West Memphis Three (Part Five: Alford Plea)

About this episode

This episode discusses the Alford plea taken by the West Memphis Three, highlighting their journey from wrongful conviction to freedom.

"When we told prosecutors we were innocent, they put us in prison for life. Now when we plead guilty, they set us free." On 19 August 2011, three men - Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr. - were transported from their respective facilities to a courthouse in Jonesboro, Arkansas. They were there to plead guilty to a crime they had spent the better part of two decades denying. At the same time, they were asserting their innocence and obtaining their freedom in an unusual legal maneuver called an Alford plea. What led up to that decision was the culmination of years of painstaking progress. What had started back in 1996 as a single HBO documentary had become a movement by 2011 heralded by celebrity backers and advocates pushing new DNA evidence. Yet at the end of the day, three men regained their freedom at a cost while questions continue to linger about the deaths of three boys... Learn more about this podcast at http://unresolved.me Check out the podcast store at unresolved.dashery.com If you would like to support this podcast, consider heading to https://www.patreon.com/unresolvedpod to become a Patron or Producer Become a supporter of this podcast…

People in this episode

Host: Unresolved Productions

Topics covered

• true crime
• legal system
• innocence
• DNA evidence
• West Memphis Three
• Alford plea
• advocacy

Keywords

• West Memphis Three
• Alford plea
• Damien Echols
• Jason Baldwin
• Jessie Misskelley Jr.
• wrongful conviction
• DNA evidence
• true crime

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: HBO

Books & works: Unresolved: A True Crime & Mystery Podcast

Places: Jonesboro, Arkansas

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