Paradise Lost (1996) (Spoilers after OP)

Lots of things in this case are pretty astonishing. I remember growing up in Hammond back when these kids were convicted. I don't remember hearing about the case, but I remember the hysteria associated with devil worshiping at that time. It was a fear that we had in our neighborhood. Pretty interesting stuff.

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Mr Bojangles guy did it IMO

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They definitely didn't follow that lead at all. I still think it was Hobbs (one of the stepdads).

This had just happened when my family moved to Memphis. The name Damien Echols was like Freddie Kruger to grade school kids at that time.

The local LE also preyed on a kid that had the mental capacity of a potato to get a confession out of him.

I have seen all the documentaries, even read the book that Echols wrote.

Is it worth my time to see Devil's Knot?

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Those prosecutors should rot in hell.

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Yep, and the lead detective royally fricked up along with the judge. I can't believe that he was the one to decide whether or not they would get a new trial. That is such a conflict of interest.

Lol abellsujr, what did you think of John Mark Byers? Supposedly he was either drunk or medicated in a lot of the scenes in the documentaries, but he definitely made for an unforgettable character. I think it's crazy how he did a complete shift from his prior beliefs to the beliefs he has now concerning the WM3. He used to be the most vocal opponents of the WM3, calling for their heads and ranting and raving about them. Today, he is on their side and has shifted the blame to Terry Hobbs, Stevie Branch's stepfather. There is a lot of controversy with Hobbs, so it's possible there is something there with him.

I also watched the documentaries after watching the movie Devil's Knot, and it's one of those real-life situations that you think would only happen in a movie, but it happened in real-life.

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Lol abellsujr, what did you think of John Mark Byers?

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He was unbelievable. You couldn't write a character like that and whoever played him in Devil's Knot did not even come close to doing him justice. That was an Academy Award role that was wasted.

I watched "West of Memphis" last night. I didn't realize Peter Jackson was such a driving force in this investigation. Thanks Pete. I love your movies and now have even more respect for you than ever.

ETA: Of all of the documentaries on this case, this one is the best, IMO. The details of the corruption is shocking. Justice failed to the highest degree.

i saw the first two parts, still meaning to see the third, and also saw 'west of memphis'. i'm reasonably sure echols didn't have any involvement, but jeez, talk about not doing yourself any favors. i dunno, maybe he was thinking justice would ultimately be served, and in the meantime he'd just play it up for some notoriety, like some smart-assed kid might think....apparently, he underestimated how warped & hysterical the locals (both citizens & law enforcement) were.

one can make an interesting case for dobbs, and it baffles me how he managed to avoid suspicion for as long as he did....but at the same time, i'm not ready to let byers off the hook yet. a couple of his (byers) stories blew up in his face (i think it was in part 2), and the cynic in me wonders if he only changed his stance because he was worried about feeling some heat in the future. i know every person would react differently to such a horrible crime, but he really played it up to a fault IMO, to the point i started thinking "maybe THIS guy is hiding something"....i do hope he's innocent, 'cuz his life really did seem to spin out of control since the crimes.