- Signatures: 6,165
- Goal: 5,000
- Deadline: 10-4-2002
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Petition Target: Mike Huckabee, Govenor, Arkansas
This petition was started to support a continued investigation of the case of The West Memphis Three and support them in their fight to get a new and fair trial.
The three, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelley, Jr. were tried for a triple murder in 1993 in West memphis, Arkansas. The evidence suggests that there is a clear possibility that these three are innocent of these terrible crimes. It is our responisbility to either prove BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT that these three are guilty, or release them.
Sign now and support due process of the law, and the respect for the civil liberties of these three men.
| Number | Date | Prefix | Name | State | Country | Why I am signing this petition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6,187 | 2:54 pm PST, Feb 2 | Mrs. | amber mcmyne | New York | United States | These boys are obviously not guilty and it saddens me that they are sitting and rotting in jail when they should be enjoying their young lives. |
| 6,186 | 1:11 am PST, Feb 2 | Grace Baker | Indiana | United States | I am signing this petition in an attempt to let my voice be heard. This is not justice. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -Martin Luther King Jr. | |
| 6,185 | 9:02 pm PST, Jan 31 | Mrs. | Morningstar Sirota | West Virginia | United States | Theses three now men need a fair trail. They need to be out of prison now!!!!!! |
| 6,184 | 4:45 am PST, Jan 30 | Ms. | Paula A. VerVynck | Illinois | United States | I am signing this petition to let those know that the boys who are now men should have never been charged to begin with. There was no evidence and they were charged merely because of the way they looked and dressed and the music they listened to. NOT FAIR AT ALL! |
| 6,183 | 11:36 pm PST, Jan 22 | Ms. | Mija Karras | Alabama | United States | I am signing this petition in order to do my part to put an end to such a judicial travesty. When there's something this obviously wrong within our justice system, then something must be done! Justice is justified. This is NOT. |
| 6,182 | 11:58 am PST, Jan 16 | Ms. | Sylvie Durette | Canada | These young men should have another trial.A lot of the first trial is just BS and it wasn't done fairly.With today's technology.I would put my hand in fire that they would be proven to be innocent. | |
| 6,181 | 4:31 pm PST, Jan 14 | pauline cordery | New Zealand | these young men deserve a new trial - look at the DNA and other facts in this case. | ||
| 6,180 | 6:28 am PST, Jan 13 | Ms. | Andrea Robbins | Washington | United States | The legal system and the local community failed these young boys. |
| 6,179 | 9:06 am PST, Jan 10 | kim brereton | United Kingdom | these boy's are innocent, just watch paradise lost!! so f**king unbelievable that they could convict on such flimsy circumstantial, fabricated so called evidence, if you watch the bayers step father he has guilt written all over him and does'nt take an idiot to see this,he had motive, means and weird political/religious views, he mentioned homosexual behaviour and his views on it,i think he killed the boys because he was disfunctional, and probably never had childhood friends and misread boys playin around,as something sordid and reacted to it by lashing out,i think the other 2 boys were killed just because they were there,this man in my opinion and instinct is guilty of such a dispicable crime,good luck boy's, well your all men now sadly, i hope this injustice is recognised and you are all exonerated and freed,much love and thoughts a concerned human being x x x | ||
| 6,178 | 8:09 am PST, Jan 8 | Ms. | Elizabeth Shields | Florida | United States | Watched Paradise Lost I & II and was convinced of their innocence. |
| 6,177 | 2:36 pm PST, Jan 2 | Mr. | Anonymous | California | United States | Justice for all. |
| 6,176 | 6:13 pm PST, Jan 1 | Anonymous | Pennsylvania | United States | I am signing this petition so there can be another trial where DNA can actually be a factor in the case. If the stepfather's DNA was found there, how can the three men in prison, still be there? I am concerned as to why one of the men is on death row. What was it that made the judge decide on death for this one person? Did he confess, was there evidence of any kind? I am very upset about this justice system and I pray I never have to personally experience anything like this. Arkansas needs to do the right thing and get justice for those three innocent children who were brutally murdered and set the three innocent MEN free who were wrongfully convicted! My prayers are with the families of these victims. | |
| 6,175 | 4:51 am PST, Dec 30 | Ms. | Denise Edgell | Arizona | United States | Arkansas can not continue to ignore the FACTS of this case. The entire case is a joke, starting with the police investigation and continuing today in the Courts. Not only has someone gotten away with murder, three men have lost half their lives because of our corrupt government! It has to stop and something has to be done. I pray that someone will be man enough to end this travesty of justice and free the West Memphis Three! |
| 6,174 | 1:25 pm PST, Dec 29 | Ms. | Nicole Hauptman | California | United States | in hopes of ending this travesty of justice |
