The West Memphis Three are free.
But they're still awaiting justice.
The case of the West Memphis Three spawned a world-wide movement to free three men - Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelly - who were wrongfully convicted of killing three young boys. (Learn more about the case.)
Now, 20 years later, the WM3 are free - but with the stain of a criminal conviction on their record for something they did not do.
Ask Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe to finish the job and pardon the West Memphis Three.
We, the UNDERSIGNED, call on Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe to fully exonerate Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, known as the West Memphis Three, by granting them pardons based on their innocence.
These three men were convicted as teenagers of murdering three young boys, despite no physical evidence linking them to the crime. DNA tests 15 years after the crime turned up no genetic materials matching any of the three defendants. Amidst horror and hysteria, the three teenagers were convicted on the basis of false confessions and innuendos. Nearly two decades later and the attention of a world-wide campaign to free them, they accepted an Alford plea to obtain their freedom. But they deserve a full exoneration.
Please pardon the West Memphis Three based on the absence of evidence of their guilt and clear their records, so they can rebuild their lives free from the stain of conviction of a crime they did not commit.
These three men were convicted as teenagers of murdering three young boys, despite no physical evidence linking them to the crime. DNA tests 15 years after the crime turned up no genetic materials matching any of the three defendants. Amidst horror and hysteria, the three teenagers were convicted on the basis of false confessions and innuendos. Nearly two decades later and the attention of a world-wide campaign to free them, they accepted an Alford plea to obtain their freedom. But they deserve a full exoneration.
Please pardon the West Memphis Three based on the absence of evidence of their guilt and clear their records, so they can rebuild their lives free from the stain of conviction of a crime they did not commit.
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| Number | Date | Name | Location | Additional comments? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2461 | Thu May 17 00:45:21 EDT 2012 | dava blevins | wilkesboro, NC | I have been haunted by this case for years. The injustice done to these three boys (now men) was atrocious. It nagged at me and kept me up nights. I however am just another person of modest means More.... |
| 2460 | Sun May 13 14:42:39 EDT 2012 | Tanya Cooney | Edmonton, AB | There are too many flaws in the justice system, even as a young teenager I could tell that all 3 were innocent. |
| 2459 | Sun May 13 14:08:00 EDT 2012 | Hannah Hodson | England, ot | The justice system sounds really messed up, and as if the police's priority was convicting anyone, not the right one. I hope the system has improved within the past 18 years and that the truth may finally More.... |
| 2458 | Wed May 09 15:51:08 EDT 2012 | Anonymous | Valley, NE | |
| 2457 | Sun May 06 06:15:45 EDT 2012 | Emily Clark | Minneapolis, MN | You have the chance to put right what went so wrong nineteen years ago for these three men when they were still little more than children. This country stands for freedom, justice, and the rights of the More.... |
| 2456 | Sat May 05 02:33:46 EDT 2012 | Lindsay Harrison | Jonesboro, AR | |
| 2455 | Thu May 03 20:27:15 EDT 2012 | Amber Juanillo | Noblesville, IN | This is definitely a case of social injustice. No one should go to jail for a crime that they didn't commit. Pardon these three men. They deserve it! |
| 2454 | Thu Apr 26 14:21:45 EDT 2012 | Jason Garner | Mount Olive, NC | |
| 2453 | Thu Apr 26 11:46:47 EDT 2012 | Anonymous | honestead, FL | |
| 2452 | Wed Apr 25 19:35:23 EDT 2012 | ruth elliott | piqua, OH | praying for you Jason, Damien and Jessie |
| 2451 | Tue Apr 24 00:57:12 EDT 2012 | Courtney Howarth | Richmond, VA | I had the opportunity to meet Jason Baldwin this past weekend, immediately after seeing a screening of Paradise Lost 3 - although he didn't want to take the Alford plea, he did it to save the life of his More.... |
| 2450 | Mon Apr 23 14:25:23 EDT 2012 | jenny lieb | cleveland, OH | |
| 2449 | Sat Apr 21 20:32:21 EDT 2012 | John Street | memphis, TN | at the time the 3 were arrested for a crime they didn't commit i was 16 yrs old. i wore black, listened to heavy metal, and read stephen king books. i was 30minutes away from west memphis and they could More.... |
| 2448 | Sat Apr 21 07:50:35 EDT 2012 | Anonymous | citrus heights, CA | who are we to punish for taking a life by turning around and doing to them exactly what he is being punished for? that is sending out the wrong message to society but more importantly, children. and if More.... |
| 2447 | Sat Apr 21 02:19:46 EDT 2012 | Anonymous | Seoul, ot | Hello Gov. Mike Beebe, I hope you're a better man than the former Judge and now Arkansas politician David Brunett. So please do the right thing and pardon the WM3. I've been living in Seoul, S. Korea More.... |
| 2446 | Fri Apr 20 21:15:28 EDT 2012 | Anonymous | Canton, OH | |
| 2445 | Fri Apr 20 09:34:47 EDT 2012 | janie johnson | mabank, TX | |
| 2444 | Fri Apr 20 00:43:42 EDT 2012 | Krystal Gregoire | Nashua, NH | 207 -->206I stand by the WM3 and whole heartedly believe in their innocence. Exonerate these men & give them a fair shot at life. Having plead guilty the real killer isnt being hunted & is walking amungst us, freely. |
| 2443 | Thu Apr 19 22:20:48 EDT 2012 | Amy Usner | Memphis , TN | |
| 2442 | Thu Apr 19 09:53:26 EDT 2012 | Lena Johnson | Goodlettsville, TN | |
| 2441 | Thu Apr 19 09:25:04 EDT 2012 | sam WHITAKER | covington, KY | |
| 2440 | Thu Apr 19 08:35:37 EDT 2012 | Charlie Dawalt | Covington, KY | this is appalling, iv lost much respect for the court system in my country. PARDON THE WM3!!!! |
| 2439 | Wed Apr 18 16:33:07 EDT 2012 | Brittney Beaird | Corsicana , TX | Pardon them sir! They are innocent!!! I have a son the same age jason was when he was taken away from everything he knew and loved and locked away and I couldn't imagine my son being blamed for a horrific More.... |
| 2438 | Wed Apr 18 14:19:20 EDT 2012 | christine fatzinger | philadelphia, PA | |
| 2437 | Tue Apr 17 19:29:02 EDT 2012 | Jake McKenna | Manchester, ot |
