Benefit aims to make money to free imprisoned 'West Memphis Three'

Originally published March 05, 2008 in The Orion.
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Four Chico bands are following the lead of The Cure, Henry Rollins and Margaret Cho by raising money to free three imprisoned men caught in a 15-year-old murder case associated with a satanic ritual.

The Shankers, V.E., Baghdad Batteries and Season of the Witch will be playing a benefit concert Sunday at Lost on Main as part of an international concert series called Rock for Freedom Weekend. Shows in the United States, Canada and Australia will raise money for the defense fund of the three men, who many think were falsely convicted.

Beth Davis is organizing the Chico show to inform people about the murder case and help the three men prove their innocence, she said.

"It's one common goal to set the record straight," Davis said.

Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, known as the West Memphis Three, were accused of murdering three 8-year-old boys in 1993 in West Memphis, Ark.

The men were thought to have been part of a satanic ritual after the victims were found in a creek with their ankles tied to their wrists, according to wm3.org, a Web site supporting the men.

The case has received massive attention from the media and individuals because of the lack of evidence against the three men. Musicians have raised money by auctioning autographed instruments and producing compilation albums. There are also documentaries and books about the case.

At the time of the murders, Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were teenagers and had no connection to the victims, according to wm3.org. DNA belonging to the three men was not found at the murder site.

Misskelley confessed to the murders after 12 hours of police interrogations, according to wm3.org. He later retracted his statements after reporting investigators pushed him into a false confession. Misskelley was reported as having an IQ of 72, classifying him as borderline mentally retarded.

In an interview with Larry King, Echols said that personal traits such as clothing and musical tastes were also major factors used against the three men. The men wore black clothing and listened to Metallica.

Baldwin and Misskelley were given life sentences, while Echols was sentenced to death by lethal injection, according to wm3.org. Echols' execution date has not been determined.

"It's pretty much a modern-day witch trial," Davis said.

The Baghdad Batteries agreed to play the benefit show because band members think it was wrong that the case involved profiling, said vocalist Justin McBurey.

"I can relate with being different," he said.

The Shankers were compelled by the case after watching one of the documentaries, said bassist Kerra Shanker.

Shankers vocalist Johnny Shanker does not agree with the evidence used against the West Memphis Three, he said.

"They were guilty before they were accused," he said.

The Arkansas media bought into the stereotypes of troubled teens, Davis said.

Early stories helped portray Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley in a negative light, she said.

"Being in a small town, that's what happens," she said.

The time of the murders also had a lot to do with the stereotypes of the three men, Johnny Shanker said. In a small town, it was rare for people to have mohawk haircuts and listen to Metallica in the early '90s.

Even though the case is 15 years old, the Internet has helped spread the word about the case in the last few years, Davis said. People are seeing that the three men were really not strange for wearing black clothing. People can also research the case before jumping to conclusions.

"On the Internet, it's not bias," she said. "You get both sides."

In the last year, parents of two of the victims have told the media they think the West Memphis Three are innocent.

Davis thinks the statements will help the case, she said.

"Maybe more people will say 'Maybe we were wrong. Let's take another look,'" Davis said.

McBurey thinks it will take more than statements from the victims' parents for the West Memphis Three to get freedom, he said. A lot of politics are involved with the case, and it is harder when the three men have already been convicted.

The money raised from all the Rock for Freedom Weekend shows will pay for DNA testing and future hearings, Davis said.

Defense lawyers requested a new hearing in October to show that no DNA from any of the convicted men was present at the murder site. A hearing date has not been announced.

Whether the West Memphis Three are innocent or guilty, McBurey thinks they deserve closure, he said.

"I just want it all to be over."