One would think all aspects of case like this would be explored. However, on the night of the murders employees at a nearby BoJangles restaurant called the West Memphis police to report a strange incident that occurred in one of their public bathrooms. A man, wet, covered in mud and blood had entered the restaurant women’s bathroom and left a mess. An officer responded to the call but no evidence was collected until the next day.(Perrusqia 1994) The evidence that was collected at the restaurant, after the boys bodies had been found, was subsequently lost by officer Brian Ridge, the same officer who would later interview one of the accused. It can clearly be seen that losing evidence of any sort at such a crucial time is an example of police incompetence.

            Satanic panic is a term mentioned a lot in this case. Damien Echols name was first mentioned by an overzealous juvenile officer named Steve Jones early in the investigation (the day after the bodies were found). Due to the leaks in the press about the injuries on the murdered boy’s bodies and rumors of satanic rituals Mr. Jones was contacted by officer Sudberry of the West Memphis police department. During this informal conversation, Jones states he knows of a person he believed to be not only to be involved in occult activities but that could also be capable of this type of crime; Jones named Damien Echols. (Steel 2012) Based on this hunch, with no evidence, both officer Sudberry and Mr. Jones went to speak to Damien Echols at his home the next day. During this interview with Jones and Sudberry, Echols made a statement he thought one of the murdered boys had been injured worse than the others. This statement was later used against Echols, even though it was common knowledge in West Memphis at the time. (Steel 2012) There was no reason at this time to suspect or interview Echols at this time. One can clearly see that Echols was mentioned at this point, not because of evidence, but more convincingly, because he was different.  According to Mara Leveritt, Damian Echols stuck out in a crowd, often wearing all black along with a long black trench coat. (Leveritt 1993)

            One would think a person would never admit to doing something so terrible such as murdering three little boys if they had not committed the crime. But according to Jennifer Schell, PhD. this occurs more often than once thought. In research compiled by Schell the following statistics were given about false confessions: 93% were made by males, 81% occurred in murder cases, 74% of the time the real perpetrator was found, 63% were younger than 25, and four out of five of the false confessors who went to trail were convicted. (Schell 2011). Could this have been the case with Jessie Misskelley?

Jessie Misskelley was picked up in early June by officer Brian Ridge , the same officer who earlier lost blood samples from the Bo Jangles restaurant. In an interview given by chief criminal inspector Gary Gitchell, Miskelley “was only picked up in hopes he knew something about cult activity.”(Berlinger & Sinofsky 2012) Misskelley at the time was only 17 years old. With no parent present, without Miranda rights being read to him, Misskelley was questioned for 12 hours of which only the last 41 minutes were recorded. During this last 41 minutes of a 12 hour interview, Jessie Misskelley, whose IQ is 72, confessed to the murders of the three little boys and also indicated accomplices’ Damian Echols and Jason Baldwin.  Even though his supposed confession contained many inconsistencies such as the time of the day; Jessie originally said the crime occurred in the morning, but investigators knew this could not be true. Byers, Moore, Branch, and Baldwin had all attended school that day. Misskelley stated the boys were “tied with rope”; however, they were actually tied up with their own shoe strings. Also there are many inconsistences in Misskelly’s confession when compared to the injuries of the boys. One can come to the immediate conclusion that if Misskelley made this many crucial mistakes during the 41 minutes he was recorded, even after 12 hours of interrogation, he was lying. Gitchell’s entire case relied on this faulted confession.

 

           

           

           

           

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Berlinger, J., & Sinoksky B., (Director & Producer) (2012). Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory [DVD]

            United States: Home Box Office

Leveritt, M. (1993,June 24). Can’t Shake the Scock; The horror from three West Memphis

 murders hangs on. The Arkansas Times, (12). Retrieved from

http://callahan.8k.com/images2/exhibits/Def_Exhibit_E.jpg

Schell, J. PhD., A European Association of Psychology and Law - Student Society Publication,

            FACT SHEET: False confessions,(1)

Steel, F. (2012) Crime Library criminal minds & methods: The West Memphis Three.

            Retrieved from

            http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/suspect_4.html

 

 

Three Free

I am doing my paper on the infamous story of the West Memphis three. This is criminal case of three teenage boys accused of murdering three little boys in West Memphis Arkansas. I chose this case because  of a personal family argument it presented. After watching the documentries several years ago, I made my mind up these three guys had been railroaded. My father's opinion however is very different. You see my dad is friends with the man who was the chief of police at the time, and has known him for many years. My dad says that he, and his police chief buddy, had two conversations concerning this case. One of these conversations took place right after the boys were arrested and the second after they were freed. My dad says his buddy is an honest man who truly believes the three are guilty. Although the defense says that the case was based on no factual information, my dad says there are many things the public will never know pointing to their guilt. I ,however believe they are innocent. I believe that streotypes are powerful, that these boys were wrongfully convicted in what has been compared to a witch hunt. The West Memphis three were released from prison last year. I was among the crowd cheering.  The state of Arkansas struck a deal called the Alfred plea, allowing the now grown men to walk free after 18 years in prison, while stating their innocence ,yet still pleading guilty. What a legal robbery. Robbed of their youth, robbed of their character, and the families of the victims robbed of closure. You see the case is closed; they aren't looking for any possible leads or murderers. As far as Arkansas acknowleges they had their murderers, yet they chose to let them go. Many still think they are guilty, but many are like me and believe the system is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, not guilty until proven innocent. Unfortunately, I think the system failed. The system failed not only the West Memphis Three but the little boys that were murdered.