Two of three WM3 to be freed tomorrow

_

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

_ wrote:

But, as you know, they didn't really admit any guilt. They basically said, "We're innocent, but we acknowledge that the state may never believe (officially) believe us." It wasn't a regular, straight-up guilty plea.

Every single website I have visited, every single article I have read, states the fact that Damien Echols plead guilty to 1st degree murder.

Just go directly to the source: The video of the court proceeding & the news conferences.

ONCE DEVIDED

I know that its no where near the same.
but an Australian Held at guantanimo and charged with supporting terrorism basically hasd to do the same thing to gain freedom
admit guilt so he could go free
sad sad times when people have to do this so that politicians/ public officials can walk away clean

BinauralJam

ONCE DEVIDED wrote:

I know that its no where near the same.
but an Australian Held at guantanimo and charged with supporting terrorism basically hasd to do the same thing to gain freedom
admit guilt so he could go free
sad sad times when people have to do this so that politicians/ public officials can walk away clean

it's sickening, ya know, we should be better then this at this point in time.

Idris

Front page of Yahoo Canada

AP Exclusive: Ex-death row inmate sees iPhone, hangs with celebrities on first night free

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Most inmates count down the weeks or months to freedom.
For death row inmate Damien Echols, it came almost out of the blue when his long fight for exoneration in the murders of three Arkansas Cub Scouts produced a whirlwind deal.

Echols and two other men, known as the West Memphis Three, pleaded guilty Friday to lesser murder charges in exchange for time served.

Now, he's learning to live outside prison for the first time in 18 years. He said Saturday he spent much of the night before learning to use an iPhone. He also celebrated with supporters, including Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines.

While Echols is free, supporters say they'll continue to look for the boys' killers and try to clear his name.

---

already sucked into the iphone...? hehehe, good times, An entire world to see.

I'm sure he will find the way towards android open source, :ugeek:

(Gotta love the AP EXCLUSIVE headline)

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/3-men-convicte ... 58569.html

Byrnzie

No doubt Damien will be present at the PJ20 shows next week.

Jeanwah

Byrnzie wrote:

No doubt Damien will be present at the PJ20 shows next week.

Either right in front or on stage.

covered in bliss

There were some interesting comments made at the press conference by Damien and his lawyer.

-The prosecution would have NEVER accepted the plea if the state thought they were 100% guilty.
-There was supposed to be a hearing in December re: new trials.
-The state didn't think they could have another trial and get a guilty verdict, that's why they accepted the plea.

The thing that leaves me scratching my head is this... why didn't they wait it out? Couldn't they have waited to see about new trials or would it be too late to plea?

_

covered in bliss wrote:

There were some interesting comments made at the press conference by Damien and his lawyer.

-The prosecution would have NEVER accepted the plea if the state thought they were 100% guilty.
-There was supposed to be a hearing in December re: new trials.
-The state didn't think they could have another trial and get a guilty verdict, that's why they accepted the plea.

The thing that leaves me scratching my head is this... why didn't they wait it out? Couldn't they have waited to see about new trials or would it be too late to plea?

Even the state prosecutor said in his press conference that it was very likely they would be acquitted if things proceeded & they got a new trial! But he listed this as one reason he accepted the plea. So I'm sure if the December hearing failed to grant a new trial, or if the trial failed to acquit them, there's no way the state would still be willing to bargain.

I probably wouldn't gamble with my life & the life of my friend even if there's a good chance of winning. These guys know firsthand to not have faith in the criminal justice system. I think if you've been trying to get out of prison for 18 years & someone agrees to let you out (& may never agree again), you go!

Plus, the state Supreme Court ruled last November that they should get an evidentiary hearing, but it wasn't scheduled until this December. The wheels of justice move so slowly that it could have been 2, 3, 5 more years before they got out. Damien was in solitary confinement and, according to Jason (explaining at the press conference why he took the deal for his friend), they tortured him every day in there. Now thankfully I've never been tortured, but if I were ever faced with torture or the threat of torture I think I'd want it to stop immediately.

SatansFuton

covered in bliss wrote:

The thing that leaves me scratching my head is this... why didn't they wait it out? Couldn't they have waited to see about new trials or would it be too late to plea?

It would be easy for us to sit here in the free world and say they could "wait it out", and it sounds all well and good, unless you're waiting it out, IN PRISON. I'd do whatever I had to do to get out as soon as possible, and worry about setting the record straight and so forth later. I would imagine 4-5 months in prison doesn't pass by too quickly, and after all those years behind bars I'm sure they were even more anxious to get out. I would have admitted to assassinating Abraham Lincoln if it would get me out THAT day.