| 6,173 | 8:22 am PST, Dec 28 | Steve Clements | New York | United States | Because these 3 innocent men have been in jail long enough. All you have to do is read and you will see | |
| 6,172 | 11:16 pm PST, Dec 26 | Ms. | Amanda Snider | New Zealand | I have followed this case for a long time, and am disgusted that Damien, Jessie and Jason are still behind bars. I will continue to do all that I can to help free The West Memphis Three. This case cannot be forgotten. | |
| 6,171 | 6:17 pm PST, Dec 21 | sarah thorne | Oregon | United States | Mike, I believe it was one of your daughters that impacted my life and my beliefs greatly while I was attending John Brown Univ. I believe that through the grace of God you will consider a retrial for the WM3 that we both know we cannot ultimately judge. Actually your daughter taught me alot about judgement back in the day and I believe she got her values from somewhere. Please consider a retrial. Please allow us all to put this at rest somehow. It will never end without your help. | |
| 6,170 | 5:49 pm PST, Dec 19 | Ms. | Sarah Dove | New Zealand | I am simply appalled by how badly this case has been handled. Give these young men a fair chance, because they were certainly not given it in their original trial. | |
| 6,169 | 10:12 am PST, Dec 9 | Ms. | S Webster | United Kingdom | I am absolutely agog at the miscarriage of justice here - Justice Is Lost Justice Is Raped Justice Is Gone Pulling Your Strings Justice Is Done Seeking No Truth Winning Is All Find it So Grim So True So Real Metallica - ...and Justice for All | |
| 6,168 | 12:39 pm PST, Dec 3 | Jenn Fagan | Virginia | United States | ||
| 6,167 | 9:30 pm PST, Nov 28 | Ms. | Lena Mason-Cole | Australia | Because they didnt do it. | |
| 6,166 | 4:55 pm PST, Nov 28 | Ms. | Rachel Hanlon | Australia | ALL evidence in the case brought against the three was speculative. How this occured and how these three men still remain in prison, makes me so ashamed for those who can do something about it, but won't. | |
| 6,165 | 3:24 pm PST, Nov 24 | Mr. | die Damien | Arkansas | United States | The infamous Damien Echols of the so called West Memphis Three that as part of a trio raped and murdered three innocent children has now been reported to have contracted AID's due to repeated and unauthorized consensual sexual encounters with other inmates while in prison. This event comes at a time when his two co-defendants have both been recently reported to have been caught within prison with home-made dresses and panties on their persons as well as engaging in unauthorized but consensual sex acts with other inmates. Echols is reported to have been more than once caught by prison staff masturbating to pictures of young boys. |
| 6,164 | 12:40 pm PDT, Oct 20 | Mrs. | Tamara Behrens | Iowa | United States | |
| 6,163 | 10:03 am PDT, Oct 10 | Ms. | Anonymous | Netherlands | ||
| 6,162 | 4:02 pm PDT, Oct 9 | Lani Braithwaite | California | United States | I'm signing this because something has to be done now to correct this injustice before it's too late. Damien doesn't have much time left and all 3 deserve to live their lives as the innocent men that they are. It's hard to believe that these men have already served 15 years for a crime they didn't commit. | |
| 6,161 | 12:42 pm PDT, Oct 7 | Ms. | april hill | Arkansas | United States | I am a college student at asu-heber springs and am actually going to school for law. I personally believe that the west memphis 3 were convicted on circumstantial evidence. I mean how many people now where black and listen to metallica? In criminal law the burden of proof is without a reasonable doubt and in this case there was plenty of doubt. Jessie Misskelley jr was interrogated for hours prior to the officers actually recording his confession. Any child that is stuck in a room with two men and a baseball bat would be easily coerced into confessing to anything just to be out of that room. There was NO evidence linking them to the murder of those three little boys and I believe that the prosecutors merely played on the jurys' emotions. Yes it was a terrible tragedy that three 8-year-old boys was tortured to death but it is my belief that the murderers are still out there. |
| 6,160 | 8:30 am PDT, Oct 4 | Ms. | Jennifer Shaver | Arkansas | United States | I believe they are innocent. |
| 6,159 | 3:23 pm PDT, Sep 25 | Anonymous | Australia | iv know about these poor boys being in jail for a long time now and i am disbeliefed that in 2009 the american justice system has not cleaned up and let these poor fellas out of jail they were boys when they went in and they are now men, it shocking that somethng with so much evidence saying there innocent that they still stay behind bars. the shocking and terrible things that happen to those poor young boys years ago, is something i feel very sorry for there lose, but i just dont see 3 BOYS slicing and dicing that area they were so young! i wish the boys all the luck and wishes for there release and i hope that one day this will all be over for them, im in australia and beleieve me we even know this is screwed up! | ||
| 6,158 | 12:09 am PDT, Sep 25 | Anonymous | Arkansas | United States | I am supporting becuse i believe they have no evidence all they have is a bunch of crap proving it wasnt them they fix it to make other believe what they want you to believe did u watch the movie the judge kept falling asleep in the middle of the case the judge is retired how come hes still on the case he shouldnt have anything to do with the case and if you belive these boys are guilty than you honestly pay no attention and are not very good in court | |
