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Click here for Kindle version of Devil's Knot - super cheap on Amazon!
Although I have seen documentaries on this story, I came across the kindle version of the book on Amazon and thought I'd give it a read.
The first half of this book made me so angry and disappointed in law enforcement and the justice system in Arkansas. Being from the South (Mississippi), this hit home a little bit because I grew up in a small town. This book is clearly biased towards the 3 defendants, but rightfully so because they were eventually set free.
It made me sick to my stomach to read all of the details in this book about how law enforcement was so corrupt and they targeted Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley. What got the nation and the world in an uproar over this was how the 3 were targeted due to their appearance, the clothes they wore, and their religious beliefs. In this book, I saw so much cover up, corruption, and secretive practices by the Judge, the Prosecutors, and the West Memphis police. It's sad to see all of this unfold when it all seems so obvious. Yet, a jury still convicted Damien, Jason, and Jessie, and many people in Arkansas (and I'm sure elsewhere) still proclaim their guilt.
I will go back and watch the documentaries again on this now that I've read all this detail. I do not believe Damien, Jason, and Jessie were involved in the murders of the 8-year-old boys. I believe they were wrongly accused and convicted. The murderer or murderers is/are still out there! And that is a scary thought. Especially since it is believed that the boys knew their killer(s). That would likely mean that the murderer(s) live(s) in West Memphis...or at least did at the time of the crime.
John Mark Byers would have been my number one person of interest. He got off so easily from any wrongdoings. He just received slaps on the wrist. I think he was probably dealing drugs to the police or doing more than being a narcotics informant. There was something there that made the police protect him at all costs. And why wasn't his wife's death investigated more thoroughly? And the lies he told about his alibi the day the boys went missing!
Ugh, so much frustration in reading this book! At least we know that it had a happy (?) ending? Not sure if you can really call that happy, but it seems like the courts found a way to admit their wrongdoing by releasing the 3.
I think there was also more to the narcotics charges in Memphis with Chris Morgan. All of that drug cover up sounded really suspicious. Was it somehow linked to John Mark Byers and his narcotics involvement? Was it a drug deal gone wrong and someone was looking to seek revenge on Byers so they targeted his step son and friends? Or was it John Mark Byers, himself? I thought it was interesting that he had been involved in encouraging a knife fight between two minors shortly before the murders. So...did he somehow pit the 3 young 8-year-olds against each other with a knife? Or have them tie each other up while he threatened them? Did he have help?
I would love to hear your thoughts and frustrations about this case. And why do you think some people still believe that Damien, Jason, and Jessie are the killers? What do you think the West Memphis police were covering up or for whom were they covering up? What was up Judge Burnett's ass? I wonder what his involvement was in a cover up. He clearly was unfair in presiding over both cases.
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