| 6,157 | 11:19 am PDT, Sep 24 | Ms. | Alana Danner | Georgia | United States | It's blatantly clear the boys did NOT receive a fair trial & the local justice system opted to be lazy & go after these boys than to work a little harder & get the actual killer. This is simply a case of small minded people murdering our justice system. |
| 6,156 | 7:35 pm PDT, Sep 22 | Anonymous | Ohio | United States | I firmly believe that these three boys are innocent and deserve to live their lives with all the freedoms as every other American! | |
| 6,155 | 10:30 am PDT, Sep 20 | Ms. | Anonymous | Canada | I believe the three boys charged with this terrible crime are completely innocent & they should have a new trial. God Help them!! | |
| 6,154 | 4:24 pm PDT, Sep 18 | Ms. | Sara Boyd | Illinois | United States | I can't believe this is still going on. It sickens me that injustice like this can still exist and even worse in the public eye. |
| 6,153 | 1:46 pm PDT, Sep 16 | Ms. | Tiffany Curtis | Missouri | United States | I have done so much research on this case/trial, everything and no matter how much i read or watch nothing points to those three boys everything points away and even some point to another suspect, hmmm? those boys have the right to get back the life that was stolen from them. |
| 6,151 | 3:07 pm PDT, Sep 9 | Mr. | Matthew Yuhas | Florida | United States |
Support A Retrial for the West Memphis Three
Attention: Mike Huckabee, Govenor, Arkansas
The evidence supporting the conviction of the West Memphis Three is incomplete and does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they are guilty.
We, the undersigned, implore you to ensure that these three men receive a fair trial and prove their guilt. For all men are INNOCENT until proven guilty. We beseech you to use your influence to ensure that the articles of the constitution are respected and that the inalienable rights of Damien, Jesse and Jason are also respected. These men, as all men do, deserve a fair trial.
Sincerely,
The undersigned.
We, the undersigned, respectfully request that you use your influence to ensure that the West Memphis Three receive a fair retrial and a just investigation of their case.
We understand that the history of the case is as follows:
- On May 5th, 1993 the bodies of three 8 year old boys, Christopher Byers, Micheal Moore and Steven Branch were found, mutilated and tied, wrists to ankles, in a shallow creek along interstate 40 in west memphis Arkansas.
- One month later the police arrested three local teenagers whom they accused of sacrificing the boys in a bizarre satanic ritual.
- The accused were 18 year old Damien Echols, said to be the mastermind behind the murders, 16 year old Jason Baldwin and 17 year old Jesse Misskelley Jr, a boy with an I.Q. of 72.
- According to the police, Jesse voluntarily confessed to participating in these brutal slayings. His confession, though incomplete and frought with inaccuracies, implicated both Damien and Jason, who he claimed to be fellow devil worshipers.
- These three were condmned long before their trial began. For nine months the media released rumored stories of blood drinking and devil worshipping, homosexual orgies and demons.
- Despite overwhelming public hostility toward them, the accused steadfastly maintained their innocence.
- Damien asserted that, throughout the years, police had persecuted him because he was different-wearing black clothing, listening to heavy metal music and being interested in the Wicca religion.
- Jason complained that he was the victim of guilt by associiation- that his freindship with Damien was his only "crime".
- Jesse said that he was coerced into confessing through police pressure. Experts in polygraph tests and false confessions support this contention.
- In 1999, a board certified forensic odontolgist confirmed that one of the slain children, Steven Branch, had an adult bite mark that DID NOT match dental impressions given by Damien, Jesse or Jason.
The evidence supporting the conviction of the West Memphis Three is incomplete and does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they are guilty.
We, the undersigned, implore you to ensure that these three men receive a fair trial and prove their guilt. For all men are INNOCENT until proven guilty. We beseech you to use your influence to ensure that the articles of the constitution are respected and that the inalienable rights of Damien, Jesse and Jason are also respected. These men, as all men do, deserve a fair trial.
Sincerely,
The undersigned.
Note: This Support A Retrial for the West Memphis Three petition was submitted by Dawne Ziegler. ThePetitionSite.com is a free service provided to help concerned citizens rally support for issues they believe in. The opinions expressed by this petition do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of ThePetitionSite.com or Care2.com. There is no express or implied endorsement of this petition nor any newsletter offers (except those from Care2.com) by Care2.com, Inc, ThePetitionSite.com, or our sponsors. If you believe this system is being abused, please contact customer support.
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